Sales agent Odin’s Eye Entertainment has acquired all rights outside the US to hip hop dance drama GO FOR IT! and will introduce it to buyers at Cannes.

The US coming-of-age film, set in the world of underground dance clubs, stars Aimee Garcia as Carmen, a feisty young woman living in Chicago, who overcomes her fears and follows her dream of being a dancer.

The film is being released in the US on May 13 — the third day of Cannes — by Pantelion Films, which has a focus on serving Hispanic US audiences and is a partnership between Lionsgate Entertainment and Televisa.

“It is a modern take on classic dance films such as Flashdance and it is also a film with a lot of heart which will appeal to a wide audience internationally,” Sydney-based chief executive Michael Favelle told ScreenDaily. “Carmen Marron has done a brilliant job with her first feature and we hope this is the first of many films we can work together on.”

Marron wrote, directed and produced GO FOR IT! and Favelle has been in discussions with her and executive producer Sid Idris for the last six months. Agreement was reached last week.

Favelle expects to be taking “two or three new films” to Cannes but wouldn’t anything about the other titles.

“We’ve become much more selective with the films we acquire … we are very much in the mindset of quality not quantity,” he said. “We look for quality films with theatrical potential that have strong marketing hooks and/or have a strong point of difference that can stand out in a crowded marketplace.”

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