By MCN Editor editor@moviecitynews.com

IFC MIDNIGHT TAKES NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS TO WRITER-DIRECTOR NICHOLAS McCARTHY’S THE PACT

Posted Thursday, January 26th, 2012 - Comments Off on IFC MIDNIGHT TAKES NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS TO WRITER-DIRECTOR NICHOLAS McCARTHY’S THE PACT
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Park City, UT (January 26, 2012) – IFC Midnight announced today from the 2012 SundanceFilm Festival that the company is acquiring North American rights, to writer-director Nicholas McCarthy’s THE PACT. The film, which premiered in the festival’s Midnight section on January 20, stars Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien, Haley Hudson, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Sam Ball, and Agnes Bruckner.  The film was produced by Preferred Content’s Ross M. Dinerstein, and executive produced by Jamie Carmichael at Content, as part of a new multi-film financing deal between Preferred Content and Content Film.

THE PACT follows sisters Nicole and Annie who reluctantly return to their childhood home when their mother passes away to pay their last respects. While staying overnight in the house, the sisters sense a mysterious presence in their midst: noises startling them in the night, objects moving about, a fallen picture of an unknown woman posed next to their mother. Annie begins experiencing a series of intense and disturbing dreams ­ visions that lead her to uncover something terrible about her mother’s past that is finally revealing itself. This feature film was inspired by an acclaimed 2011 Sundance Film Festival short of the same name directed by McCarthy.  It is one of the first films to be conceived, and premiere, as a narrative short, and just one year later return to the festival feature film.

President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films Jonathan Sehring said: “Nicholas McCarthy makes a bold directorial debut here, and turns the vintage haunted house story into a modern and terrifying film. McCarthy also offers up an exciting young cast led by Caity Lotz who, deservedly so, has been one of the breakout stars of this year’s festival.  It’s also great to see Casper Van Dien here.”

“I am psyched to be working with IFC Midnight on this film,” says McCarthy.  “After meeting with their team, we all knew they are the perfect home for our film.”

Content’s Carmichael said, “This is just such a fantastic way to start our deal with Preferred. It’s been such a pleasure working with Nick and Ross on The Pact, and to have IFC Midnight joining our team is the icing on the cake.”

The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films, and Jeff Deutchman, Director of Acquisitions, with Kevin Iwashina and Christine D’Souza of Preferred Content along with Rick Kwak of Content Media Corporation on behalf of the filmmakers.  Content handles international sales and will screen the film at the upcoming Berlin market.

IFC Midnight is a sister division to IFC Films and Sundance Selects, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

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About IFC MIDNIGHT

Established in 2010 and based in New York City, IFC Midnight is a leading U.S. distributor of genre entertainment including horror, science-fiction, thrillers, erotic art house, action and more.  Its unique distribution model makes independent genre films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes. Some of the company’s successes have included Tom Six’s controversial horror film The Human Centipede (First Sequence), Johnnie To’s Hong Kong revenge thrillerVengeance, and James Gunn’s Super starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page and Kevin Bacon. Upcoming IFC Midnight releases include Alexandre Courtes THE INCIDENT and Adrian and Romero Garcia Bogliano’s PENUMBRA. IFC Midnight is a sister division to Sundance Selects and IFC Films, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

About Content Film, a division of Content Media Corporation plc

Content Film is the worldwide film and library sales arm of Content Media Corporation plc.  Content specializes in high quality and commercial feature films, and is able to assist film producers in securing finance.  Content handles worldwide sales, marketing, and publicity on all titles. The Feature Film Library arm also manages international sales on over 200 titles.

Content titles include THE NUMBERS STATION starring John Cusack and Malin Akerman; NOTHING TO FEAR first of a slate of horror films produced bySlash; Mike Figgis’ erotic psychological thriller SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF; THE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB starring Matthew McConaughey and Hillary Swank HICK starring Chloe Moretz, Blake Lively, Eddie Redmayne, Alec Baldwin and Juliette Lewis; Eduardo Sanchez’s horror LOVELY MOLLY; action thriller, the cult genre sequel OUTPOST: BLACK SUN, SXSW Winner 96 MINUTES starring Brittany Snow and the crime thriller HARD BOILED SWEETS; Nick Broomfield’s latest documentary SARAH PALIN – YOU BETCHA! and post-apocalyptic war action thriller THE DAY.

Content attends all major markets and festivals including Cannes, Venice, Toronto, AFM, Sundance and Berlin. Content Film is being managed in an executive capacity by Jamie Carmichael, President – Film Division.

About Preferred Content

Founded in January 2010 by former CAA agent Kevin Iwashina and independent film producer Ross Dinerstein, Preferred Content is a film, television and digital production, sales and finance company. Its production expertise lies in theindependent financing and production of film and television content. Its sales efforts have resulted in it being one of the premiere brokers of worldwide rights for film, television, DVD and digital distribution.  Its finance expertise allows it to represent corporations, privately held companies and high net worth individuals needing counsel in the area of film finance and distribution.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

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