The Orchard Acquires “Birds Of Passage”
May 13, 2018
Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerro’s period crime drama opened the Director’s Fortnight in this year’s Cannes Film Festival
Cannes, France – May 13, 2018 –The Orchard announced today that the company has acquired North American rights to Birds Of Passage at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerro, who produced and directed Embrace Of The Serpent, the first Colombian film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award, Birds Of Passage is a vivid family saga that details the impact of drug trafficking on an indigenous family and its culture.
The film explores the origins of the Colombian drug trade through the epic story of an indigenous Wayuu family that becomes involved in the booming business of selling marijuana to American youth in the 1970’s. When greed, passion and honour collide, a fratricidal war breaks out that will put their lives, their culture and their ancestral traditions at stake.
“This film was always conceived as a theatrical experience, and there’s really no better way to appreciate it than in the cinema,” said co-directors Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerro and producer Katrin Pors. “We are very happy that audiences will have the opportunity to see it the way it was intended, and that we have found a passionate distributor that loves and defends the art of cinema as much as we do.”
“Birds Of Passage swept us up immediately into an engrossing familial drama surrounded by a world bursting with stunning color and sound,” said Paul Davidson, The Orchard’s EVP of Film and Television. “Cristina and Ciro have delivered something altogether special and unique that we are honored to be a part of.”
The deal was negotiated by The Orchard’s Danielle DiGiacomo and by Films Boutique’s Jean-Christophe Simon & Louis Balsan on behalf of the filmmakers.
Images can be downloaded here.
About The Orchard
The Orchard is a leading independent film, TV and music distribution company operating in over 30 markets worldwide. Founded as a music distributor in 1997, The Orchard is a global innovator in the film and television distribution space, known for cutting-edge technology that provides filmmakers with up-to-the minute trending data and analytics on their projects. Recent film releases include Flower, Outside In, Kings, William Friedkin’s The Devil and Father Amorth, BPM (Beats Per Minute), Thelma, Super Dark Times, Sundance Jury Prize winner Dina, The Work, 11/8/16, Trophy and The Hero. Upcoming releases include American Animals, We The Animals and Under the Eiffel Tower. The company’s film division has enjoyed recent successes as the Academy Award®-nominated documentaries Cartel Land and Life, Animated; Taika Waititi’s The Hunt for the Wilderpeople; Academy Award-winner Morgan Neville’s The Music of Strangers; Alex Lehmann’s Blue Jay; Antonio Campos’ Christine; Pablo Larrain’s critically acclaimed, Golden Globe-nominated Neruda; Oren Moverman’s The Dinner; and Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent. For more information on The Orchard, please visit www.theorchard.com.
About Films Boutique
Films Boutique, a Berlin-based sales company, has been thriving with critically acclaimed, director-driven movies in the last years, notably Ildiko Enyedi’s ON BODY & SOUL (Golden Bear 2017 and Oscar nominated), Houda Benyamina’s “Divines”, which won the Camera d’Or in Cannes; Lav Diaz’s “The Woman Who Left”, Golden Lion in Venice, Ciro Gerra’s “Embrace of the Serpent”, Directors’ Fortnight winner and Oscar nom for Best Foreign Language Film. The company unveils 6 films in Cannes official selections this year, notably Ali Abbasi’s Un Certain Regard sensation “BORDER”.