Thunderbird Releasing Takes ‘Una,’ ‘Brimstone’ for U.K. (EXCLUSIVE)
Thunderbird Releasing has added Benedict Andrews’ “Una” and Martin Koolhoven’s “Brimstone” (pictured) to its U.K. distribution slate. Both films saw their U.K. premieres at the 2016 London Film Festival and are scheduled for release in September this year.
“We’re thrilled to add two intelligent and entertaining female-driven titles to our slate,” said Thunderbird managing director Edward Fletcher. “We’ve had great early exhibitor interest and, with the support of all the talent involved, look forward to delivering engaging U.K. campaigns.”
“Una,” based on Scottish playwright David Harrower’s award-winning play “Blackbird,” stars Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn in the roles played by Michelle Williams and Jeff Daniels in last year’s Broadway revival of the work. Also starring Riz Ahmed, the film focuses on the fraught and emotionally devastating ramifications following a young woman’s attempt to track down a man from her past, which unearths long-buried secrets. It marks the feature directorial debut of Australian theater director Andrews. “Una” received its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last September.
Koolhoven’s revenge Western stars Dakota Fanning as a frontierswoman on the run from a vengeful preacher, played by Guy Pearce, in the harsh terrain of the old American West. “Game of Thrones’” actors Carice van Houten and Kit Harington co-star. “Brimstone” received its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last September.
Fletcher negotiated the deals on behalf of Thunderbird with Eve Schoukroun at WestEnd Films for “Una” and Tim Haslam at Embankment Films for “Brimstone.”
Thunderbird Releasing is owned by Canadian media group Thunderbird Entertainment and was rebranded from Soda Pictures earlier this month. Soda was acquired by Thunderbird Entertainment in a deal announced in September 2014.
The company already scored a hit earlier this year with the release of Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann,” which grossed £558,100 ($698,700) in the U.K. The Oscar-nominated German comedy became the distributor’s second-highest-earning film at the U.K. box office, behind only Jim Jarmusch’s “Paterson,” which drove off with £653,800 ($814,000) after releasing last November. Terence Davies’ “A Quiet Passion,” about American poet Emily Dickinson, is currently on release in Britain through Thunderbird, having taken £230,100 ($287,400) since its April 7 opening.
Other upcoming Thunderbird releases include Oscar-nominated animation “My Life as a Zucchini”; Chinese comedy “I Am Not Madame Bovary”; documentary “David Lynch: The Art Life”; and Oscar-nominated Scandinavian films “A Man Called Ove” and “Land of Mine.”
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