A24 has acquired U.S. rights to Oscar-winning filmmaker Andrea Arnold‘s “American Honey,” which bills itself as an unfiltered snapshot of modern American teens. A24 is planning a release in the second half of 2016, the company announced Tuesday.
Currently in post-production, the film features a star-making lead performance by newcomer Sasha Lane, and co-stars Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough (“Mad Max: Fury Road”).
Parts & Labor, Pulse Films and ManDown Pictures produced “American Honey,” which was co-developed by Film 4 and jointly financed by Maven Pictures’ new film fund, BFI and Film 4. Protagonist Pictures is handling the film’s international sales.
“American Honey” takes you on the road with a gang of law-breaking teenagers who are chasing the American Dream, selling magazine subscriptions by day, partying by night. Told through the eyes of Star (Lane), a new recruit to the group who falls into a relationship with one of its leaders, the film is both an intimate coming-of-age story and a look at an American generation not playing by the rules.
A passion project for director Arnold, “American Honey” was shot entirely on location in the Midwest. The movie will feature a diverse soundtrack that will include such artists as E-40, Kevin Gates, Fetty Wap, Bruce Springsteen and others who captured the year 2015 in music.
“We spent over a year street-casting for the cast, clocked over 12,000 miles on the road to capture the film as Andrea imagined it, and we’re thrilled to end the journey with our friends at A24. The resulting story shows what Andrea does best – authentic, personal filmmaking,” said producer Lars Knudsen of Parts and Labor.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with Andrea on this incredibly unique project. She is a brilliant and fearless filmmaker, and with ‘American Honey,’ she is making what is sure to be not only one of the most daring, provocative films of the year, but also a defining portrait of a generation. It’s a perfect match for our company and we can’t wait to get started on the release,” A24 said in a statement.
CAA negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.