Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights to The Peasants, Poland’s submission for this year’s international film Oscar, for North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia/New Zealand.
Written and directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman, The Peasants had its world premiere as a special presentation at this year’s Toronto festival. It uses the same painting animation technique that the filmmakers employed on their 2017 project Loving Vincent, which was nominated for the best animated feature Oscar.
Based on an early twentieth century novel by Polish author Wladyslaw Reymont, the film tells the story of a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late nineteenth century Polish village but caught between the conflicting desires of the village’s richest farmer, his eldest son and the other men of the community.
Produced by Breakthru Films, The Peasants was co-produced by Digitalkraft, Art Shot, Breakthru Productions, Canal + Polska, Narodowe Centrum Kultury, Mazowiecki Instytut Kultury and SKP Ślusarek Kubiak Pieczyk, in association with New Europe Film Sales and Carte Blanche.
DK and Hugh Welchman commented: “A hundred years ago, Reymont, an author little known outside of Poland, won the Nobel Prize for Literature and his book traveled to over 100 countries worldwide. We hope our adaptation of his book, The Peasants, brought to life in oil-painting animation will similarly reach out and touch audiences around the globe and, like he did, find award success too.”
A statement from Sony Pictures Classics said: “It’s an indescribable experience and achievement created by singular amazing artists.”
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