Koch acquires Son of a Gun starring Ewan McGregor and Alicia Vikander

Koch Media has concluded UK deals on a number of Cannes marche titles, including Altitude’s crime-drama Son of a Gun, starring Ewan McGregor, Alicia Vikander and Brenton Thwaites.

Writer-director Julius Avery’s debut, snapped up by A24 for US distribution during the market, charts the relationship between Australia’s highest-profile criminal and his young protege.

Also acquired during Cannes were gangster comedy Redirected and buzzed-about horror sequel VHS Viral.

They join recently signed documentary All This Mayhem, slated for an August 8 release, and ‘anti rom-com’ Obvious Child, which is pegged for theatrical release on August 29.

The additions were negotiated by new head of acquisitions Martina Ternstrom and head of distribution Ben Luxford.

Vice Films production All This Mayhem follows Australian skateboarding legends Tas and Ben Pappas and will get its UK premiere at London’s BFI Southbank ahead of a Special Jury Award slot at Sheffield Doc/Fest.

George Pank produces alongside James Gay-Rees, whose credits include Exit Through the Gift Shop and Senna.

Sundance title Obvious Child, based on a short by first time writer-director Gillian Robespierre, charts the story of a twenty-something Brooklyn comedienne who gets dumped, fired and pregnant in quick succession.

Stand-up comic Jenny Slate stars alongside Jake Lacy, David Cross and Richard Kind.

Vinnie Jones-led Redirected, due for an early 2015 release, is a tongue-in-cheek gangster comedy about four men who get stranded in Lithuania and have to find their way home.

Rounding out the Cannes buys is VHS Viral, the third instalment of the popular found-footage horror trilogy, acquired through Epic Pictures. VHS Viral follows fame-obsessed teens who unwittingly become the next internet sensations.The anthology comprises five shorts.

Koch’s managing director of Northern Europe, Craig McNicol, said: “Although this year’s festival was widely regarded as a soft market, we made some astute acquisitions with clear target audiences.

“The new buys demonstrate the diversity and calibre of films we strive for, in particular Son of a Gun, which we view as an excellent proposition for the UK market. We now have a strong and consistent slate for 2014/early 2015, all with quality feels and the potential to break out.”