Fortissimo Films has acquired the international rights to "Sunset Song," from British filmmaker Terence Davies.
Davies recently scored a critical triumph with his moody re-imagining of Terence Rattigan's play "The Deep Blue Sea." He has also received acclaim for prior films like "The House of Mirth" and "Of Time in the City."
"Sunset Song" is an adaptation of the 1932 novel of the same name by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. Like "The Deep Blue Sea," it indirectly addresses World War II. However, while the Rattigan play derived much of its visual power from its shots of a bombed out London as it struggled to recover from the war, this film will center on an impoverished community prior to the hostilities.
In the film, Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn), the eldest daughter of poor farmers, struggles to find love amid crushing financial and personal hardships. After her mother poisons herself and her new baby twins, Chris is left to manage the family farm.
If that doesn't sound depressing enough, Chris must also deal with her stroke-addled father and his incestuous longings.
Peter Mullan ("War Horse") will co-star.
The film is set to go into production towards the end of the year and will be produced by Sol Papadopoulos and Roy Boulter of Hurricane Films, with Bob Last executive producing.
Negotiations were handled by the producers and Fortissimo Films’ London-based vice president of acquisitions, Courtney Noble.
Fortissimo will tout the film to buyers at Cannes.
