Cornerstone, a film production company, has successfully closed sales on multiple territories for the folk horror film Starve Acre. The film, written and directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and received positive reviews. Brainstorm Media has acquired distribution rights for North America, while BFI Distribution has secured the rights for the UK and Ireland.
In addition to North America and the UK, the film has also been sold to Germany and Switzerland (X Verleih), ex-Yugoslavia (Blitz), Poland (Galapagos), the Middle East (Front Row), Japan (Klockworx), and airlines (Terry Steiner). This demonstrates the international appeal of the film.
Starve Acre stars Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark and is based on the book by Andrew Michael Hurly. The story is set in the 1970s and revolves around a family whose idyllic life is disrupted when their son starts behaving strangely. The father, an archaeologist, becomes obsessed with a folkloric myth surrounding the ancient oak tree on their property.
The film is a production of A House Productions and is presented by Access Entertainment, BBC Film, and BFI. It is produced by Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Derrin Shlesinger, and Emma Duffy. The project was developed with BBC Film and is funded by Access Entertainment, BBC Film, and the BFI, with support from the National Lottery.
Michelle Shwarzstein, CEO of Brainstorm Media, expressed excitement about bringing the film to American audiences, describing it as a stellar addition to the folk horror genre. Cornerstone will continue to seek distribution deals for the remaining territories at the AFM, where other titles from their slate will also be presented.
