“Band Aid” just got its big break. IFC Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions obtained the rights to the comedy from writer-director Zoe Lister-Jones, IndieWire reports. IFC Films acquired the North American rights and Sony claimed all rights outside of North America.
The film, which recently premiered at Sundance, “tells the story of a dysfunctional married couple (Lister-Jones and Adam Pally) whose shared love of music leads to an unconventional form of couple’s therapy when they form a band with their neighbor (Fred Armisen),” IndieWire writes. It is Lister-Jones’ directorial debut.
“‘Band Aid’ is an incredibly impressive directorial debut feature — it is not only funny but also incredibly smart and inventive, proving Zoe is a true quadruple-threat as an actress, filmmaker, writer, and singer-songwriter,” Sundance Selects and IFC Films’ Jonathan Sehring and Lisa Schwartz said in a statement.
In a recent interview with Women and Hollywood, Lister-Jones discussed the current state of affairs for women directors. She commented, “I think the next step is to create more opportunities for women to direct studio movies and franchises.” She explained, “I do think there is a double standard in the risks studios are willing to take when it comes to hiring relatively inexperienced male directors from the independent film world versus their female counterparts.”
Lister-Jones received Women In Film’s Film Finishing Fund grant for “Band Aid.” Previously, she has written and appeared in the films “Breaking Upwards,” “Lola Versus,” and “Consumed.” Lister-Jones currently stars in the CBS show “Life in Pieces.”