Jacqueline Castel’s Sundance-bound feature directorial debut My Animal (pictured) has been acquired by Paramount Worldwide Acquisition Group for global distribution, excluding Canada. 

The horror film is written by Jae Matthews and produced by Andrew Bronfman and Michael Solomon. It stars Bobbi Salvör Menuez and Amandla Stenberg as teenagers in a small northern town who find their budding relationship tested by a dark secret. The two are also executive producers on the film.

My Animal was selected to world premiere in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival in January. Photon Films holds Canadian distribution rights for the film, with information on the 2023 release to come. The film was produced in association with XYZ Films, JoBro Productions, GreenGround Productions, Vigilante Productions, Bell Media’s Crave, and Photon Films. The deal was negotiated by Sejin Croninger, EVP and head of Paramount Worldwide Acquisition Group, Pip Ngo and Peter Van Steemburg of XYZ Films and UTA Independent Film Group.

Sphere Media

Netflix has acquired season one of Sphere Media (formerly Sienna Films) dramedy Sort Of for Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. The deal for the 8 x 30-minute CBC and HBO Max original series was negotiated by distributor Abacus Media Rights. Sort Of stars co-creator Bilal Baig as a gender-fluid millennial who juggles the needs of their friends and family while helping the children they nanny cope with a crisis. Baig is co-showrunner and executive producer alongside co-creator Fab Filippo.

AMC Networks

AMC Networks has acquired Edmonton director Kyle Edward Ball’s viral horror film Skinamarink. The film will have a theatrical release in the U.S. beginning Jan. 13, 2023, through the media company’s distributor IFC Midnight, followed by a streaming debut on its horror-focused streamer Shudder. 

Skinamarink had its world debut at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal last summer before becoming a viral horror hit on social media. The film is written, directed and produced by Ball, with Edmon Rotea, Ava Karvonen, Bonnie Lewis, Alan Lewis, Josh Doke and Jonathan Barkan serving as executive producers. 

Emily Gotto, VP of global acquisitions and coproductions, negotiated the deal on behalf of Shudder, with Peter Castro of BayView Entertainment negotiating on behalf of Ball. 

Image courtesy of Photon Films