IFC Films has nabbed North American rights to Mira Nair’s "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," snagging one of the hottest titles at the Toronto Film Festival.
The film from the director of "The Namesake" follows a story of a young Pakistani man who is torn between corporate riches on Wall Street and Islamic radicalism. It is based on a novel by Mohsin Hamid and stars Kate Hudson Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland and Riz Ahmed.
Reviews have been mixed with critics praising the film's willingness to tackle big ideas while complaining it doesn't quite pull the gambit off.
Also read: Mira Nair's Venice Fest Opener 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' Sells to Eagle Pictures
"This is bold and muscular storytelling with a plausible performance from Riz Ahmed in the lead role – though there is something flabby and evasive in the inevitable equivalence it winds up proposing between Islamic fundamentalism and aggressive American capitalism," Peter Bradshaw wrote in the Guardian.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, however rights were negotiated by Arianna Bocco, senior vice president of acquisitions & productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films and Hal Sadoff for DFI and Bart Walker of Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers.