Atom Egoyan’s The Captive Gets US Distribution at Cannes
By Staff Editors
(May 20, 2014 – Toronto, Ontario) Movies often get made in mysterious ways. Sometimes distributors are onboard before a foot of film or a gigabyte of 4K video gets shot. Sometimes movies spend a year or more on the festival circuit before they go into general distribution. Sometimes festival screenings produce not much more than polite applause and sometimes they produce distribution deals. That last often hoped-for outcome was announced just moments after Atom Egoyan’s The Captive screened at Cannes.
A24, in partnership with DirecTV, acquired U.S. rights to the new thriller, which is competing for the Palme d’Or. Starring Canadian actors Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman and Kevin Durand along with Rosario Dawson, Mireille Enos and others, The Captive centres on the kidnapping of a young girl and the ensuing investigation.
“We are huge fans of Atom and are excited to be working with him on this incredible achievement,” said a release from A24. “The narrative is gripping and the cast is superb. We are looking forward to working with eOne and are excited for audiences to have the chance to discover this film.”
The joint venture between A24 and DirecTV, which is in the midst of being acquired by use telecommunications giant AT&T, is part of an overall deal announced in last September by the two companies. Dennis Villeneuve’s thriller Enemy, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, was the first film covered in the alliance.
No firm release date has been announced for Canada and it is expected The Captive will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. A24 says they will release the film in the US this fall.
