Just when most French distributors are either too cash-strapped or cautious to continue picking up U.S. indies, Jean-Philippe Tirel’s company is staying active, targeting few high-profile U.S. projects at script stage, such as “Nightcrawler.”
Selective Films also recently acquired “The Riot Club” (with Orange/Paramount) and “The Coup” (with SND).
Tirel and Selective Films partner Maya Hariri are attending the AFM with acquisition and marketing topper Romain Daubeach and is in discussions on four more titles.
Under its deal with Orange Studio, the film co-production and co-distribution arm of the telco company, “Equals” will be released in France by Paramount in late 2015 or early 2016.
Repped by Mister Smith Entertainment, the movie began shooting in Japan and Singapore in August. Ridley Scott’s Scott Free is producing with Route One.
Mistersmithent.com : Directed by Drake Doremus
Starring Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, Guy Pearce, Jacki Weaver
Written by Nathan Parker
Produced by Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer, Ann Ruark, Jay Stern, Chip Diggins, Mike Pruss
Executive Producers Lee Jae Woo, Choi Pyung Ho and Russell Levine
EQUALS tells the story of SILAS (Hoult) who lives in a future society called The Collective. The inhabitants of this modern world are a new breed of humans called Equals. Equals are peaceful, calm, fair, and polite and life in The Collective is perfect; there is no greed, no poverty, no violence, and no emotion. But a new disease is threatening everyone: SOS, or Switched-On-Syndrome, is activating in its victims everything they thought they’d escaped: depression, sensitivity, fear, love but once a person is overtaken with SOS, they are sent away to The Den, and never seen again. When Silas is infected, he becomes an outcast, but he notices one person who seems to understand what he’s going through. NIA (Stewart) has feelings, but she seems to be able to hide them. When he confronts her, they discover a connection that quickly takes over everything. They feel love and intimacy for the first time in their lives but the only way for them to insure their survival is to escape.
Currently in Post-Production.
