Strand nabs Jena Malone-Riley Keough drama “Lovesong”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Strand Releasing has acquired select U.S. rights to So Yong Kim’s drama “Lovesong”, starring Jena Malone and Riley Keough, for a release early next year, Variety reports.

“Lovesong” premiered in U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and appears in the upcoming Sundance Next Fest event this week in Los Angeles.

Malone and Keough star as friends whose more-than-intimate friendship unfolds over the course of a road trip and continues years later as one of them is about to get married. Brooklyn Decker, Ryan Eggold, Rosanna Arquette and Amy Seimetz also star.

It’s the fourth feature for Kim, who also directed “In Between Days,” “Treeless Mountain” and “For Ellen.” She directed from a script she co-wrote with Brad Rust Gray. “Lovesong” producers are Gray, David Hansen, Alex Lipschultz and Johnny Mac.

Mynette Louie, Laura Rister, Julie Parker Benello, Dan Cogan, Geralyn White Dreyfous, and Wendy Ettinger served as executive producers. The film was financed by Autumn Productions, Gamechanger Films and the Monofonus Press.

Justin Chang said in his review for Variety, “‘Lovesong’ makes a virtue of restraint as it traces a complex emotional history in two parts, and innumerable (and sometimes quite literal) shades of gray.”

Strand handled the release of “In Between Days.”

The deal was negotiated between Jon Gerrans of Strand Releasing and Zac Bright and Kevin Iwashina of Preferred Content on behalf of the filmmakers. Mongrel Media will continue to handle international territory sales.