Yahoo Lifestyle Shudder Buys ‘The Ugly Stepsister’ Ahead of Sundance Premiere as Midnight Section Opener (EXCLUSIVE)
Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service has bought “The Ugly Stepsister,” a sinister twist on the classic Cinderella story, ahead of the film’s world premiere at Sundance.
The movie, which is slated to open the Midnight Section in Park City, was picked up by Shudder for North American, U.K., and ANZ rights. Memento International represents the film.
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“The Ugly Stepsister” marks the feature debut from Norwegian writer and director Emilie Blichfeldt. It stars newcomer Lea Myren, along with Thea Sofie Loch Næss (“The Last Kingdom”) and Ane Dahl Torp (“The Wave”). Shudder will release the film in 2025.
“The Ugly Stepsister” follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes to become the belle of the ball.
“I am beyond thrilled to bring ‘The Ugly Stepsister’ to Sundance and ultimately to a wider audience alongside my incredible team and in partnership with Shudder,” said Blichfeldt, who added that “Shudder’s passion and belief in the film make them the perfect partner to deliver this story.”
“This beauty horror twist on Cinderella is inspired by the Brothers Grimm version and by my own struggles with body image,” said the helmer, who noted that her “goal is to provoke both empathy and discomfort and inspire my audience to reflect upon their perceptions of, and relationship to, beauty.”
Weaving horror and comedy, the movie boasts a stellar key crew including costume designer Manon Rasmussen (“A Royal Affair,” “Melancholia”), cinematographer Marcel Zyskind (“The Dead Don’t Hurt”), editor Border Olivia Neergaard-Holm (“The Apprentice”), VFX supervisor Peter Hjort (“Triangle of Sadness”) and VFX make up Thomas Foldberg (“Border”).
“‘The Ugly Stepsister turns a classic fairytale inside out with twisted depictions of shocking burlesque body horror at its best,” said SVP of Shudder acquisitions and production Emily Gotto, who negotiated the deal with Alexandre Moreau, head of sales at Memento International. “Emilie Blichfeldt’s first time feature is an astonishing accomplishment and we’re proud to debut her film on Shudder later next year,” Gotto continued.
The film is produced by Maria Ekerhovd in Norway for Mer Film, whose credits include “The Innocents,” “War Sailor,” and Joachim Trier’s upcoming feature “Sentimental Value.” It is co-produced by Lizette Jonjic for Zentropa Sweden (“Another Round”), Mariusz Włodarski for Poland’s Lava Films (“The Girl with The Needle,” “Sweat”), Theis Nørgaard for Denmark’s Motor (“The Dead Don’t Hurt”), Zefyr and Film i Väst. With support from the Norwegian Film Institute, the Polish Production Incentive and the Polish Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, the Danish Film Institute, Eurimages, DR, Nordisk Film & Tv Fond, Vestnorsk Filmsenter.
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