Sinking Ship Entertainment

Toronto production, distribution and interactive company Sinking Ship Entertainment has unveiled new sales for Dino Dana, Annedroids and Chirp.

Announced ahead of Virtual Screenings Autumn 2020 next week (Sept. 15 to 24), which provides content screenings to global programming and acquisition executives, ATV-owned Turkish free-to-air channel Minika has acquired seasons one through four of Dino Dana – marking the free television premiere of the show in the territory. As well, the company revealed that Poland’s free-to-air broadcaster TVP has picked up 39 hours of content, acquiring live-action series Annedroids and animated series Chirp. Finally, Sinking Ship announced that following the release of Dino Dana The Movie with Cineplex in Canada and iTunes in the U.S., it has come to an agreement with Israel’s HOP! to release the film via transactional-VOD through the channel’s carriers. Notably, HOP! broadcasts the show and holds the linear rights to Dino Dana The Movie.

Altitude, XYZ Films

British film production, financing, international sales and distribution company Altitude has picked up the international sales rights to Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli’s Violation (pictured).

Co-written and directed by Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli, the duo’s debut feature sees XYZ Films handle domestic sales on the psychological thriller. Starring Sims-Fewer (Operation Avalanche), Jesse Lavercombe (American Gods), Anna Maguire (The Hummingbird Project) and Obi Abili (21 Bridges), the film is set to make its world premiere as part of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept. 14. It is eligible for the People’s Choice Award. The film was also recently announced as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Altered States section.

Produced by Mancinelli and Sims-Fewer, Violation follows Miriam, a troubled young woman (played by Sims-Fewer, one of TIFF’s 2020 Rising Stars) who hopes to find solace in a weekend reunion with her estranged younger sister. The plot thickens when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust – leading Miriam to seek revenge. Executive producers include Deepa Mehta, David Hamilton, François Dagenais and David James.

“Madeleine and Dusty have created a daring, timeless and genre-bending tale of revenge that lingers long in the memory and we look forward to bringing this to international audiences,” said Mike Runagall, managing director of Altitude Film Sales in a statement.

Indiecan Entertainment, APL Film

Toronto-based director Jake Horowitz’s comedy Cup of Cheer has been picked up for representation in Canada and the U.S. by Indiecan Entertainment and by foreign sales and distribution company APL Film for international sales.

The agreement was negotiated by Indiecan CEO Avi Federgreen, Warren Nimchuk and Brian Sweet of APL Film, and Horowitz and Andy Lewis from Sideways Dog Productions. Notably, APL Film featured the title as part of FILMART (Aug. 26 to 29).

A Christmas film satire, Cup of Cheer was written by Horowitz and Lewis, and follows a big city journalist who heads off to her hometown to write an article on its world-famous Christmas cheer, finding herself in an unlikely romance with the owner of a struggling hot cocoa shop. In a previous interview with Barrie Today, Horowitz said the film is a cheesy parody, in the style of Airplane! or The Naked Gun. The project stars Braden Barrie, Shawn Vincent and Storm Steenson.