FOCUS FEATURES ACQUIRES NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS TO
SUFFRAGETTE,
STARRING CAREY MULLIGAN, HELENA BONHAM CARTER AND MERYL STREEP
Focus Features has acquired North American distribution rights from Pathé to the drama
Suffragette, directed by
BAFTA Award winner Sarah Gavron from a script written by Emmy Award
winner Abi Morgan, for a Fall 2015 domestic release. The cast of the
U.K. film includes Academy Award nominees Carey Mulligan and Helena
Bonham Carter, BAFTA
Award winner Ben Whishaw, British Independent Film Award winner
Anne-Marie Duff, Golden Globe Award nominee Brendan Gleeson, and
three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep. Focus has also acquired
the distribution rights for Latin America, India, South Korea,
and most of Eastern Europe including Russia; Universal Pictures
International will release the film in those territories. Focus CEO
Peter Schlessel made the announcement today.
Ruby Films’ Alison Owen, an Academy Award nominee as producer of
Elizabeth, and Faye Ward are the producers of Suffragette, which is directed by Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) from a screenplay by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady). The film’s executive producers are Cameron McCracken, Tessa Ross, Rose Garnett,
Nik Bower, James Schamus, and Teresa Moneo.
Suffragette
is a Ruby Films production for Focus Features, Pathé, Film4, and the
BFI in association with Ingenious Media and with the participation of
Canal+ and Cine-Cinema.
Suffragette
is a moving drama that will empower all who are striving for equal
rights in our own day and age. The stirring story, inspired by the
early-20th-century campaign
by the suffragettes for the right of women to vote, centers on Maud
(played by Carey Mulligan), a working wife and mother who comes to
realize that she must fight for her dignity both at home and in her
workplace. Realizing that she is not alone, she becomes
an activist alongside other brave women from all walks of life. The
early efforts at resistance were passive but as the women faced
increasingly aggressive police action, the suffragettes become
galvanized – risking their very lives to ensure that women’s
rights would be recognized and respected.
Peter Schlessel, CEO of Focus Features, said, “Suffragette
is a story that will resonate with men and women across the
generations; it is about parents and children, courage and dedication,
and making hard
choices. Sarah, Abi, Alison and Faye are women who represent an amazing
convergence of filmmaking talent. We’re proud to partner with Pathé to
bring this powerful drama to audiences worldwide.”
The deal was negotiated
by Focus Features’ Beth Lemberger, Executive Vice President, Business Affairs, and Lia Buman, President of Acquisitions, with Cameron McCracken, Managing Director, Pathé Productions, and Muriel Sauzay, Head of Sales, Pathé International.
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