Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to “About Endlessness” following its best director win at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.
It reunites the company with Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson, who previously directed Magnolia’s 2015 release “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence.” The indie studio is planning a 2020 theatrical bow for the film.
“About Endlessness” presents a dreamy look at both the historical and the banal, taking viewers through a kaleidoscope of experiences — a couple floats over a war-torn Cologne; on the way to a birthday party, a father stops to tie his daughter’s shoelaces in the pouring rain; teenage girls dance outside a cafe; a defeated army marches to a prisoner-of-war camp.
In a positive review, Variety‘s Guy Lodge wrote, “short, bittersweet and exquisitely imagined, Roy Andersson’s latest compilation of mordant existential sketches finds him on familiar turf, and that’s fine.”
Andersson also wrote the screenplay. The film is a Roy Andersson Filmproduktion AB in co-production with 4½ Fiksjon AS, Essential Films, in association with Parisienne de Production, Sveriges Tele-vision AB, Arte France Cinéma, ZDF/Arte, and Film CapitalStockholm Fund. The film is produced by Pernilla Sandström and Johan Carlsson, and co-produced by Philippe Bober and Håkon Øverås.
“Roy Andersson is a cinematic master and he’s crafted another extraordinary film in ‘About Endlessness,’” Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles said in a statement. “We’re honored to be bringing this film to American audiences.”
“I’m so happy that Magnolia will be our US distributor,” said Andersson. “They did a great job releasing my last film, so I’m confident that they will take care of ‘About Endlessness’ in the best possible way. I’m so proud of the new film and very much looking forward to the US release.”
Magnolia’s recent releases include the comedy “Mister America;” “Mike Wallace Is Here,” a look at the “60 Minutes” correspondent; and “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” an investigation into the death of UN General Secretary Dag Hammarskjöld.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia EVP Dori Begley and Magnolia senior VP of Acquisitions John Von Thaden with CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers. Coproduction Office is overseeing international sales.
