Lionsgate has bought global distribution rights to Sundance Film Festival opening night feature “Blindspotting” which deals with race relations in Oakland, California.
Daveed Diggs stars as a man on the last days of his parole. He moves boxes out of houses with his friend (Rafael Casal) and navigates a series of tense situations in their neighborhood involving race and violence.
Diggs and Casal co-wrote the script after working on it for a decade, while first-time feature director Carlos Lopez Estrada helms. The film will receive a wide release from Lionsgate’s Codeblack Films and Summit Entertainment label later this year. The likes of CBS Films, Neon, The Orchard and MoviePass were all reportedly circling the project.
Only a few films have sold at the fest so far – “Assassination Nation,” “Colette,” “Search” and “Hearts Beat Loud” being the most high profile. Two others, “Eighth Grade” & “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” already had distribution. The rest have been divisive and none have really ‘broken out,’ on top of which the failure of last year’s high-profile acquisition “Patti Cake$” has reportedly made buyers nervous.
Source: Variety
