Imagination Worldwide (IWW) has nabbed the worldwide distribution rights to Jessica M. Thompson’s “The Light of the Moon,” a press release has announced. The SXSW winner chronicles the aftermath of its protagonist’s rape.
Written and directed by Thompson, the drama centers on Bonnie (Stephanie Beatriz, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), a successful NYC-based architect who “struggles to regain intimacy and control in her life after her world is irrevocably changed when she is sexually assaulted during an evening out with friends,” the film’s official synopsis details.
“The Light of the Moon” made its world premiere at this year’s SXSW, where it took home the Narrative Feature Audience Award.
The film is “not a stereotypical courtroom drama, or an unbelievable rape revenge fantasy; it is an intimate and realistic portrayal of the first six weeks after a serious trauma and the struggles of one woman to accept the truth and regain intimacy and normalcy in her life,” Thompson emphasized in an interview with us. “I decided to make this film because I wanted to create a raw and realistic portrayal of trauma and recovery, which is told solely from the victim’s perspective,” she said. “I was sick of seeing assault overused in mainstream media — usually by male writers — as a mere plot device and it was not explored in an honest and real way. Hopefully, this film will help change that and encourage a more open dialogue about an issue that affects more than one in five women.” Take note, “Game of Thrones” writers.
“The Light of the Moon” marks Thompson’s feature debut.
“Watching the news, has there ever been a more vital time for a film to face our rape culture head on? When I first saw ‘The Light of the Moon’ at SXSW, I thought it was the most raw, honest portrayal of life post-sexual assault that I had ever seen,” said Michelle Mower, CEO of Imagination Worldwide. Stephanie Beatriz’s performance as Bonnie is beautifully nuanced and real. Her story will stay with you long after you’ve left the theater. We’re looking forward to the honest dialogues this poignant film will inevitably stir up among audiences.”
Thompson added, “I knew from the very first conversation I had with Michelle that they were the right distributor for the film. Considering we had a women-led cast and crew on ‘The Light of the Moon,’ it feels only natural to have a distribution company that is consciously focused on films made by and about women,” she explained. “We made this film to contribute to the dialogue to end rape culture around the globe, and having a strong distribution partner will allow us to spread this message far and wide.”
“The Light of the Moon” co-stars Catherine Curtin (“Orange Is the New Black”), Michael Stahl-David (“Narcos”), and Conrad Ricamora (“How to Get Away with Murder”). IWW is scheduling a theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada sometime during the fourth quarter of the year with a college campus tour to follow. The company is planning a worldwide DVD and VOD release with international distributors as well, but a specific release date hasn’t been set yet.
