This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The dealmaking machine has been working this weekend at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Here are some distribution deals that have been announced:
• In the biggest deal, Amazon reportedly paid $12 million for U.S. and other rights to "The Big Sick," a romantic comedy written by married writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon about their early courtship. The movie starts Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, and was directed by Michael Showalter.
• Neon, the distribution company formed by former Radius-TWC boss Tom Quinn and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League, picked up U.S. rights to the comedy "Ingrid Goes West." Directed by Matt Spicer, the movie focus on an unstable woman (Aubrey Plaza) who becomes obsessed with a social-media star (Elizabeth Olsen) and her picture-perfect life — so she travels west to meet her in person.
• Sony Pictures Classics picked up worldwide rights to "Novitiate," writer-director Maggie Betts' drama about young nuns-in-training at the cusp of the Vatican II reforms to the Roman Catholic Church. It stars Margaret Qualley, Dianna Agron and Melissa Leo.
• Focus Features has bought worldwide rights to "Thoroughbred," a teen thriller starring Anya Taylor-Joy ("Split") and Olivia Cooke ("Ouija"). Directed by Cory Finley, the movie also marked one of the last movies Anton Yelchin made before his untimely death last summer.
• Netflix acquired worldwide rights to the festival's closing-night film, "The Incredible Jessica James," writer-director Jim Strauss's comedy starring Jessica Williams and Chris O'Dowd.
• Netflix also bought the rights to Brian Knappenberger's documentary "Nobody Speak: Hulk Hogan, Gawker and the Trials of a Free Press," and Jeff Orlowski's climate-change doc "Chasing Coral."
• The Orchard has picked up North American rights to "The Hero," director Bryan Haley's comedy-drama starring Sam Elliott as an aging Western star.
• The Orchard teamed up with CNN Films for distribution of the hunting-industry documentary "Trophy," directed by Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau. CNN will air the film on its network in North America, after The Orchard gives it a theatrical run. The Orchard gets TV rights elsewhere.