Dances With Films Winner ‘Don’t Read This On A Plane’ Gets Gravitas Ventures Deal; Indican Acquires ‘Bang! Bang!’; Mammoth Winners Unveiled – Festival Briefs

Stuart McBratney's Don't Read This On a Plane, which had its world premiere and won the Audience Award at the just-wrapped Dances With Films, has been acquired by Gravitas Ventures. The dramatic comedy is getting a digital release in the U.S. beginning Tuesday.

The pic, a Australia/Romania co-production, stars Sophie Desmarais as Jovana Fey, a novelist who learns that her publisher has gone bankrupt just ahead of a European book tour for her latest work. Penniless and stranded, she hitchhikes and sleeps rough to give readings in bookstores across the continent, testing her resilience daily as she questions whether her dreams are worth the struggle.

Eugene Gilfedder, Allen C Gardner and Dorotheea Petre also star. McBratney also produced alongside Amazing Visuals' Laszlo Kun. Cardinal XD, which reps worldwide sales on the film, also secured deals in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Taiwan. The domestic distribution deal was negotiated by Gravitas' Brett Rogalsky with Cardinal XD's Jeff Goldman.

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Indican Pictures has acquired rights at the just-wrapped Toronto Film Festival market to Bang! Bang!, an action thriller from director Nicholas Joseph Cunha. The distributor is eyeing an October 9 opening in Los Angeles and the following week in Miami.

Jordan Knapp, Nicole Fahel, Lucas Mogerley, Antonia Morais, Marlon Samuda and Marcelo Serrado star in story that follows five lawless teenagers as they execute an armed robbery. Outfitted with guns and masked by hoodies and full-face hockey masks, the group sets in motion a life-or-death struggle.

Producers are Nicole Fahel and Fernanda Régis. The deal was negotiated by Fahel on behalf of the filmmakers with Indican's Shaun Hill and Gary Goldberger.

Here's the trailer:

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Merawi Gerima's Residue won the jury award for Best Narrative Feature at the Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, which wrapped its virtual edition Sunday. The Best Documentary Feature was given to Feather & Pine, from directors Star Rosencrans and Michael James Beck. The festival's audience awards went to Marjorie Conrad's Desire Path (for Narrative Feature) and Michal Bielawski's The Wind. A Documentary Thriller (Documentary Feature).

The festival also unveiled the winner of its first annual Screenplay Competition during Sunday's awards ceremony. Matthew Dixon's Fish Story won the $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to pitch it to the Russo Brothers' AGBO Films.

The festival was held online September 16-20 and screened 56 feature and short films.

Source: deadline.com