SUNDANCE: Amid a flurry of Park City announcements, Fox Searchlight has paid around $3m for world rights to I Origins. Separately, RADiUS-TWC has picked up The Night Comes For Us and A24 has closed its second deal of the festival.

Fox Searchlight struck the I Origins deal with WME Global and Andre des Rochers on behalf of the film and Shelley Surpin on behalf of the director following the January 18 world premiere.

Cahill’s follow-up to his directorial debut and Sundance 2011 premiere Another Earth stars Michael Pitt, Brit Marling and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and tells of an eye research scientist who makes a profound discovery.

Cahill, Hunter Gray and Alex Orlovsky served as producers on the Verisimilitude / WeWork Studios Production and Searchlight plans a 2014 release.

  • RADiUS-TWC has paid low seven figures for North American rights to The Night Comes For Us. Timo Tjahjanto will direct and Gareth Evens of The Raid fame will produce the film and handle action direction. Tjahjanto is one half of the Mo Brothers, whose Midnight entry Killers premieres on January 20.

Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian will star in the story of a Jakarta mobster. The distributor plans a 2015 release and negotiated the deal with XYZ Films.

  • A24 has acquired North American rights from WME Global to Gillian Robespierre’s comedy Obvious Child, its second deal following Laggies. Red Crown Producer’s Award recipient Elisabeth Holm produced the NEXT entry starring Jenny Slate. The distributor plans a 2014 theatrical release.

  • Films We Like announced out of Park City they will release the Music Box Films slate in Canada. Films We Like president Ron Mann brokered the deal with Ed Arentz of Music Box Films. Upcoming titles include Bettie Page Reveals All, Age Of Uprising: The Legend Of Michael Kohlhass, Ida and Keep The Lights On. 

  • Elisabeth Holm has received the inaugural Red Crown Producer’s Award. Holm is a film programme director at Kickstarter. Red Crown will underwrite the award for two years.

  • Producer Richard Guay announced in Park City that Passion First Funding Portal has sprung up as an intermediary between qualifying projects and accredited investors. The move follows the enactment of the JOBS Act, the new federal law that is expected to have a major impact on the role of accredited investors in Hollywood. For more information about Passion First Funding Portal click here.

  • Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam and Women In Film Los Angeles president Cathy Schulman announced today th bodies were taking significant steps to achieve gender parity in the industry. Under discussion was a study that showed Sundance Institute Lab projects helmed by women are closing the gap on men in terms of green-light and festival exhibition.

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