Gravitas Ventures Acquires 'Say Your Prayers' Comedy (Exclusive)

CBS Media Ventures, as the TV syndication unit was rebranded in January, has teamed with NuTime Media in a new effort to connect advertisers with African American consumers.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSamuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to “The Drover’s Wife,” an Australian revenge tale written, directed and starring Leah Purcell. Sold by Memento International, the film is an adaptation of Purcell’s successful Australian stage play.

IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to Sonia Kennebeck’s (National Bird) documentary thriller Enemies of the State which is executive produced by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (The Fog of War). The docu will be released this summer.

The Robert De Niro film “Wash Me in the River” has been picked up by The Avenue, the distribution arm of Highland Film Group, and will open in North American theaters in the spring of 2022.“Wash Me In the River” sold out of the European Film Market and just wrapped principal photography in Puerto Rico.

EXCLUSIVE: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Giants Being Lonely, the coming-of-age drama that had its world premiere at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. The pic, which marked the feature debut for mixed media artist Grear Patterson, will now bow April 6 day-and-day in theaters and on demand.

Entertainment Squad has picked up the North American to Paper Spiders, a comedy-drama from director by Inon Shampanier. Lili Taylor, Stefania LaVie Owen, Ian Nelson and Peyton List star in the indie film, which will be released in select theaters on Mother’s Day weekend and will be available to rent and own on North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms starting on May 7.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired worldwide rights to the Marshall Burnette-directed Silo, the first-ever film about grain entrapment. The film is slated to be released later this year.

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to WWII drama Into the Darkness, from veteran Danish filmmaker Anders Refn and depicting the disintegration of a family unit amid Denmark's slow side into fascism under the shadow of the Third Reich.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentIFC Films has acquired North American rights to “The Meaning of Hitler,” Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s thought-provoking documentary about the lasting cultural fascination with the Nazi dictator and its resonance on contemporary politics.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Alex Camilleri’s feature debut, “Luzzu,” which world-premiered at Sundance where it won the Special Jury Award for its lead actor, Jesmark Scicluna.

Gravitas Ventures has picked up Ali Askari's romantic thriller As Long As We Both Shall Live, which stars Josh Helman, Yael Stone and Jennifer Allcott. “Rooted in the layered and tortured performance of Josh Helman, Ali’s film is a haunting thriller that will keep audiences guessing and make them question what is real.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMagnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to “Censor,” which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival opening the Midnight Section, and will also be part of the Berlinale Panorama section in March.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentWide has acquired international sales rights to Joe Duca’s road movie “Her Name Was Jo” in the run up to the European Film Market. North American rights are being handled by Gravitas Ventures for cable, VOD, SVOD and all digital platforms.Duca’s sophomore feature stars newcomer Mary Cate Williams as Jo, a 10-year-old girl who spends her days along the Shenandoah River in Virginia with her best friend Selma.

The deadly winter storms rocking the southern United States -- particularly in Texas -- have drawn massive attention for several days now. Millions have been left without power or have been participating in rolling blackouts for days now while facing record-breaking cold weather.

EXCLUSIVE:  IFC Films has picked up North American rights to Robert Connolly’s atmospheric mystery thriller The Dry, starring Eric Bana. A May 21 theatrical and on-demand release date is planned for the Made Up Stories feature. The pic is the actor’s first Australian film in over a decade.

Teamed with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground, Netflix has acquired North American and other territorial rights to Worth, the Sara Colangelo-directed adaptation of the Kenneth Feinberg memoir What Is Life Worth. Feinberg, who is played by Michael Keaton in the film, was appointed Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Theo Anthony’s documentary All Light, Everywhere, which took home the Special Jury Prize for Non-Fiction Experimentation at the Sundance Film Festival, has been picked by NEON’s boutique division SUPER LTD. The distributor has taken the pic’s North American rights.

EXCLUSIVE: Samuel Goldwyn Film announced today that it has acquired North American rights to Casimir Nozkowski’s first feature film, The Outside Story. The film, starring Brian Tyree Henry, Sonequa Martin-Green, Sunita Mani and Olivia Edward, will premiere on-demand and digital on Apr. 30, 2021.