Tribeca Film Festival Horror-Comedy will be Slated for Theatrical Release
LOS ANGELES (May 17, 2019) – Saban Films announced today that they have acquired US rights to producer Ant Timpson’s directorial debut Come to Daddy, which made its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival last month. The horror-comedy stars Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings franchise, “Wilfred”), Stephen McHattie (Watchmen, Mother!) and Martin Donovan (Ant-Man, “Big Little Lies”). Toby Harvard penned the script based on an idea from Timpson. The film is produced by Mette-Marie Kongsved and Laura Tunstall for Nowhere, Daniel Bekerman for Scythia Films, Katie Holly for Blinder Films, Emma Slade for Firefly Films, and Toby Harvard. Tango Entertainment financed the Canadian, New Zealand, Irish co-production with support from the New Zealand Film Commission, Telefilm, Blinder Films and Egg Post Production.
Come to Daddy follows a man in his thirties who travels to a remote cabin to reconnect with his estranged father. The film will be slated for a theatrical release.
Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley commented, “Come to Daddy’s horror and comedy mix is perfectly balanced and creates a wonderfully wild atmosphere that’ll keep audiences guessing – all the way through.”
Bill Bromiley and Jonathan Saba negotiated the deal for Saban Films along with Nate Bolotin of XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers. Jacqueline Nguyen and Alex Ordanis co-produced and executive producers are Timpson, Tim Headington and Lia Buman.
Saban Films remains active in the acquisition and distribution space, and recently announced their partnership with Kevin Smith’s highly-anticipated Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, coming on board from script stage for the sequel to the 2001 comedy Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Its upcoming slate includes: the heartfelt baseball drama Bottom of the 9th starring Joe Manganiello and Sofía Vergara; Casey Affleck’s directorial debut Light of My Life; The Professor starring Johnny Depp; Brian De Palma’s Domino starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau; and Derrick Borte’s American Dreamer starring Jim Gaffigan.
Saban Films continues to grow its presence in the industry, with successes that have run the gamut from critically acclaimed theatrical films such as The Homesman starring Hilary Swank, to one of the biggest Fathom events in 2016 with Rob Zombie’s horror thriller 31. Recent titles include: The Haunting of Sharon Tate starring Hilary Duff; Sarah Daggar-Nickson’s A Vigilante starring Olivia Wilde; James Marsh’s King of Thieves starring Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay and Michael Gambon; the anthology Berlin, I Love You with Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Jim Sturgess; the Gerard Butler starrer The Vanishing; Alexandre Moors’ The Yellow Birds starring Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette, Jason Patric, Jack Huston and Jennifer Aniston; Eshom and Ian Nelms’ lauded feature Small Town Crime starring John Hawkes and Octavia Spencer; and Ivan Kavanagh’s Never Grow Old starring John Cusack and Emile Hirsch.
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About Saban Films
Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group (“SCG”), is a film acquisition and distribution company which acquires high-quality, feature films to distribute in North America. Focusing on commercial, talent driven films, the company looks at projects in all stages of production for release across multiple platforms, including a day and date theatrical/VOD release strategy. Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and is led by Bill Bromiley who serves as President, Shanan Becker, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and Ness Saban, Vice President of Business Development.
About Tango Entertainment
TANGO ENTERTAINMENT is a production company and financier with the mission to be nimble and story-driven. Tango has produced and financed a wide variety of films including Nia DaCosta’s Little Woods, David Lowery’s Old Man and the Gun, and Ninian Doff’s Boyz in the Wood. Tango recently premiered two films in this year’s Tribeca Film Festival: Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy’s directorial debut, Blow the Man Down as well as Ant Timpson’s directorial debut, Come to Daddy. Currently, Tango is in post-production on four films: Chad Hartigan’s Little Fish starring Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell, the untitled Adam Leon project starring Vanessa Kirby, Eliza Hittman’s next film Never Rarely Sometimes Always, and How To Build A Girl starring Beanie Feldstein and based on the novel by Caitlin Moran.
About Nowhere
Nowhere is Los Angeles-based production company, founded in 2017, by producers Laura Tunstall and Mette-Marie Kongsved. Nowhere produced Ninian Doff’s debut feature BOYZ IN THE WOOD, which premiered at SXSW 2019, taking home the Midnight Audience Award. The film is also the Opening Gala film for the Edinburgh Film Festival, this summer.
At the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, Nowhere premiered Ant Timpson’s directorial debut COME TO DADDY, a black comedy thriller starring Elijah Wood. Tango Entertainment financed, with Lia Buman and Tim Headington serving as executive producers.
In post-production is Gillian Horvat’s directorial debut, I BLAME SOCIETY, starring Gillian Horvat, Keith Poulson, Chase Williamson and Alexia Rasmussen.
About Firefly Films
Firefly Films is a film production company anchored in New Zealand but with a keen focus on the international marketplace. Spear headed by Emma Slade, the company’s broad slate includes local projects as well as international co-productions, which range from high concept to low budget features; including Ant Timpson’s comedy thriller, COME TO DADDY, starring Elijah Wood, a three-way co-production with New Zealand, Canada and Ireland, financed by Tango Entertainment and premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. THE CHANGEOVER was in competition at the Alice Cella Nitta festival, starring Timothy Spall and Melanie Lynskey. INTO THE RAINBOW, was New Zealand’s first co-production with China, starring Willow Shields, and LITTLE SECRET, the Brazilian Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film 2017. Firefly Films is currently in pre-production with THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING starring Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie, ONE WINTER starring Julian Dennison and NUDE TUESDAY starring Jackie van Beek and Damon Herriman. Firefly Films is in development with Lionsgate UK and Gabrielle Tana on UPHAM, a WW2 feature developed written by Jeff Pope.
About Scythia Films
Scythia Films, founded by Daniel Bekerman, is a Toronto based production company with broad experience in creative producing, financing and service productions having completed over 25 films in the last 5 years. Mostly notably, The Witch, won the Best Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as two Independent Spirit Awards. Feature Bang Bang Baby, directed by Cannes Residency alumnus Jeffrey St. Jules, won Best First Feature Film Awards at TIFF and the Canadian Screen Awards. Currently in post-production, is Falling a UK/Canada Treaty Co-Production written, directed by and starring Viggo Mortensen in his directorial debut. Besides Come to Daddy , premiering in 2019 is Percy, starring Christopher Walken, Christina Ricci and Zach Braff. Currently touring the festival circuit is feature documentary Youth Unstoppable, which captures the vibrant untold story of the Global Youth Climate Movement over ten years, and Kayak to Klemtu which received the Audience Choice Award at ImagiNATIVE film festival in 2017. Several exciting projects are in the works at Scythia Films together with partners, Stellar Citizens, with whom they founded a development fund. Slash/Back by Nyla Innuksuk is set to go to camera in summer 2019. The team was invited to pitch at the Berlinale Co-Pro Market as well as the Frontières Finance and Packaging Forum in Helsinki earlier this year. Scythia has service produced films with financing partners that have included Netflix, MGM, Sierra Affinity, and Voltage Pictures.
About Blinder Films
Founded in 2006, Blinder Films have had their films screened at numerous international festivals including Sundance, Slamdance, Palm Springs, Berlin, Rotterdam, SXSW, Tribeca, Seattle, Toronto, and London.
Recent projects include Ant Timpson’s directorial debut Come To Daddy, starring Elijah Wood, which premiered at Tribeca, Extra Ordinary, a supernatural comedy starring Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Claudia O’Doherty and Will Forte, which had its world premiere in the Narrative Feature Competition at SXSW 2019; as well as feature documentaries A Dog Called Money, featuring PJ Harvey, which world premiered in the Panorama section at Berlinale 2019, directed by photographer Seamus Murphy; Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, a documentary on the musical and fashion icon, directed by Sophie Fiennes and released in the US by Kino Lorber; and A Mother Brings Her Son To Be Shot directed by Sinead O’Shea. Upcoming releases include Vita & Virginia which chronicles the passionate relationship between liteary innovator Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, starring Gemma Arterton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isabella Rossellini and directed by Chanya Button and upcoming productions include The Racer directed by Kieron J. Walsh starring Louis Talpe, Tara Lee, Matteo Simoni and Iain Glen and Chris Baugh’s Boys from County Hell.
Previous productions include Whit Stillman’s Love & Friendship starring Kate Beckinsale, Citadel, horror from writer/director Ciarán Foy (Sinister 2)and award-winner at festivals including Galway Film Fleadh, PiFan, Celluloid Screams, and Neuchâtel and SXSW; and Sophie Fiennes’ documentary The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology, featuring Slavoj Žižek. Principals are director Kieron J. Walsh and producer and Managing Director Katie Holly.
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