NEW YORK, NY (AUGUST 24, 2020) IFC Films announced today that it is acquiring North American rights to the deeply personal and intergenerational immigrant story, FAREWELL AMOR, written and directed by breakout director and Sundance Institute fellow, Ekwa Msangi. The film marks Msangi’s feature directorial debut, and stars Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Zainab Jah, Jayme Lawson, Joie Lee, Marcus Scribner, and Nana Mensah. FAREWELL AMOR had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition Section, winning the 2020 Sundance Institute Producer’s Award on behalf of producer Huriyyah Muhammad (Outrageous Pictures). Additional producing partners include Sam Bisbee (Park Pictures), Josh Penn (Department of Motion Pictures), Ekwa Msangi (Outrageous Pictures), Joe Plummer (Wavelength Productions) and Bobby Allen (MUBI), with co-producer Emily McCann Lesser. IFC Films will be releasing FARWELL AMOR in December of 2020.
After 17 years in exile, Walter finally reunites with his family after being forced to leave Angola for New York City. We meet the family as Walter is picking up his wife, Esther, and daughter, Sylvia, from the airport to bring them home to his one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment. They quickly discover how the years of separation have turned them into absolute strangers. As they attempt to overcome the personal and political hurdles amongst them, they rely on the muscle memory of dance to find their way back “home.” FAREWELL AMOR is an immigrant story that has come to define the American landscape since its inception.
Arianna Bocco EVP of Acquisitions and Productions at IFC Films said, “Ekwa Msangi is an exciting new voice in independent cinema and we are honored to partner with her to introduce FAREWELL AMOR to North American audiences. We are thrilled to support Ekwa and welcome her into the IFC Films family.”
Director Ekwa Msangi added, “We’re so delighted to have found a supportive and caring home for FAREWELL AMOR in IFC Films, and that Arianna and her team are as excited as we are to share this labor of love with the world. Not many are bold enough to distribute a story about an African family fighting for love, and the fact that IFC sees the human story in our film and are willing to champion it says a lot about them. If there were ever a time that our world needed a reminder of our humanity, it is now.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by IFC Films’ EVP of Acquisitions and Productions Arianna Bocco with Endeavor Content, Film Constellation, and Cassian Elwes on behalf of the filmmakers. Anita Surendran, Granderson Des Rochers LLP as legal.
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Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) and digital platforms.
Upcoming releases include Jude Law and Carrie Coon starrer THE NEST directed by Sean Durkin (MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE), and documentary OTTOLENGHI AND THE CAKES OF VERSAILLES directed by Laura Gabbert (CITY OF GOLD). Some of the company’s successes over the years have included BOYHOOD, THE DEATH OF STALIN, FRANCES HA, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, THE BABADOOK, TOUCHING THE VOID, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, CHE, SUMMER HOURS, ANTICHRIST, IN THE LOOP, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, TINY FURNITURE, and CARLOS. IFC Films has worked with established and breakout filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noé, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Paul Dano, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, Abdellatif Kechiche, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Abbas Kiarostami, Alfonso Cuaron, Noah Baumbach, Lena Dunham, Ethan Hawke and many more. IFC Films is a sister label to Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.