Picturehouse and Revolver partner for UK deals on Sundance's Liberal Arts and The Imposter

UK distributors Picturehouse Entertainment and Revolver Entertainment have joined forces for the first time to acquire Sundance hit world premieres, Josh Radnor’s Liberal Arts and Bart Layton’s The Imposter.

Protagonist Pictures has also sold The Imposter to Diaphana for France and Madman for Australia/New Zealand. Submarine and CAA are now in negotiations for a US deal.

Protagonist has now sold Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching For Sugar Man, about a musician who faded into obscurity, to ARP in France. This comes after previously announced with StudioCanal for the UK, Madman for Australia and Sony Pictures Classics for the US (Protagonist co-repping US with Submarine),

Liberal Arts stars Radnor as a bored thirtysomething man who speaks at a university, where he becomes enchanted with a sophomore (Elizabeth Olsen).

Documentary The Imposter is Layton’s feature directorial debut, about a Frenchman who impersonated a missing Texas teenager.

Picturehouse and Revolver say that working together is “a true partnership” and that “both companies will work closely together on each stage of Liberal Arts and The Imposters release in the UK.”

The deal for Liberal Arts was negotiated between Dave Bishop, Revolver’s Head of Acquisitions, Clare Binns, Picturehouse’s Director Programming and Acquisitions, and Ruzanna Kegeyan, President of Ashok Amritaj’s Hyde Park International, and Jennifer Dana and Jay Cohen of Gersh.

The Imposter’s UK deal was negotiated between Dave Bishop, Revolver’s Head of Acquisitions, Clare Binns, Picturehouse’s Director Programming and Acquisitions and Ben Roberts, CEO Protagonist Pictures. For the Diaphana deal, Roberts negotiated with Karin Beyens and for Madman, Paul Wiegard.

Revolver CEO Justin Marciano said, “We’re delighted to be expanding our relationship with Lyn, Clare, Sara and all the team at Picturehouse. We’ve been looking to collaborate on a project for some time. This represents the coming together of two great companies to provide an unparalleled proposition for Independent filmmakers.Liberal Arts and The Imposter have both wowed audiences here at Sundance and we couldn’t have hoped for two better films to begin this unique partnership.”

Clare Binns, Director Programming and Acquisitions at PicturehouseEntertainment added, “We are really delighted with this new partnership with Revolver – it means that we can go after and acquire these more ambitious titles, and use both teams’ talents to really give them the best possible launch in the UK. We hope this will be a long and fruitful relationship with Revolver.”

Of The Imposter’s success, Katherine Butler, Senior Commissioning Executive, Film4 and Executive Producer said: “Premiering The Imposter at Sundance has been an incredible experience, with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response to Bart’s brilliant piece of filmmaking.  We are delighted to have come out of the festival with three great sales to our friends at Revolver/Picturehouse, Diaphana and Madman.  Their passion for the film will give it the best possible chance to reach as wide an audience as it can - and as many people have commented, it’s a film that needs to be seen to be believed.”