The Orchard Takes North American Rights To Jeremiah Zagar’s “We The Animals”
Jan 31, 2018
Los Angeles – January 31, 2018 – The Orchard announced today that the company has acquired North American rights to Jeremiah Zagar’s acclaimed narrative debut We the Animals. A 2018 theatrical release is planned for the film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month, where it won the NEXT Innovator Award presented by RuPaul Charles.
Adapted by Dan Kitrosser and Jeremiah Zagar from Justin Torres’ debut novel, We the Animals is a visceral coming-of-age story propelled by strikingly layered performances from its astounding cast – featuring three talented first time actors Evan Rosado, Isaiah Kristian and Josiah Gabriel in addition to Raúl Castillo and Sheila Vand. In the film, three boys tear through their rural New York hometown, in the midst of their young parents’ volatile love that makes and unmakes the family many times over. While Manny and Joel grow into versions of their loving and unpredictable father, Ma seeks to keep her youngest, Jonah, in the cocoon of home. More sensitive and conscious than his older siblings, Jonah increasingly embraces an imagined world all his own.
“With ‘We the Animals,’ Jeremiah has masterfully created a dream-like backdrop for a story of personal identity and family,” said Paul Davidson, The Orchard’s EVP for Film & TV. “It is a captivating, magnetic film that deserves to be seen in theaters and we are proud to be a part of making that happen.”
“It’s always been my dream to get this movie out in theaters as widely as possible, and I’m thrilled to work with The Orchard to make that happen. I think they’re the perfect partner for this film,” said Jeremiah Zagar.
The deal was negotiated by Danielle DiGiacomo, VP of Acquisitions for The Orchard, and Eric Sloss of Cinetic Media. “We the Animals” was Financed by Cinereach (MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A., Sorry to Bother You, Beach Rats, Beasts of the Southern Wild) and produced by Cinereach and Public Record.
About The Orchard
The Orchard is a pioneering independent film, TV and music distribution company that operates in over 30 global markets. The company, founded as a music distributor in 1997, is an innovative leader in the film and television distribution space, known for its cutting-edge technology that provides filmmakers with up-to-the minute trending data and analytics on their projects. Recent film releases include BPM (Beats Per Minute), France’s submission for The Academy Awards®; Thelma, Norway’s submission for The Academy Awards®; Super Dark Times; Sundance Jury Prize winner Dina; The Work; 11/8/16; Trophy; and The Hero. Upcoming releases include Flower, American Animals, Outside In and Kings. The company’s film division has enjoyed such 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.