IFC Films and FilmNation Entertainment has secured the U.S. rights to the French abortion drama, Happening, after entering a bidding battle with other distributors. The deal was secured by IFC president Arianna Bocco and FilmNation Entertainment CEO Glen Basner, Deadline is reporting.
There were also three other distributors who put bids on the movie.
Part of the reason why IFC secured the deal, however, was that it committed to a full-length theatrical window of 45 days so that Happening can build its audience before its released digitally. The company is set to releases the film in the U.S. early next year.
Bocco said Happening‘s the kind of movie that won’t be limited to a 45-day theatrical run, however. “It will be a traditional theatrical [release] but it could be longer than 45 days…the plan is to do an aggressive platform release and the goal is to get it out to as many theaters in the United States as possible. Particularly in Texas and cities we can do some real grassroots campaigns in.
” The distribution comes during a time when conservative American states like Texas are passing abortion laws that challenge Roe V Wade.
The news of Happening‘s acquisition comes after it won the Golden Lion at this summer’s Venice Film Festival. The drama was the unanimous choice from the jury that included recent Oscar winners Bong Joon Ho and Chloé Zhao.
The movie’s director, Audrey Diwan, also co-wrote the its script with Marcia Romano. The film’s screenplay is based on Annie Emaux’s semi-autobiographical 2000 novel of the same name.
Happening is set in France, 1963, which was a time before abortion was legalized in France. It follows Anne [Anamaria Vartolomei], a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her. But when she becomes pregnant, she fears that she won’t be able to finish her studies and escape the constraints of her social background. With her final exams fast approaching, Anne resolves to take control of her future, even if she has to risk shame and prison to do so.
Diwan knew that the drama could be provocative while she was making it. But she didn’t realize the relevance it would have in the current moment, ahead of its American release.
The filmmaker told Deadline, “Whenever you do something about abortion, you know it will get noticed. I didn’t expect at all what happened in Texas. When I first read what was going on in Texas, I was on my way to Venice.
“When I started writing, we had people asking why to talk about this now, as [abortion] is legal in France. I always felt I wanted to make it as an experience that could be shared,” Diwan continued.
“I think it has opened discussion and I love the idea we are not only talking about abortion but also about freedom.
Because the movie is talking about freedom, about desire and what we can do and expect, being women. It was a joyful experience to see that it is possible to discuss it,” the scribe-helmer added.
Bocco praised the story’s message and the filmmaker’s push to discuss freedom, especially when it comes to abortion, around the world. Bocco said: “Audrey has crafted an award-winning film that puts a face on the choices women have to make, achieving something incredibly rare and rewarding in its powerful depiction of humanity…Winning the Golden Lion has given the film a worldwide platform and we are able to take that platform and bring it to the United States.
“I think it’s important that Audrey be the point person for the film and talk about it in the eloquent way she speaks to this film,” IFC’s president continued. “I think it will resonate with audiences. We want the conversation, we don’t want to be telling people what to think. Starting the conversation is something we’ve always done at IFC and that has attracted us to this kind of material.”
IFC has a long history of supporting and releasing movies from European filmmakers. Those movies include Palme d’Or winners Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue is the Warmest Color to Jacques Audiard’s Dheepan.
IFC had three Cannes buzz films this year, including Mia Hansen-Løve’s Bergman Island, which is set to be released this month. The distributor will also release the new drama, Paris, 13th District, which was co-written, directed and produced by Audiard, and the Paul Verhoeven-helmed biographical drama, Benedetta.