“What We Do in Shadows” vampire mockumentary gets distributor

PanARMENIAN.Net - Canadian distributor Video Services Corp. has acquired the vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows ahead of a Toronto Film Festival screening, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Funny or Die, lending its stamp of approval to the U.S.-New Zealand indie film in return for an ownership stake, will use its social-media reach, name and logo to help market the film's release here. Will Ferrell's video site is doing the same online-marketing push stateside for Unison Films, which earlier in Toronto grabbed the U.S. theatrical distribution rights to the film about four vampires living in New Zealand.

Unison, which produced the genre pic with Defender Films, also set up the Canadian deal with VSC. What We Do in the Shadows, written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, debuted in Sundance.

As in Sundance, What We Do in the Shadows screens at midnight in Toronto as part of the Midnight Madness sidebar. The Canadian deal was negotiated by Jonathan Gross of VSC and producer Emanuel Michael of Unison Films.