Sundance 2016 Acquisitions
Numerous award-winning films premiered at the Sundance Film Festival including Whiplash and Sex, Lies. and Videotape. The following films that screened at the 2016 festival have been acquired for distribution by a studio or production company. One of them just might be a future Oscar nominee.
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- DirectorSian HederStarsElliot PageAllison JanneyTammy BlanchardDesperate to be rid of her toddler, a dissatisfied Manhattan housewife hires a stranger to babysit and ends up getting much more than she bargained for.Netflix acquired worldwide streaming rights to this film.
- DirectorRob BurnettStarsCraig RobertsPaul RuddSelena GomezA man suffering a family loss enrolls in a class about care-giving that changes his perspective on life.Netflix acquired worldwide streaming rights to this film.
- DirectorJoshua MarstonStarsMichael ShannonRachel WeiszHansel TanAs a man contemplates moving to a new state with his wife for her graduate program, an old flame - a woman who often changes identities - reenters his life at a birthday dinner party.Amazon Studios acquired the rights to this drama.
- DirectorBabak AnvariStarsNarges RashidiAvin ManshadiBobby NaderiAs a mother and daughter struggle to cope with the terrors of the post-revolution, war-torn Tehran of the 1980s, a mysterious evil begins to haunt their home.Netflix acquired worldwide streaming rights to this Iranian horror film.
- DirectorJosh KriegmanElyse SteinbergStarsAnthony WeinerHuma AbedinJordan Zain WeinerAn examination of disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign and today's political landscape.Sundance Selects acquired North American distribution rights to this documentary.
- DirectorElite ZexerStarsLamis AmmarRuba BlalHitham OmariWhen their entire lives shatter, two Bedouin women struggle to change the unchangeable rules, each in her own individual way.Beta Cinema acquired this film.
- DirectorAnna Rose HolmerStarsRoyalty HightowerAlexis NeblettDa'Sean MinorWhile training at the gym 11-year-old tomboy Toni becomes entranced with a dance troupe. As she struggles to fit in she finds herself caught up in danger as the group begins to suffer from fainting spells and other violent fits.Oscilloscope Laboratories acquired U.S. distribution rights to this psychodrama. Sundance Channel acquired distribution rights for Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Dutch Benelux, Iberia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.
- DirectorThorsten SchütteStarsFrank ZappaSteve AllenAngelAn in-depth look at the life and work of avant-garde musician, Frank Zappa.This documentary was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics.
- DirectorIra SachsStarsGreg KinnearJennifer EhlePaulina GarcíaA new pair of best friends have their bond tested by their parents' battle over a dress shop lease.International sales rights to this film were acquired by Mongrel International.
- DirectorRicardo FidelisRicardo KoanukaJessica NettelbladtIn a shantytown of Brazil a man refuses to let his physical disability prevent him from living a full life and to fulfill his dream of being able to live with his son.Brainstorm Media acquired North American distribution rights to this documentary.
- DirectorWhit StillmanStarsKate BeckinsaleChloë SevignyXavier SamuelLady Susan Vernon takes up temporary residence at her in-laws' estate and, while there, is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter Frederica--and herself too, naturally.Amazon Studios partnered with Roadside Attractions to acquire U.S. rights to this movie.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsMichael JacksonJackson 5Berry GordyA look at the life of the late pop star Michael Jackson from his early days at Motown Records to the release of his hit 1979 album, Off the Wall.This documentary will premiere Feb. 5 on Showtime.
- DirectorManolo CruzCarlos del CastilloStarsJorge CaoManolo CruzVicky HernándezA man yearns to go in to the ocean across the street from his house, but suffers from an illness that prevents hims from doing so.Global Screen acquired distribution rights to this Spanish-language film.
- DirectorKenneth LonerganStarsCasey AffleckMichelle WilliamsKyle ChandlerA depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.Amazon Studios acquired U.S. rights to this film.
- DirectorChad HartiganStarsMarkees ChristmasCraig RobinsonCarla JuriThe romantic and coming-of-age misadventures of a 13-year-old American living in Germany.A24 acquired the rights to this film.
- DirectorBonni CohenJon ShenkStarsRobin BourlandDaisy ColemanCharles ColemanA look at the effects that online bullying has on the lives of teenagers and their community.Netflix acquired the rights to this documentary about teen cyberbullying.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsElon MuskLawrence KraussLucianne WalkowiczWerner Herzog's exploration of the Internet and the connected world.Magnolia Pictures acquired the worldwide rights to Werner Herzog‘s latest documentary.
- DirectorTaika WaititiStarsSam NeillJulian DennisonRima Te WiataA national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.The Orchard acquired the North American rights to this drama.
- DirectorTodd SolondzStarsGreta GerwigKeaton Nigel CookeTracy LettsA dachshund passes from oddball owner to oddball owner, whose radically dysfunctional lives are all impacted by the pooch.Amazon Studios acquired the U.S. rights to Todd Solondz's latest film.
- DirectorNate ParkerStarsNate ParkerArmie HammerPenelope Ann MillerNat Turner, a literate slave and preacher in the antebellum South, orchestrates an uprising.Fox Searchlight paid $17.5 million, a record high for a Sundance acquisition for this historical drama about the slave rebellion led by Nat Turner.
- DirectorJeff FeuerzeigStarsLaura AlbertBruce BendersonTerrence OwensThe story behind literary persona JT LeRoy, the fictional writer created by American author Laura Albert.Amazon Studios acquired this documentary about a notorious literary fraud.
- DirectorJames SchamusStarsLogan LermanSarah GadonTijuana RicksIn 1951, Marcus, a working-class Jewish student from New Jersey, attends a small Ohio college, where he struggles with sexual repression and cultural disaffection, amid the ongoing Korean War.Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment acquired the rights to this drama.
- DirectorClea DuVallStarsMelanie LynskeyJason RitterSkylar BernonA weekend getaway for four couples takes a sharp turn when one of the couples discovers the entire trip was orchestrated to host an intervention on their marriage.Paramount acquired the rights to actress Clea Duvall's directorial debut.
- DirectorQaushiq MukherjeeStarsShashank AroraTanmay DhananiaChaitanya VaradThis homage to 1980s teen sex comedies follows a college quiz bowl champion who knows almost everything, except how to talk to women.Netflix acquired worldwide streaming rights to this Indian comedy.
- DirectorJ.D. DillardStarsJacob LatimoreSeychelle GabrielStorm ReidA young street magician is left to care for his little sister after their parents' death, and turns to illegal activities to keep a roof over their heads. When he gets in too deep, his sister is kidnapped and he is forced to use his magic and brilliant mind to save her.Blumhouse and WWE films acquired this drama.
- DirectorRebecca DalyStarsBarry KeoghanRachel GriffithsJoanne CrawfordPortrait of a contemporary woman living in Dublin. Margaret handles in a very sensitive way- how difficult it is for a mother to grieve the death of a child, even if they are estranged.Sundance Channel acquired distribution rights to this film for Central and Eastern Europe, Iberia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.
- DirectorBernardo BrittoStarsMartin AndersonEve AustinJames BensonThis mockumentary follows an unnamed director and narrator (Wyatt Cenac) down to Argentina, where he's filming Jacqueline, who claims to be blowing the whistle on a plot to assassinate an Arab politician.Sundance Channel acquired distribution rights to this film for for Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Dutch Benelux, Iberia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.
- DirectorAndrew AhnStarsJoe SeoYoun Ho ChoHaerry KimA closeted Korean-American teenager takes a job at a Korean spa to help his struggling family, only to discover an underground world of gay sex at the spa that both scares and excites him.Sundance Channel acquired distribution rights to this film for Dutch Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe, Iberia and Latin America.
- DirectorAna KatzStarsJulieta ZylberbergAndrés MilicichMirella PascualRunning away from a bar without paying the bill is just the first adventure for Liz (mother to newborn Nicanor) and Rosa (supposed mother to newborn Clarisa). This budding friendship between nursing mothers starts with the promise of liberation but soon ends up being a dangerous business.Sundance Channel acquired distribution rights to this film for Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Dutch Benelux, Iberia, and the Middle East and North Africa.
- DirectorClay TweelStarsSteve GleasonMike GleasonScott FujitaAfter he is diagnosed with ALS, former professional football player Steve Gleason begins making a video diary for his unborn son, as he, his wife, and their friends and family work to raise money for ALS patients as his disease progresses.Amazon Studios acquired all U.S. rights to this documentary and will partner with Open Road Films to co-release it in theaters this summer.
- DirectorAndrew NeelStarsBen SchnetzerNick JonasGus HalperReeling from a terrifying assault, a 19 year-old enrolls into college with his brother and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there in the name of "brotherhood" tests him and his loyalty to his brother in brutal ways.Paramount Home Video and MTV Films acquired worldwide distribution rights to this drama.
- DirectorRoss AdamRobert CannanStarsChoi Eun-hiePaul Courtenay HyuShin Sang-okThe story of the South Korean actor, Choi Eun-hee, and her ex-husband and film director, Shin Sang-ok, who were individually kidnapped and reunited by dictator and film fan Kim Jong-il to force them to develop North Korea's film industry.Magnolia Pictures has acquired worldwide distribution rights to this documentary.
- DirectorDaniel KwanDaniel ScheinertStarsPaul DanoDaniel RadcliffeMary Elizabeth WinsteadA hopeless man stranded on a deserted island befriends a dead body, and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.A24 acquired U.S. distribution rights to this film.