US Briefs: Starz Digital picks up ‘Miss Sharon Jones!’

Starz Digital has acquired all North American rights from Submarine to Barbara Kopple’s Miss Sharon Jones! and plans a theatrical launch on July 29 followed by digital and ancillary roll-out in autumn.

The film premiered in Toronto last year and features Jones as she battles illness at a critical juncture in her singing career. Kopple and David Cassidy produced.

• USA Swimming is partnering with Tugg on The Last Gold, which chronicles the efforts of the 1976 US women’s Olympic swimming team against the East Germans during a notorious period of doping. The film will open nationwide on July 11 after the world premiere at the LA Film festival on June 6. Brian T. Brown directed and Julianna Margulies narrates.
• The Orchard has picked up from ICM Partners all North American and UK rights to June Pictures’ Operator, Logan Kibens’ directorial debut that premiered at SXSW and stars Martin Starr and Mae Whitman. The distributor has set a digital and VoD debut for November.
• Janus Films has acquired all North American rights from Submarine to Kirsten Johnson’s documentary Cameraperson chronicling her ongoing 25-year career. The film premiered in Sundance.
• The US government’s film diplomacy initiative American Film Showcase (AFS) produced by the USC School Of Cinematic Arts has unveiled its official 2016-2017 film slate of 33 documentaries and five non-fiction films to screen from September 1-August 31, 2017. US embassies will use the film slate for cultural programming around the world and AFS will send select film-makers for short international tours. Titles include Batkid Begins and The Spectacular Now.
• Former Weta Digital head of research and development Shawn Dunn has joined digital animator Original Force as Chief Technology Officer and will oversee the technology foundation of the company, implementing IT and workflow innovations.