Utopia has acquired the U.S. rights to the dramedy I Used to Be Funny, the debut feature from Canadian writer-director Ally Pankiw (Black Mirror, Schitt’s Creek).

The film began earning buzz and critical praise at SXSW this year, where it had its world premiere. It stars Rachel Sennott (The Idol), who previously headlined another Utopia project, 2020’s Shiva Baby. The cast also includes Olga Petsa (Mixtape), Jason Jones (The Detour), Sabrina Jalees (Search Party), Caleb Hearon (Work in Progress) and Ennis Esmer (Children Ruin Everything). 

I Used to Be Funny is a Barn 12 production and is produced by James Weyman, Jason Aita and Breann Smordin. Partizan’s Li-Wei Chu served as executive producer alongside Pankiw, Judy Holm of Markham Street Films and Paul Barkin, president of Alcina Pictures. 

Danielle DiGiacomo and Candace Tan negotiated the deal for Utopia with WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers. Crave pre-licensed the film, with levelFILM serving as its Canadian distributor.

I Used to Be Funny follows an aspiring stand-up comedian (Sennott) dealing with PTSD and trying to decide whether or not to join the search for the teenage girl she used to nanny (Petsa) after the teen runs away.

“It was so fulfilling to see how I Used to Be Funny and its honest portrayal of recovery from trauma resonated with audiences at SXSW and now it’s an even bigger honour to know that we will be able to share this film and its message with more film lovers,” said Pankiw in a statement. 

Photo courtesy of levelFILM