New York, NY (October 8, 2010) – IFC Films, the leading American distributor of independent and foreign films, announced today that the company is acquiring North American and select international rights including East-Central Europe and the Middle East to David Robert Mitchell’s international award-winning drama THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER. Starring a cast of young attractive newcomers in their feature film debuts and produced by Adele Romanski (THE FREEBIE), THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER had its international premiere at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival in the International Critics’ Week section, the first American film in five years to be selected for this honor. IFC Films will release the film next year.
From first-time writer/director David Robert Mitchell comes THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER, a poignant and tender coming-of-age drama. This story follows four young people on the last night of summer – their final night of freedom before the new school year starts. The teenagers cross paths as they explore the suburban wonderland they inhabit in search of love and adventure – chasing first kisses, elusive crushes, popularity and parties. Inspired by Mitchell’s experiences growing up in Michigan, THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER is a beautifully rendered portrait of summertime adolescence and the search for human connections. The kids in Mitchell’s world may be lost, a little confused and full of angst, but ultimately the kids are all right in this life-affirming, truthful and fresh take on the teen genre.
Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Films commented, "David Robert Mitchell has made one of the most assured debuts of the year with THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER. He has taken a well known genre and breathed new life into it. We’re thrilled to introduce him and his talented cast to American audiences when we release the film next year."
Writer and director David Robert Mitchell remarked, "On behalf of the entire cast and crew, we set out to make an entertaining, gentle and honest film about small, but important moments in our youth. I’m very happy that teenage audiences have been connecting with the film and that older audiences are enjoying this kind of nostalgia. It’s an honor to work with IFC Films, and we’re excited that the movie will be distributed in theaters, on Video On Demand and through home video."
The North American deal was negotiated by Jeff Deutchman, Manager of Acquisitions & Productions for IFC Films with George Rush of the Law Office of George M. Rush. Jeff Deutchman also negotiated with Ryan Kampe of Visit Films for select international rights.
THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER had its U.S. premiere in March at the SXSW Film Festival, where it received a special jury prize for Best Ensemble Cast. The film also won the Jury Prize at this year’s Deauville American Film Festival and took home the American Indie Newcomer prize at the 2010 Munich Film Festival. MYTH will also be showing at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival and AFI Fest in November.
About IFC Films
Established a decade ago, IFC Films – a division of Rainbow Media’s IFC Entertainment – is the leading U.S. distributor of independent and foreign film. Its unique day and date distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them simultaneously in theaters as well as on cable’s On Demand platform and through Pay-Per-View, reaching nearly 50 million homes. IFC Films’ "IFC Midnight" label, launched in 2010, offers the very best in international genre cinema, including horror, sci-fi, thrillers, erotic arthouse, action and more. Some of the company’s successes over the years have included MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, TOUCHING THE VOID, ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, GOMORRAH, CHE, SUMMER HOURS, IN THE LOOP, ANTICHRIST, THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, and WORDPLAY. IFC Films has worked with established and breakout auteurs including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noe, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, as well as more recent breakouts such as Andrea Arnold, Mia Hansen Love, Corneliu Porombiou, Joe Swanberg, Barry Jenkins, Lena Dunham, Aaron Katz, Daryl Wein and Abdellatif Kechiche.