LA-based indie distributor Vertical Entertainment is pleased to announce that it has acquired North American rights to THE LEARS from arthouse producer NeoClassics Films Ltd.
It is planning a day and date theatrical platform release on February 15, 2019 in approximately 10 markets.
Written and directed by award-winning Canadian director Carl Bessai, THE LEARS is a darkly comic, modern-day interpretation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, demonstrating that all too often, “Family is everything…Awful!”
After premiering April 22, 2017, at the Nashville Film Festival, THE LEARS gained considerable recognition and acclaim on its festival run.
Among awards garnered by THE LEARS, talented Irish leading lady Victoria Smurfit recently won the Irish Film & TV Academy (IFTA) Award for best supporting actress for her role in the film.
THE LEARS stars two-time Academy Award nominee Bruce Dern (THE HATEFUL EIGHT, NEBRASKA); Anthony Michael Hall (FOXCATCHER; THE DARK KNIGHT; The Dead Zone, SIXTEEN CANDLES); Sean Astin (THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy); Aly Michalka (EASY A); Irish leading lady Victoria Smurfit (ABC’s Once Upon a Time); and Aussie favorite Nic Bishop (ABC’s Body of Proof) among its strong ensemble cast, assembled by Jennifer Ricchiazzi of LaLa Casting. Award winning writer-director Bessai helmed THE LEARS from his own script.
The deal was negotiated by Josh Spector at Vertical and Frederic Demey of Cineville International on behalf of the filmmakers. THE LEARS was shot in Malibu and other parts of the Los Angeles, CA, area.
It was produced by NeoClassics Films’ CEO Irwin Olian, in association with Bessai’s Raven West Films Ltd. through the production company THE LEARS, LLC.
Foreign distribution rights are available for the film, which is being repped by NeoClassics Films Ltd. (Irwin Olian – tigertail@neoclassicsfilms.com) and international sales agent Cineville International (Frederic Demey – Frederic@onezen.com).
In the film, world-renowned, cutting-edge architect Davenport Lear (Dern), nearing retirement and contemplating his legacy, summons his four dysfunctional children Glenn (Hall); twins
Regan (Michalka) and Rory (James Hoare); Kent (Bishop); and Regan’s husband Tom Cornwall (Astin) to a weekend family retreat in one of his signature architectural creations, a Malibu beach estate. When they arrive and hear the bombshell that he has decided to marry his younger personal assistant Diana (Smurfit) that Sunday, it sets off an explosive and humorous round of devious behavior and conflict as each of the children jockeys for position, borne by self-interest, greed and jealousy. In the end, this contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic KING LEAR story raises timeless fundamental questions about the nature of love, sexuality, family relationships and honesty, demonstrating that what lies beneath the surface is often very different from outward manifestations. Rounding out the cast is Davenport’s driver and valet Tyler (Stephen Ellis); Diana’s seductress young daughter Delia (Ivy Matheson), and Kent’s date Natalie (Amy Argyle).
Carl Bessai is one of Canada’s leading directors of independent films, having won numerous film festival and North American awards, including at the Vancouver and San Francisco International Film Festivals, as well as several Leo Awards. Based in Vancouver and Los Angeles, Bessai has directed sixteen highly regarded feature films to date, including (LOLA (2001), EMILE (2003), NORMAL (2007), MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS (2008), FATHERS & SONS (2010), SISTERS & BROTHERS (2011), BAD CITY (2014) and REHEARSAL (2015). His work has screened at film festivals all over the world, including Sundance, TIFF, Moscow, Pusan and Thessaloniki.
Producer Irwin Olian is the CEO of independent film producer/distributor NeoClassics Films Ltd. and has served as the CEO, member of senior management or director of a number of public and private companies in entertainment, technology and other industries. He served as a senior business affairs executive with talent agency ICM in the Berg/Wiatt era as well as senior attorney for Warner Bros Inc. at Burbank Studios for a number of years in the Terry Semel era.
About Vertical Entertainment
Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor that offers a unique combination of full-service marketing and sales services. Dedicated to providing highly-effective and collaborative solutions, Vertical leverages unparalleled relationships to maximize revenue across all streams. The marketing and sales expertise from Vertical’s seasoned team gives content partners a wealth of experience minus the studio costs.
Last year Vertical won a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for Molly Shannon’s role in “Other People” and the film won a GLAAD Award for “Outstanding Film Limited Release” as well. Vertical also had four other Indie Spirit nominations last year – three more for “Other People” (Best Lead Actor for Jesse Plemons, and Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay for filmmaker Chris Kelly) and one for Best International Film for Babak Anvari’s “Under the Shadow,” which was also the official UK submission for the 2017 Oscars, in addition to winning one BAFTA Award and three British Independent Film Awards as well.
Upcoming titles include Keith Behrman’s “Giant Little Ones” starring Josh Wiggins, Darren Mann, Kyle Maclachlan, Maria Bello and Taylor Hickson; Marius A. Markevicius’s “Ashes in the Snow” starring Bel Powley, Martin Wallstrom, and Lisa Loven Kongsli; “The Brawler” starring Zach McGowan, Amy Smart and Taryn Manning; “Drunk Parents” starring Alec Baldwin, Salma Hayek, Jim Gaffigan, Ben Platt and Joe Manganiello. Recent 2018 releases include Amma Asante’s “Where Hands Touch” starring Amandla Stenberg, Abbie Cornish and George MacKay; Trevor White’s “A Crooked Somebody” starring Rich Sommer, Clifton Collins Jr, and Joanne Froggatt; “Welcome Home” starring Aaron Paul, Emily Ratajkowski, and Riccardo Scarmarcio; Rob Reiner’s “Shock and Awe” starring Woody Harrelson, James Marsden, Milla Jovovich, Jessica Biel, and Tommy Lee Jones; Kevin Connolly’s “Gotti” starring John Travolta, Kelly Preston and Chris Mulkey. For more information, please visit www.vert-ent.com and www.facebook.com/vertent.
About NeoClassics Films Ltd.
Longtime art house distributor NeoClassics Films, Ltd. has successfully released numerous award-winning foreign titles theatrically in the U.S., including French favorites THE HEDGEHOG from director Mona Achache and Christian Carion’s L’AFFAIRE FAREWELL, as well as Amin Matalqa’s multiple-award winning CAPTAIN ABU RAED (Winner of 2008 Sundance World Cinema Audience Award). Other films NeoClassics has distributed in the US include Flemish gems LA MERDITUDE DES CHOSES, MOSCOW, BELGIUM and THE BLACK BALLOON, one of the first feature films to explore life on the autism spectrum. THE LEARS is its first American film and first in-house production. http://www.neoclassicsfilms.com. It is presently shifting its focus from domestic distribution to production, financing and international sales.