Gravitas Ventures Acquires ‘Spiked’ For North American Distribution

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.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTwo Indian art house films, “The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs” and “The Village House” head the joint slate of a pair of new distribution companies addressing the North American market.Deaf Crocodile and Gratitude Films aim to give the two titles theatrical and digital releases in the second half of 2021, when it is hoped that North American cinemas are open and audiences return.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. streaming service Topic has acquired North American rights to Israeli drama series, The Wordmaker, for a spring release.

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.

Gravitas Ventures has snapped up the North American rights to Say Your Prayers, directed by Harry Michell and starring Harry Melling, Tom Brooke, Derek Jacobi, Roger Allam, Anna Maxwell Martin and Vinette Robinson. A theatrical and on-demand release on April 2, 2021 is planned.

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has charged three North Korean computer programmers in a broad range of global and destructive hacks, including targeting banks and a movie studio, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.The newly unsealed indictment builds off an earlier criminal case brought in 2018 and adds two additional North Korean defendants.

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment have acquired North American rights to action-thriller SAS: Red Notice from Parabolic Pictures’ Laurence Malkin and former special-forces operator Andy McNab.

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.

IFC Films has picked up the North American rights to Gia Coppola’s romantic drama Mainstream, starring Andrew Garfield and Maya Hawke as outsiders who become unlikely social media celebrities. Coppola's sophomore feature after her directorial debut Pala Alto had its world premiere at Venice in 2020 and is set for a May 7, 2021 release in theaters and on demand.

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Alex Noyer’s slasher pic Sound of Violence, which is set to make its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival in March. Gravitas will release the film in theaters and on demand on May 21.

EXCLUSIVE: Grindstone Entertainment has acquired North American rights to animated fantasy movie Mosley, whose voice cast includes Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Temuera Morrison (Star Wars) and Rhys Darby (Jumanji).

Gravitas Ventures has picked up the North American rights for a day-and-date release of Insight, an action film produced and directed by Livi Zheng. Ken Zheng wrote the screenplay and stars alongside Madeline Zima, Sean Patrick Flanery, John Savage, Adam Huss, Tony Todd, and Keith David.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. arthouse distributor Zeitgeist Films, in association with Kino Lorber, has acquired all rights in North America to new doc feature In Balanchine’s Classroom.

Ed Meza @edmezavarNew York-based non-profit distributor Cinema Tropical has acquired North American rights to Brazilian documentary “My Darling Supermarket,” the debut feature by Tali Yankelevich.Cinema Tropical plans to release the film in virtual cinemas starting on Feb.

Christopher Vourlias Shout! Studios has taken North American rights to the action thriller “Fire,” and Russian production and distribution powerhouse Central Partnership has closed a host of other territories, the company announced during the Sundance Film Festival.Directed by Alexey Nuzhniy, “Fire” is a splashy, big-budget actioner about heroic smokejumpers racing against disaster. Since its Christmas Eve release, the film has grossed more than $10 million at the Russian box office.