EXCLUSIVE: In the first big deal at the 2021 Virtual Sundance Film Festival, Apple won worldwide rights to CODA, for a value north of $ 25 million. This sets a new record for acquisitions at Sundance – over $ 22.5 million that Palm Springs received last year from Hulu / Neon. But this time, the entire premiere watching and all auctions for the night were held away from the slopes of Park City. It all came down to a pitched battle between Apple and Amazon.
The adult drama by writer and director Siân Heder is about a senior student in high school who is the only deaf person in her family and is torn between keeping this unit together or pursuing her own dreams. The film debuted on the opening night at the US Dramatic Competition. Buyers loved it and it was clear yesterday that their value to distributors was going to the stratosphere, after receiving rave reviews and reactions from buyers. Several offers were on the table and approached the bid of Palm Springs territory. This was Andy Samberg-Cristin Milioti’s movie that broke Sundance’s sales record last year with $ 22.5 million.
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The film (the title is Child of Deaf Adults) is centered on Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only deaf person in her family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, she finds herself torn between following her love of music and her fear of leaving her parents. The photo is based on the award-winning French success La famille belier. Jones is a real discovery and the film is a real pleasure for everyone, with heart and potential for awards. Heder captured the Boston fishing scene and the love for classic Motown and Joni Mitchell and Marvin Gaye, whose songs are divided and connect you to the messages in them, and why they resonate with the characters in difficult circumstances. Most importantly, it creates a real path to the world of a mother, father and son who were born deaf, and when the film transports audiences to how these deaf characters experience the world without sound and try to appreciate a daughter’s brilliant singing talent dear that they cannot hear, the results are what they build the candidates for Best Film. Several buyers discussed the film with me yesterday and were saddened when the numbers exceeded what they could spend, as it was clear that this would be a worldwide rights agreement with a streamer.
The deal was led by Apple by heads of Worldwide Video Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who last year rode at the Sundance docu Boys State, which is in the Oscar race now. It becomes the latest deal for Apple, which finally Cannes virtual broke the record there for Antoine Fuqua-Will Smith’s Emancipation slave drama in a record pre-purchase.
Pete Hammond of Deadline said in his review after CODALast night’s premiere: “It hits you right in the heart, not just as a moving story of what it means to be in a family, but also about becoming yourself and following a dream.”
Eugenio Derbez, Marlee Matlin and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo also star. Fabrice Gianfermi ,, The film Pathe was produced by Philippe Rousselet, and Patrick Wachsberger produced the film with Jerome Seydoux and the executive was produced by Ardavan Safaee, Sarah Borch-Jacobsen, and co-produced by Hester Hargett-Aupetit, Ged Dickersin, Marie From Cenival and Eric Jehelmann, Stephane Celerier and Valerie Garcia.
The auction was brokered by CAA Media Finance and ICM Partners and Pathe.
All of this bodes well for other hot festival titles, with Rebecca Hall directing Passage debuting today.