Yahoo Lifestyle Sundance: A24 Takes ‘Sorry, Baby’ For $8M After U.S. Dramatic Competition Pic’s Bow
A24 has gotten on the board at the Sundance Film Festival. The indie distributor is closing an acquisition deal for Sorry, Baby. Scripted and directed by Eva Victor, the drama premiered Monday night at Eccles. It become the third film in sight of a deal, with more coming. Film was fought over by several suitors, and sold for around $8 million, Deadline hears.
The logline: Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on … for everyone around her, at least. The film stars Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, and Kelly McCormack. Producers are Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, and Barry Jenkins.
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UTA Independent Film Group structured the financing and is brokering the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
That marks the third deal of the festival. Each one has been a struggle, but that was not unexpected given the tenuous state of the indie business, and the memory of the Southern California wildfires fresh in everyone’s minds. The fact all these acquisition titles are leaving snail tracks in their quests for distributors to bring them to theaters or streaming services is disconcerting, for sure. Searchlight, Neon and upstart MUBI were said to have been in the mix for the picture.
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It’s too easy to judge the state of the ecosystem from one festival, however. When Kiss of the Spider Woman sells — Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna and Tonatiuh turn in great performances under director Bill Condon, so a deal seems likely — its budget that is abnormally high for a Sundance film will mean a high acquisition price, maybe a Sundance record breaker. Other films are negotiating, also at a snail’s pace, so the back of the baseball card on this fest will look okay in a couple weeks, but not spectacular.
I’ve been at this a long time — I remember breaking the only Toronto deal in 2008 for A Single Man when the financial collapse hit and most studios bailed and folded their indie shingles. Now, that was a moment of real concern, as was the global pandemic, a subsequent succession of labor strikes that essentially interrupted momentum for a while year, and now these cursed fires. But Robert Redford’s original Sundance vision still holds true, even if Park City is no longer an ideal place and other cities are knocking. Some of the biggest filmmakers and actors in Hollywood were launched by this festival, and that tradition has to continue. It is a vital part of a fragile ecosystem. But a few more 8-figure deals would sure bolster spirits.
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