News

Sundance didn’t have the plethora of late night bidding wars we used to see in the good old days of the festival, but a number of buzziest titles are actually closing deals late into the spring and into the early summer. Over 60 films came into this year’s Sundance looking for homes, and slowly but surely a number of those are finding homes. As we previously reported, the hope was that even more distributors could get creative.

Below we’ll update all the acquisitions following the festival as they arrive.

“Hal & Harper”

Section: Indie Episodics

Buyer: Mubi

Director: Cooper Raiff

Buzz: The “Shithouse” and “Cha Cha Real Smooth” writer/director’s serialized debut follows two tight-knit siblings forced to face a past tragedy when their dad decides to sell their childhood home. It’s got a strong cast, including Raiff himself, Mark Ruffalo, Betty Gilpin, and Lili Reinhart,...

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Omaha, the family drama starring Past Lives‘ John Magaro, which premiered to critical acclaim at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film, marking the feature directorial debut of Cole Webley, will be released in theaters across the country later this year.

Set against the backdrop of the 2008 economic crisis, Omaha follows a struggling father (Magaro) who embarks on a road trip across the American West with his two children, Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and Charlie (Wyatt Solis), in search of hope and a better life. What begins as a seemingly spontaneous family journey gradually reveals deeper layers of both grief and resilience, as Ella starts to sense that her father’s intentions may be masking a more profound truth.

Written by Robert Machoian (The Killing of Two Lovers), Omaha is a Sanctuary Content production, in association with Kaleidoscope Pictures and Monarch Content.

In a coming-of-age story, two unlikely teenagers encourage each other to pursue their separate passions.

That’s a pretty standard description of a lot of movies and shows, but this one is offering a twist on the genre, one that’s revealed by its unusual title — “Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out.” The off-beat movie will make its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, first premiering in person on Friday Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. Pst and online Tuesday Jan. 24 from 7 a.m. to Sunday Jan. 29 at 10:55 p.m.

Shattered by her parents’ decision to leave the city and move to the middle of nowhere, Itsy Levan (Emma Tremblay) believes her life is over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin Kipler (Jacob Buster). Calvin has spent most of his life awaiting the next arrival of Jesper’s Comet— partly because of his obsession with astronomy,...

Visit Films has picked up worldwide sales rights for Sundance title “Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out.”

The sci-fi comedy will world premiere in Park City, and then be presented to international buyers at the European Film Market. The film’s cast includes Emma Tremblay, Jacob Buster, Will Forte, Elizabeth Michell, Kenneth Cummins and Matt Biedel.

The film centers on Itsy Levan, who is devastated by her parents’ decision to leave the city and buy a fixer upper in the middle of nowhere. Her life seems over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin Kipler, who has spent most of his life awaiting the next arrival of Jesper’s Comet— partly because of his obsession with astronomy, but mostly because the last time it came, aliens abducted his parents. Calvin is now preparing to finally get abducted with them.

“Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now...

Exclusive: Multimedia mogul Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God” Mckelvey has boarded the documentary short In the Bubble with Jaime as an executive producer, ahead of its weekend premiere at the Montclair Film Festival.

In the Bubble examines Jaime Harrison’s 2020 Senate run against Lindsey Graham. Harrison, an African American Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina, raised more money during his campaign than any Senate candidate ever has. And in doing so, he has attracted a nationwide audience to the South Carolina race. Pic features never-before-seen footage of Harrison and his campaign team during the crux of the race and explores the challenges that Harrison had to navigate while running for office, including the Covid pandemic and the legacy of racism in the American South.

Emily Harrold directed the short and produced it with Seth Gadsden. Charlamagne Tha God is joined as an EP by Jedd Canty, Dara Canty and Karen Kinney.

“Jaime...