Amazon Studios has bought domestic rights to “The Dressmaker” with Kate Winslet, Variety has learned.
The adaptation of the Rosalie Ham novel screened at last year’s Toronto Film Festival and was a box office smash in Australia. The streaming service will release the film theatrically in the U.S. this fall.
“The Dressmaker” centers on a woman who returns to her hometown in rural Australia to care for her ailing mother and to exact her revenge on the community that exiled her at a young age. In addition to Winslet, the film stars Liam Hemsworth and Judy Davis. Jocelyn Moorhouse (“Proof”) directs.
Universal had certain foreign rights. The film debuted last year in Australia where it was the second-highest grossing Australian film after “Mad Max: Fury Road.” It also scored 13 AACTA Awards nominations, the equivalent of Australia’s Academy Awards, and won several, including a best actress statue for Winslet.
Amazon has moved aggressively into the original film space. The online giant is snapping up movies and premiered five films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, including Woody Allen’s comedy “Cafe Society,” Nicolas Winding Refn’s horror film “The Neon Demon” and Park Chan-wook’s erotic thriller “The Handmaiden.” It has also been active on the acquisitions front. In recent days, the company has picked up Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here” with Joaquin Phoenix, Mike Leigh’s “Peterloo” and Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman.”
CAA brokered the deal.
