Cineflix

Cineflix has optioned journalist Karen K. Ho’s (pictured) true-crime article Jennifer Pan’s Revenge for a TV movie. Published in 2015 by Toronto Life, the article tells the story of a young Vietnamese-Canadian who hired hit men to kill her parents when the lies about her academic success started to unravel.  The deal was negotiated by the Transatlantic Agency’s Samantha Haywood and Cineflix Productions president Charles Tremayne.

Evolutionary Films

London, U.K.-based production, sales and distribution company, Evolutionary Films, has acquired the U.K. distribution and international sales rights to Canada/Pakistan copro Altered Skin. Directed by Adnan Ahmed, the feature stars Robin Dunne as an American expat in Pakistan whose life spirals into chaos when his wife contracts a disease. The feature is produced by Ahmed and Federgreen Entertainment’s Avi Federgreen and exec produced by Momina Duraid, Pasha Patriki and Marvin Waxman.

levelFILM and Seville International

Toronto-based distributor levelFILM and Entertainment One’s Seville International have acquired the rights to Jasmin Mozaffari’s debut feature Firecrackers. Produced by Prowler Film in association with Wildling Pictures and Alcina Pictures, the drama is set to make its world premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Discovery program. Canadian distributor levelFILM is planning a spring 2019 release for the film. Based on Mozaffari’s short film of the same name, Firecrackers follows two best friends who plan to escape their run-down town until their future is derailed by a night of debauchery. Prowler Films’ Caitlin Grabham and Wildling Pictures Kristy Neville serve as producers on the project. Exec producers include Alcina Pictures president and producer Paul Barkin and Wildling Pictures’ Matt Code. Firecrackers stars 2018 TIFF Rising Star Michaela Kurimsky, director Karena Evans, Callum Thompson, Tamara LeClair and David Kingston. The Canadian deal was negotiated by levelFILM’s managing director Dave Hudakoc and head of distribution John Bain with producer Paul Barkin. Barkin also negotiated the international deal with Seville International’s SVP International Sales, Anick Poirier.

Image: Walter Strong