A24, DirecTV nab “Slow West” ahead of Sundance Fest debut

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ahead of its world debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Slow West has been acquired by A24 and DirecTV for the U.S., according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Western, set in the 19th century, marks John Maclean’s first feature film and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee and Michael Fassbender. It will debut exclusively on DirecTV followed by a theatrical release by A24.

The story follows 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Smit-McPhee) as he journeys across the American frontier in search of his love. He is joined by a mysterious traveler (Fassbender) and pursued along the way by an outlaw named Payne (Ben Mendelsohn).

The film, which will premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance, reunites Fassbender and Maclean, who worked together on two of Maclean’s short films, Man on a Motorcycle and Pitch Black Heist.

Slow West was produced by Conor McCaughan of DMC Film, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films and Rachel Gardner of Rachel Gardner Films. The film is the first project to be produced by Fassbender and McCaughan's production company DMC Film. HanWay Films handled worldwide sales.

A24 has acquired several films for its pact with DirecTV, including Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jeff Baena’s directorial debut Life After Beth starring Aubrey Plaza and The Captive, directed by Atom Egoyan.