Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Andrew Dosunmu’s “Mother of George,” which premiered in competition at Sundance.
Danai Gurira (“The Walking Dead”) stars as Adenike, who weds the charismatic Ayodele (Isaach De Bankolé), the owner of a small Nigerian restaurant in Brooklyn. Their traditional wedding culminates in a ceremony where Adenike is named for her yet-to-be-conceived son, George. But as the months pass without pregnancy, Adenike faces uncomfortable and unfamiliar choices in her desperate struggle to save her marriage.
Darci Picoult-scripted pic, which co-stars Yaya Alafia and Tony Okungbowa, serves as Dosunmu’s follow-up to his 2011 debut “Restless City.”
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy of Parts & Labor produced with Matt Parker and Carly Hugo, as well as Picoult, Chris Maybach, Saemi Kim and Okungbowa. Exec producers include Saerom Kim of Maybach Film Prods., Ron Simons of SimonSays Entertainment, Jerry Tankersley, Laura Bernieri and Joseph Sorrentino of Fried Alligator Films and Rhea Scott & Fady Salamé.
Guy Lodge began his Variety review in Variety by writing, “Simply relating the narrative of Andrew Dosunmu’s seductive immigrant drama MOTHER OF GEORGE would do little to convey the film’s stark, poetic power, much less its extraordinary visual and sonic acumen.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to be releasing ‘Mother of Geroge’ – it is exactly the kind of gem which we love to champion. In only his second feature, Dosumnu shows not only tremendous style and visual flair, but a deep empathy for his characters and the ability to portray the complexity of a traditional culture adapting to the modern world. We are thrilled to be working with this wonderful and talented group of filmmakers and to have the opportunity to bring this film to audiences,” said David Laub and Dan Berger of Oscilloscope.
“I am thrilled to be working with Oscilloscope having been a fan of their roster of films. I am honored to beworking with such a great team who support filmmakers and their vision. It is a perfect fit,” added Dosunmu.
Deal was negotiated by Laub and Berger from Oscilloscope with Ben Weiss of Paradigm, which repped the filmmakers.
