Millennium Entertainment swoops on Sundance entry Little Birds

The distributor plans an autumn release. Jamie Patricof, Alan Polsky and Gabe Polsky produced, with Max Burger, Monique Burger, Kevin Iwashina and Stefan Nowicki serving as executive producers.

Millennium’s director of acquisitions Vincent Scordino negotiated the deal with Preferred Content’s Iwashina. WestEnd Films is handling international sales here.

Little Birds centres on a 15-year-old girl and her best friend who escape from their dull existence with three boys to the bright lights of Los Angles where they fall into petty crime and their yearning to grow up is tested to the limits.

“Elgin has made a powerful and surprising film that deeply resonated with us,” Millennium Entertainment CEO Bill Lee said. “Little Birds marks another extraordinary performance from Juno Temple, features Kay Panabaker in a genuine star-making turn, and showcases Kate Bosworth and Leslie Mann like we haven’t seen them before.” 

Patricof, whose credits include Blue Valentine and Half Nelson, called Millennium “the perfect marriage for the picture.” The producer’s Hunting Lane Films has lined up Borderline, which Nic Chartier’s Voltage Pictures is selling, and The Place Beyond The Pines, which is being sold by Nick Meyer’s Sierra / Affinity.

Both titles are being put together with the assistance of Patricof’s new development fund. “The fund allows us to develop higher end material where can start working more with studios and help our filmmakers put together their projects.”