IFC Midnight signs The Pact, Magnet drawn to V/H/S

IFC Midnight added Nicholas McCarthy’s Midnight entry The Pact (pictured) to its line-up after Arianna Bocco and Jeff Deutchman brokered the deal for North American rights with Kevin Iwashina and Christine D’Souza of Preferred Content and Rick Kwak of Content Media Corporation.

The story follows a young woman as she returns home for her despised mother’s funeral and uncovers a terrible mystery. Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien and Agnes Bruckner star. Preferred Content’s Ross Dinerstein produced and Jamie Carmichael of international rights holder Content Film served as executive producer under the companies’ new financing deal.

Meanwhile Magnet Releasing negotiated the seven-figure acquisition with WME Global for V/H/S, a horror portmanteau featuring segments by Adam Wingard, Joe Swanberg, Ti West, Radio Silence, David Bruckner and Glenn McQuaid. Magnet will release through its Ultra VOD programme, debuting on VoD prior to a “robust theatrical release” at a date to be determined.

• IFC Films sister company Sundance Selects has acquired North American rights to David France’s AIDS activism film and US Documentary Competition entry How To Survive A Plague. France and Howard Gertler produced and Joy Tomchin and Dan Cogan served as executive producers. Bocco and Betsy Rodgers of Sundance Selects/IFC Films negotiated the deal with Submarine’s Josh Braun, David Koh, Dan Braun and Dan O’Meara.
• eOne has picked up North American rights to Kieran Darcy-Smith’s directorial debut Wish You Were Here starring Joel Edgerton. The company anticipates an autumn release on the tale of four people on a nightmare holiday to Cambodia. eOne vp of worldwide acquisitions Sejin Park brokered the deal with sales director Natja Noviani Rosner of international rights holder LevelK. Angie Fielder of Australian production company Aquarius Films produced with the Blue-Tongue Films collective, of which Edgerton is a part. eOne-owned Hopscotch will release in Australia and New Zealand this year.
• National Geographic Channel has taken TV rights from the omnipresent Submarine Entertainment to Jeff Orlowski’s climate change film Chasing Ice, which premiered in the US Documentary Competition. National Geographic Entertainment Cinema Ventures president Lisa Truitt negotiated with Submarine’s Josh Braun and David Koh and Pryor Cashman’s Wilder Knight and Anne Atkinson. Orlowski, Paula DuPre’ Pesmen and Jerry Aronson produced.
• VVS Films has acquired Canadian rights from Parlay Films to Nicholas Jarecki’s suspenseful drama Arbitrage starring Richard Gere. Ernie Grivakis and Harry Grivakis of VVS negotiated with Graham Taylor of WME Global and Lisa Wilson of international sales agent Parlay Films. Laura Bickford, Kevin Turen, Justin Nappi and Bob Salerno produced the feature.