“Fairyland,” a coming-of-age drama directed by Andrew Durham and produced by Sofia Coppola, set an Oct. 10 release Tuesday with independent studio Willa partnering as co-distributor with Lionsgate, TheWrap has learned.
Based on the memoir of the same name by Alysia Abbott, “Fairyland” is set in San Francisco in the 1970s-80s and follows a father-daughter relationship through the AIDS crisis. Emilia Jones and Scoot McNairy star alongside Cody Fern, Maria Bakalova, Bella Murphy, Adam Lambert and Geena Davis.
“Fairyland” premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Lionsgate and Willa this month. It has also screened at the Biarritz, Palm Springs and Frameline film festivals, serving as the opening night film for the latter.
“It’s an honor to continue our longstanding relationship with the American Zoetrope family and to collaborate with Sofia Coppola. This film captures a pivotal era through the lens of a father-daughter relationship that is as specific as it is universal. It’s a sharp, funny, moving portrait of identity, resilience and coming of age in a world in flux that will leave audiences spellbound,” said Amelia McPartlon Rogers, EVP of Content Strategy & Marketing Integration for Lionsgate.
As part of the partnership, Willa, which distributed the Oscar-nominated immigration drama short “A Lien,” will launch an impact campaign to engage viewers with the social issues touched upon in “Fairyland.”
“With ‘Fairyland’, Durham has crafted a deeply affecting film that brings relevant social issues to life with authenticity and heart. We are excited to be partnering with Lionsgate to distribute the film, and to create a tailored impact and audience engagement campaign around its release,” said Elizabeth Woodward, CEO and founder of Willa.
Megan Carlson, Laure Sudreau, Siena Oberman and Greg Lauritano are producers on the film with Coppola. Executive producers are Roman Coppola, Michael Musante, Liz Destro, James Mockoski, Alysia Abbott, Leo Matchett, Fred Roos, Elizabeth Woodward, Jeff Sobrato, Nicole Shipley, Camille Floquet, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Gabriele Moratti, Raffaella Viscardi, Sasha Shapiro, Rebecca Gang, Gale M. Harold III, Anton Lessine, Gary Hamilton, Ryan Hamilton, Jesse Ozeri, Susie Landau Finch, Elena Baranova, Karen Salveson, Eileen Joy Spitalny, Brooks Price and Michael Spitalny.
“Fairyland” is an American Zoetrope production, in association with Ouroboros Entertainment LLC, Black Magic, Artemis Pictures, Walter Films, Decentralized Pictures, Safe Space Pictures, MeMo Films, 3Marys Entertainment, QED International and Lost Gang Films West.
