Exchange to sell rights to “Dear White People” Sundance-winning comedy

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Exchange has come on board to sell international rights to the campus comedy “Dear White People”, starting at Toronto, Variety reported.

“People” won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for breakthrough talent at Sundance this year. It also won the audience award at San Francisco and helmer Justin Simien was named as one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch.

Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Dennis Haysbert and Kyle Gallner star in the story of four black students at an Ivy League college where a riot breaks out over a popular African- American-themed party thrown by white students. The film is produced by Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez and Lena Waithe while Stephanie Allain and Leonid Lebedev are exec producers. Roadside Attractions has set the U.S. release for Oct. 17.

The Exchange will also be at Toronto for the premiere of Anna Kenrick’s “The Last Five Years.” The musical has sold out most key international markets prior to its world premiere at Toronto.

“Five Years,” adapted and directed by Richard LaGravenese from the Broadway musical, is about a struggling actress (Kendrick) and her novelist lover played by Jeremy Jordan (“Smash”) as they look back on the last half-decade of their relationship from very different viewpoints.

Producers are Lauren Versel, Kurt Deutsch and Janet Brenner.

The Exchange has closed sales including the U.K. to Icon Film Distribution, Portugal to Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais, Eastern Europe to Voxell Copyrights, China to DDDream Intl. Media, India to Pictureworks, Japan to Broadmedia Studios Corp., South Korea to Sonamu Pictures Co. and Australia/New Zealand to Regency Media.