IFC Films and Sapan Studio have acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to the “The Baltimorons,” a new comedy from director Jay Duplass. The deal follows the film’s premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Narrative Spotlight. IFC Films plans to release “The Baltimorons” in theaters later this year.
The film marks Jay Duplass’ return to feature filmmaking for the first time in over a decade — a period that’s seen him appear in shows like “Transparent” and the new Michelle Williams series “Dying for Sex.” His last feature as a director was 2012’s “The Do-Deca-Pentathlon.”
“The Baltimorons” was produced by Duplass Brothers Productions, co-written by Duplass and Michael Strassner, and stars Strassner, Liz Larsen and Olivia Luccardi. According to the official plot description: “After cracking a tooth on Christmas Eve, newly sober Cliff embarks on an adventure through Baltimore with Didi, his emergency dentist.”
“The Baltimorons” has received critical praise since making its festival debut at SXSW. In a positive review for Variety, Stephen Saito praised the film as “a joyful yet bittersweet comedy,” adding that it is “primed to become a seasonal standard.”
Sapan Studios and IFC have collaborated on the distribution of several indies, including last year’s acclaimed drama “Ghostlight” and the recently released “The Luckiest Man in America.”
“I’m honored to partner with indie exemplars IFC Films and Sapan Studio on releasing my solo directorial debut ‘The Baltimorons,’ a fancy title which will surely add to their prestige,” Duplass said in a statement.
“It’s a delight to see Jay Duplass back in the director’s chair, delivering another deeply heartfelt and humorous film. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Duplass Brothers on this fresh take on an unexpected romance that audiences will fall in love with time and time again,” said Ayo Kepher-Maat, vice president of acquisitions at IFC Films “We are also excited to continue our collaboration with Sapan Studio to bring this crowd-pleasing film to theaters later this year.”
“Having the opportunity to work with the extraordinary Jay Duplass on his irresistible film is an absolute treat,” said Josh Sapan, founder of Sapan Studio. “There’s no one better than IFC Films to bring this audience award winning gem to theaters across the country.”
“The Baltimorons” is produced by David Bonnett Jr., Strassner, Drew Langer and executive produced by Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Shuli Harel.
The deal was negotiated by Kepher-Maat for IFC Films, Mark Simon for Sapan Studio, and Christine Hsu at CAA with Josh & Dan Braun of Submarine on behalf of the filmmakers.
variety.com
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