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SUNDANCE SELECTS TAKES US RIGHTS TO KEN LOACH’S THE ANGEL’S SHARE OUT OF CANNES

Posted Thursday, May 24th, 2012 - Comments Off on SUNDANCE SELECTS TAKES US RIGHTS TO KEN LOACH’S THE ANGEL’S SHARE OUT OF CANNES
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CANNES (May 24, 2012) – Sundance Selects announced today from the 2012 Cannes Film Festival that the company is acquiring all US rights to THE ANGELS’ SHARE directed by Palme d’Or winner Ken Loach (THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY) and written by Paul Laverty. The film was produced by Rebecca O’Brien (Sixteen Films) and executive produced by Pascal Caucheteux (Why Not Productions) and Vincent Maraval (Wild Bunch). The film stars Paul Brannigan, Siobhan Reilly, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland, William Ruane, Jasmin Riggins and Roger Allam.  The film had its premiere earlier in the week in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Loach’s bittersweet comedy follows Robbie, a Glasgow boy who is given one final chance to stay out of prison. When Robbie sneaks into the maternity hospital to visit his young girlfriend Leonie and hold his newborn son Luke for the first time, he is overwhelmed. He wants to prove to new family that he’s able to get on the straight and narrow. While doing community service, Robbie embarks on an adventure with a newfound friend to a whiskey distillery and discovers that turning to drink might just change his life.

Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: “THE ANGELS’ SHARE was one of the supreme pleasures of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.  It is a deeply felt, irresistible and often very funny story of redemption that could only come from the collaboration of Ken Loach, Paul Laverty, Rebecca O’Brien, Pascal Caucheteaux and Vincent Maraval. We’re honored to work withthem again and look forward to making this one of our most successful collaborations.”

Sundance Selects/IFC Films has a major presence at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.  The company announced yesterday it had acquired Ben Wheatley’s Directors Fortnight entry SIGHTSEERS.  They also came with four films screening at the festival:  Walter Salles’ competition film ON THE ROAD which the company recently acquired and will release jointly under IFCFilms and Sundance Selects, Cristian Mungiu’s BEYOND THE HILLS which is being released under the Sundance Selects label, Adam Leon’s SXSW-winner GIMME THE LOOT which is also being released under Sundance Selects and is screening in Un Certain Regard, and Rodney Ascher’s Sundance sensation ROOM 237 which was acquired for IFC Midnight and is screening at Director’s Fortnight.

This is the 4th time IFC Films/Sundance Selects have worked with Ken Loach.  Their previous collaborations include:  THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEYwhich won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and is the most successful release of his career in the US; IT’S A FREE WORLD which won the Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival; and LOOKING FOR ERIC.

The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Carole Baraton of Wild Bunch on behalf of the filmmakers.

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

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About SUNDANCE SELECTS

Established in 2009 and based in New York City, Sundance Selects is a leading U.S. distributor of prestige films focusing on American independents, documentaries and world cinema.  In 2011, the division released the Academy Award® nominated Wim Wenders’ PINA; the year’s highest-grossing independent documentary, Werner Herzog’s CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS which won the Best Documentary Award from the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics among others, the second-highest-grossing independent documentary BUCK; and Abbas Kiarostami’s CERTIFIED COPY. Recent releases include Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s biggest commercial success, THE KID WITH A BIKE, Bess Kargman’s multiple Audience Award winner FIRST POSITION, Nanni Moretti’s WE HAVE A POPE, and Maiwenn’s CannesPrix du Jury winner POLISS. Recent acquisitions include Cristian Mungiu’s BEYOND THE HILLS, Olivier Assayas’s SOMETHING IN THE AIR and the Sundance documentary HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE. The company will release Michael Winterbottom’s TRISHNA starring Frieda Pinto, SXSW Winner GIMME THE LOOT later this year, along with Walter Salles’ ON THE ROAD starring Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst which will be a jointrelease with IFC Films. Sundance Selects is a sister division to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

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