New York, NY – February 18, 2012 – Sundance Selects announced today that the company is acquiring North American rights to director Cristian Mungiu’s BEYOND THE HILLS. Mungiu, who also penned the script for the picture, produced along with Pascal Cauchteaux and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. The film stars Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur, Dana Tapalaga, and Catalina Harabagiu. Mungiu’s last feature, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, was one of the most acclaimed films of recent times, winning the Palme d’Or and Fipresci International Critics Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Best Film at the European Film Awards and the NY, LA and National Film Society Critics for Best Foreign Film.
In BEYOND THE HILLS, Alina has just been reunited with Voichita in an isolated convent in Romania after spending several years in Germany. The two young women have supported and loved each other since meeting as children in an orphanage. Alina wants Voichita to leave and return with her to Germany, but Voichita has found refuge in faith and a family in the nuns and their priest, and refuses. Alina cannot understand her friend’s choice. In her attempt to win back Voichita’s affection, she challenges the priest. She is taken to the hospital and the people of the monastery start to suspect she is possessed. Soon they believe they must perform an exorcism, but the result is not what they had hoped.
Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: "Cristian Mungiu established himself as one of the great directors with 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS. We’re honored to continue our relationship with him on his latest film BEYOND THE HILLS. We’re equally thrilled to continue working with Wild Bunch, the great producer Pascal Caucheteaux as well as Jean-Pierre Dardenne this time in the context of producer."
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Carole Baraton at Wild Bunch on behalf of the filmmakers.
Sundance Selects is a sister division to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.
About SUNDANCE SELECTS
Established in 2009 and based in New York City, Sundance Selects is a leading U.S. distributor of prestige films focusing on American independents, documentaries and world cinema. Its unique distribution model makes independent prestige films available to a national audience by releasing them traditionally in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes. In its first year, the label released Sundance Audience Award-winner BUCK, the Academy Award® nominated PINA directed by Wim Wenders, the year’s highest grossing independent documentary CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS directed by Werner Herzog, which won the Best Documentary Award from the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics among others, CERTIFIED COPY directed by Abbas Kiarostami and starring Juliette Binoche which won Best Foreign film from the San Francisco Film Critics, and Andrew Haigh’s SXSW Audience Award winner WEEKEND. Upcoming releases include Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s THE KID WITH A BIKE which won the Grand Prix at Cannes and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and Golden Globe, MIchael Winterbottom’s TRISHNA starring Frieda Pinto, Bess Kargman’s multiple Audience Award winner FIRST POSITION, Nanni Moretti’s WE HAVE A POPE and Maiwenn’s Cannes Prix du Jury winner POLISS nominated for 13 Cesars. Sundance Selects is a sister division to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.