Sundance 2011: Participant Media Buys CIRCUMSTANCE
Paticipant Media announced today that they have acquired domestic distribution rights to Circumstance from first-time writer/director Mayam Keshavarz.
The suspenseful film tells the story of forbidden love set in today’s Iranian youth culture.
PARTICIPANT MEDIA ACQUIRES NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS TO “CIRCUMSTANCE”, SUSPENSEFUL TALE OF FORBIDDEN LOVE SET IN TODAY’S IRANIAN YOUTH CULTURE, FROM FIRST TIME WRITER-DIRECTOR MARYAM KESHAVARZ
Participant Media has acquired North American rights to CIRCUMSTANCE, first time writer-director’s Maryam Keshavarz’s suspenseful tale of forbidden love set in today’s Iranian youth culture, it was announced today by Ricky Strauss, President of Participant Media. Participant is currently in discussions with several distributors for the film, which was produced by Keshavarz along with Karin Chien and Melissa M. Lee, with Christina Won serving as executive producer.
In CIRCUMSTANCE, heralded as “an amazingly accomplished and complex first feature” by critic James Greenberg in the Hollywood Reporter, a wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager’s growing sexual rebellion and her brother’s dangerous obsession.
Ricky Strauss, President of Participant Media said, This remarkable debut from an exciting new filmmaking talent, Maryam Keshavarz, gives us the perfect vehicle to begin expanding our international outreach with foreign language storytelling”
The deal was negotiated by Jeff Ivers, Ricky Strauss and Jonathan King for Participant Media, and Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group representing the filmmakers.
Participant Media is an entertainment company that focuses on documentary and narrative feature films, television, publishing and digital content about the real issues that shape our lives. For each of its projects, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action.
Participant’s online Social Action Network is TakePart (takepart.com). Founded by Chairman Jeff Skoll in 2004, Jim Berk serves as CEO and Ricky Strauss as President. Participant’s films include The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson’s War, An Inconvenient Truth, Good Night, and Good Luck., The Visitor, Food, Inc., The Cove, The Crazies, Countdown to Zero, Waiting for “Superman” and Fair Game.
Source: IndieWire
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