By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

IFC MIDNIGHT TAKES U.S. RIGHTS TO PETER STRICKLAND’S BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO

Posted Friday, August 24th, 2012 - Comments Off on IFC MIDNIGHT TAKES U.S. RIGHTS TO PETER STRICKLAND’S BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO
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New York, NY (August 24, 2012) – IFC Midnight announced today that the company is acquiring all U.S. rights to director Peter Strickland’s psychological horror film BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO. Strickland also wrote the screenplay for the film, which stars Toby Jones, Cosimo Fusco, Antonio Mancino, Fatma Mohamed, Tonia Sotiropolou, and Salvatore Li Causi. Keith Griffiths and Mary Burke produced the project along with co-producer Hans Geissendoerfer and with Robin Gutch, Katherine Butler, and Hugo Heppel executive producing. The film is an Illuminations Films / Warp X production, which was co-developed and co-financed by Film4 & UK Film Council Film Fund (now with the BFI), and made in association with Screen Yorkshire and GEIßENDÖRFER FILM UND FERNSEHPRODUKTION KG. BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO previously screened at the Locarno Film Festival and Edinburgh Film Festival. It will also be playing at the upcoming 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and 2012 New York Film Festival.

In BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, the year is 1976 and the studio is one of the cheapest, sleaziest post-production facilities in Italy. Only the most sordid horror films have their sound processed and sharpened there. Gilderoy, a naive and introverted sound engineer from England, is hired to orchestrate the sound mix for the latest film by horror maestro, Santini. Thrown from the innocent world of local documentaries into a foreign environment fueled by exploitation, Gilderoy soon finds himself caught up in a forbidding world of bitter actresses, capricious technicians and confounding bureaucracy. As both time and realities shift, he finds himself lost in an otherworldly spiral of sonic and personal mayhem, and has to confront his own demons in order to stay afloat in an environment ruled by exploitation both on and off screen.

Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: “BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO is a dazzling cinematic tour-de-force that brings to mind Hitchcock,Argento and De Palma featuring a brilliant performance by Toby Jones. Peter Strickland is one of the most exciting new directors we’ve comeacross, and we’re excited to work with him and our friends at IlluminationsFilms, Warp X, the bfi, Film4, Screen Yorkshire and Match Factory.”

The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions with Brigitte Suarez of The Match Factory onbehalf of the filmmakers.

IFC Midnight is a sister label of 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 thriller Vengeance, and James Gunn’s Super starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page and Kevin Bacon. The label will present the Sundance/Cannes sensation ROOM 237 and Brandon Cronenberg’s ANTIVIRAL at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.  IFC Midnight is a sister label to Sundance Selects and IFC Films, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

About FILM4

Film4, headed by Tessa Ross, is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division. Film4 develops and co-finances films and is known for working with the most innovative talent in the UK, whether new or established. Film4 has developed and co-financed many of themost successful UK films of recent years, films like Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire  and 127 Hours, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, Steve McQueen’s Hunger and Shame, Mike Leigh’s Another Year, Chris Morris’ Four Lions , Richard Ayoade’s Submarine,  Joe Cornish’s directorial debut Attack The Block , Lone Scherfig’s One Day, Ben Wheatley’s Kill List, and Paddy Considine’s debut feature Tyrannosaur.

Recent releases include, Ben Palmer’s The Inbetweeners Movie,  Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights, Terence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea, Carol Morley’s Dreams of a Life, Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady, Steve McQueen’s Shame  and Pawel Pawlikowski’s The Woman In The Fifth.

Forthcoming releases include Bart Layton’s The Imposter, Sophie Fiennes’ The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology, Walter Salles’ On The Road, Peter Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio, Roger Michell’s Hyde Park on Hudson, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers, Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths, Danny Boyle’s Trance  and Michael Winterbottom’s Untitled Paul Raymond Story (working title).

In 2011 Film4 launched its pioneering role in exploring innovation in filmmaking with the appointment of Anna Higgs as Head of Film4.0. Film4.0 is a talent and idea driven hub within Film4 that works with emerging and established talent, supporting them to tell unique stories and connect with audiences in new ways.

For further information visit www.film4.com/productions

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