Ripple World Pictures have returned victorious from Cannes with distribution deals inked for both the IFTA nominated film ‘Parked’ and their new feature, ‘Retreat’. Sony will distribute ‘Retreat’ in North America whilst Entertainment One has acquired French and Scandinavian rights to the film. High Flyers will distribute ‘Parked’ in the UK with Element Pictures Distribution releasing it in Ireland in October and Olive Films bringing it to American audiences in the autumn.
‘Retreat’, a co-production between Ripple World Pictures and the UK’s Magnet Films, stars Cillian Murphy (Inception, Perrier’s Bounty), Thandie Newton (2012, Crash) and Jamie Bell (Defiance, Billy Elliot) and is the debut feature of British director Carl Tibbetts, who co-wrote the screenplay with Janice Hallett.
In the film a couple, Kate (Thandie Newton) and Martin (Cillian Murphy), escape from a personal tragedy to an island retreat. Cut off from the outside world, their attempts to recover are shattered when a man (Jamie Bell) is washed ashore with news of an airborne killer disease sweeping through Europe. Magnet Film’s Gary Sinyor (Leon the Pig Farmer) is producer with Ripple World’s Dominic Wright (Lapland Odyssey) and Jacqueline Kerrin (Parked) exec producing alongside Magnet’s David Frost and Michael Rosenberg (In Your Dreams).
Sony Entertainment had previously taken UK, Irish and German distribution rights to the film and took on the North American rights just before Cannes. Entertainment One acquired French and Scandinavian rights at the Cannes market event where it was represented by sales agents, Quickfire Films and SC Films.
In ‘Parked’, Colm Meaney (Get Him to the Greek) plays a proud man living in his car who is inspired to be a better person by a drug dealer. The film co-stars Colin Morgan (Merlin), Stuart Graham (Omagh) and Michael McElhatton (Spin the Bottle). Produced by Jacqueline Kerrin and Dominic Wright, the film is written by Ciaran Creagh and directed by Darragh Byrne (Mixed Blessings). The film received four IFTA nominations earlier this year including a Best Actor nod for its star Colm Meaney.
’Parked’ is to be released theatrically in Ireland by Element Pictures Distribution in October and it is hoped that High Fliers, who took the UK distribution rights for the film in Cannes, will release it across the UK at the same time. ‘Parked’ is to have a limited US theatrical release in the autumn through Olive Films who took the American distribution rights just before Cannes.
Discussions are still underway for the distribution of both ‘Retreat’ and ‘Parked’ in other territories.
