The Orchard announced on Wednesday that it has bought the domestic distribution rights to Jeremiah Zagar’s directorial debut, “We The Animals,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last week and won the event’s NEXT Innovator Award.
Written by Zagar and Dan Kitrosser and based on the novel of the same name by Justin Torres, “We The Animals” follows three boys growing up in rural New York as their parents go through a turbulent relationship. When the three grow up, the two elder sons resemble their loving but erratic father, while the youngest son, Jonah, grows closer to their mother.
This is The Orchard’s second Sundance acquisition this year, previously acquiring rights to the art heist film “American Animals” with MoviePass Ventures last week.
“With ‘We the Animals,’ Jeremiah has masterfully created a dream-like backdrop for a story of personal identity and family,” said Paul Davidson, The Orchard’s EVP for Film & TV in a statement. “It is a captivating, magnetic film that deserves to be seen in theaters and we are proud to be a part of making that happen.”
“It’s always been my dream to get this movie out in theaters as widely as possible, and I’m thrilled to work with The Orchard to make that happen. I think they’re the perfect partner for this film,” said Zagar.
The deal was negotiated by Danielle DiGiacomo, VP of Acquisitions for The Orchard, and Eric Sloss of Cinetic Media. The film was financed by Cinereach and produced by Cinereach and Public Record.