Sundance Updates

‘The Surrogate’ was picked up by Fox Searchlight for $6 million, making it the biggest acquisition, so far, at Sundance. John Hawkes plays journalist and poet Mark O’Brien, who is afflicted with Polio and lives most of his life in an iron lung. At age 38, he decides to lose his virginity and hires a sex surrogate. Ben Lewin’s film also stars Helen Hunt and William H. Macy.

Lee Toland Krieger’s ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’ starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg was purchased by Sony Picture Classics. The film tells the story of a divorcing couple who attempt to stay friends while pursuing new people. Co-written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. This is Krieger’s newest film since 2009’s ‘The Vicious Kind’.

We reported earlier that ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ won the Sundance Institute Indian Paintbrush Producer’s Award, now it has been purchased by Fox Searchlight. Benh Zeitlin’s film has been the talk of the festival with positive reviews from The Atlantic, Variety, LA Times and Hollywood Reporter to name a few.