IFC Films nabs Ethan Hawke’s Chet Baker movie “Born to Be Blue”

PanARMENIAN.Net - IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to Robert Budreau’s “Born to Be Blue”, which stars Ethan Hawke as legendary musician Chet Baker, the company announced Thursday, October 8, according to TheWrap.

“Born to Be Blue” recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentations section. Budreau wrote and directed the film, which co-stars Carmen Ejogo and Callum Keith Rennie.

Budreau also produced “Born to Be Blue” with Jennifer Jonas, Leonard Farlinger and Jake Seal, while William G. Santor, Adam Moryto, Mark Slone, Gurpeet Chandhoke, Stefan Jacobs, Patrick Roy, Christina Kubacki, Terry Bird, John Hills and Andrew Chang-Sang served as executive producers.

Hawke earned strong reviews for his portrayal of Chet Baker, the trumpeter and singer who, after becoming a jazz icon in the 1950s, became equally famous for his drug addiction. Picking up his story in the late 1960s, “Born to Be Blue” is a love story that mixes historical fact and fiction as it re-imagines Baker’s extraordinary attempt at a comeback.

“We are thrilled to be working once more with Ethan Hawke, who delivers one of the best performances of his career in Budreau’s profoundly moving film,” said Jonathan Sehring, president of Sundance Selects/IFC Films. IFC Films recently worked with Hawke on Richard Linklater‘s “Boyhood,” while its sister label Sundance Selects released Hawke’s documentary “Seymour: An Introduction.”

“I’m really excited that IFC Films will distribute ‘Born to Be Blue’ given both their history of releasing intelligent cinema as well as their ongoing, successful relationship with Ethan Hawke,” added Budreau.