Neon has acquired the North American rights to Sean Baker’s latest film, “Anora,” starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yuriy Borisov, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan. The synopsis is being kept under wraps, but Neon is referring to it as a “romantic dramedy.” The movie was shot in 35 mm by cinematographer Drew Daniels with filming completed earlier this year; it is currently in post-production. It will be released in 2024.
“Anora” follows Baker’s 2021 film “Red Rocket,” which starred Simon Rex and premiered at Cannes and his 2017 film “The Florida Project,” which garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe’s sensitive turn as the manager of a rundown Orlando motel. Both were released by A24.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s VP of Acquisitions Jason Wald with FilmNation’s CEO Glen Basner on behalf of the filmmakers. FilmNation Entertainment is handling the worldwide rights, and has licensed rights internationally to Le Pacte in France, Lev in Israel, Kismet in Australia and New Zealand, and Focus Features/Universal Pictures International for the rest of the world.
The ”Anora” news comes on the heels of the announcement that Neon is producing, releasing and handling international sales on “They Follow,” the sequel to cult horror favorite “It Follows,” starring Maika Monroe. Filmmaker David Robert Mitchell, who wrote and directed the original film, is also returning for the sequel.
Neon’s 2023 slate includes Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” (Japan’s official Oscar selection for 2024), “Robot Dreams” from Pablo Berger, plus William Oldroyd’s “Eileen,” Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” and Ava DuVernay’s “Origin.” They also recently released a remastered version of Chan-wook Park’s revenge classic “Oldboy” into theaters (it will be released on 4K Ultra HD next month). Previous Neon films include David Bowie doc “Moonage Daydream,” Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness” and “The Worst Person in the World.”
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