Market activity at the Toronto International Film Festival remained upbeat on Friday as Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions picked up the U.S. and Australian rights to Fabrice Du Welz’s horror picture Vinyan, which stars Rufus Sewell and Emmanuelle Beart, while Regent Releasing bought the North American rights to Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza’s family drama Serbis, which competed in Cannes and was shopped by Fortissimo Films.
Strand Releasing scooped the U.S. rights to Terence Davies’ lyrical documentary Of Time and the City, which will unspool at the festival on Sunday.
Also portending a possible slew of deals over the weekend in Toronto is Cinema Guild, picking up the U.S. distribution rights to Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke’s 24 City, a documentary about a weapons factory converted into luxury condos.
The early deals mostly represent films that bowed at either Cannes or Venice. Still to come are possible deals for movies premiering in Toronto.
___________________________
Playback Daily‘s coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival continues through this weekend with special editions on Saturday and Sunday.