Cornerstone Closes Key Deals Including U.S. & UK For Daniel Kokotajlo’s ‘Starve Acre’ – AFM

Melanie Goodfellow
·2 min read
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Cornerstone has closed sales on multiple territories including North America and the UK for writer and director Daniel Kokotajlo’s folk horror Starve Acre.

The deals were finalized following the film’s world premiere in Competition at the BFI London Film Festival.

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Brainstorm Media has acquired distribution rights for North America while BFI Distribution has taken the UK and Ireland.

Additional deals include to Germany and Switzerland (X Verleih), ex-Yugoslavia (Blitz) Poland (Galapagos), Middle East (Front Row), Japan (Klockworx) and airlines (Terry Steiner) (Airlines).

Starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark, Starve Acre is written and directed by Kokotajlo and based on the book by Andrew Michael Hurly.

Set in the 1970s, an idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when the son starts acting out of character. At Starve Acre, their remote family home, the archaeologist father buries himself in exploring a folkloric myth that the ancient oak tree on their land is imbued with phenomenal powers.

The picture is a A House Productions Film presented by Access Entertainment, BBC Film and BFI.

It is produced by Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Derrin Shlesinger and Emma Duffy. It was developed with BBC Film and is funded by Access Entertainment together with BBC Film and the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding.

“We are very excited to bring this stellar addition to the folk horror canon to American audiences. Starve Acre is masterfully made and unsettling in all the best ways.” Michelle Shwarzstein, CEO, Brainstorm Media

Cornerstone will be looking to tie up remaining territories at the AFM, where other titles on its slate Kiah Roache-Turner’s separate productions Beast of War and Sting, as well as Mike Leigh’s untitled 2023 project.

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