Sundance strikes again! The largest independent film festival in the United States, which became virtual this year instead of celebrating in its typical setting in Park City, Utah, is the ground floor for some of the most anticipated films of the year. This year, one long-awaited film adaptation was worth the wait: Nella Larsen’s short stories from 1929 Pass, which was adapted for the screen by award-winning actress and first director Rebecca Hall, and starring Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson, was one of the festival’s major attractions. Although the black-and-white film did not win any of the festival’s 2021 awards, it has now won one of the biggest distribution deals of the season, which reportedly received $ 15.75 million from Netflix for worldwide distribution rights.
Deadline teased the purchase on Wednesday, noting: ‘The film is a true statement of female empowerment, with Hall making her debut on the Nella Larsen short stories, and Thompson and Negga turning into power performances. Netflix has competed in a field of five bidders and will do one of its awards for awarding the highest shelf with a theatrical distribution component. ”
During the Harlem Renaissance, Pass is the story of childhood acquaintances Irene Renfield (Thompson) and Clare Kendry (Negga), both black women who are light enough to “pass” whites but choose dramatically divergent paths. An accidental reunion causes even more drama as a mutual curiosity degenerates into an obsession with catastrophic results. The film not only contains colorism and the deeply dangerous phenomenon of ‘passing’, but also explores white supremacy, authenticity and black-class identity and mobility.
G / O Media can get a commission
Endeavor Content was reportedly traded for the sale of the film, which premiered last Saturday as part of the American drama competition of André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, Bill Camp, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and Ashley Ware Jenkins. Pass was produced by Hall, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi and Margot Hand, with Thompson and Negga among the executive producers of the film. Additional executive producers were Oren Moverman, Angela Robinson, Erika Hampson, Michael Y. Chow, Kevin A. Lin, Lauren Dark, Daniel Battsek, Ollie Madden, Brenda Robinson, Chaz Ebert, Yvonne Huff, Christopher Liu, Arcadiy Golubovich, Dori A. Rath, Joseph J. Restaino, David Gendron and Ali Jazayeri.
No news yet on when we can post it Pass in our Netflix queues.