Film Acquisition Rundown, Week of May 16: Amazon Gussies Up With ‘The Dressmaker,’ Oscilloscope Takes ‘Notes On Blindness’
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Film Acquisition Rundown to find out what films got new homes and are coming to a theater or streaming platform near you.
You can also keep on top of Cannes pickups with our always-updating Cannes acquisition rundown, which will be updating throughout the duration of the festival.
– Amazon Studios has picked up the domestic rights to the Kate Winslet-starring “The Dressmaker.” The Jocelyn Morehouse film bowed at the Toronto International Film Festival, and went on to be a huge hit in its native Australia. It also picked up 13 AACTA Awards nominations (think Aussie Oscars) and won several, including a best actress win for Winslet. The streaming service will release the film theatrically in the U.S. sometime this fall. The news was first reported by Variety.
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired the U.S. rights to Peter Middleton and James Spinney’s debut feature documentary “Notes On Blindness,” which is based on the Emmy Award-winning short film of the same name. The film explores new approaches in the documentary form, and was featured alongside its acclaimed VR companion project “Into Darkness” at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Oscilloscope will release the film in theaters later this year.
– FilmRise has acquired in a deal with TrustNordisk the North American distribution rights in all media for “Magnus,” the feature documentary exploring the life and mind of the “Mozart of Chess,” Magnus Carlsen. The film will receive a theatrical release in late fall 2016; Carlsen, at only age 25, will be defending his title at the World Chess Championships in New York City in November. Director Benjamin Ree takes audiences inside the life of the chess grandmaster, who from a young age had aspirations of becoming a champion chess player. While many players seek out an intensely rigid environment to hone their skills, Magnus’s brilliance shines brightest when surrounded by his loving and supportive family. Through an extensive amount of archival footage and home movies, Ree reveals this young man’s unusual and rapid trajectory to the pinnacle of the chess world. The film allows the audience to not only peek inside this isolated community, but also witness the maturation of a modern genius.
