IFC Films has picked up the North American rights to “Mainstream,” the second film from director Gia Coppola.
Andrew Garfield and Maya Hawke star in the film about the dark side of viral internet fame. “Mainstream” first premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2020 and was a selection of last year’s Telluride. IFC will now release it in theaters and on demand on May 7, 2021.
In “Mainstream,” Hawke plays a young woman who thinks she’s found a path to internet stardom when she starts making YouTube videos with a charismatic stranger, played by Garfield. But the dark side of viral celebrity soon threatens to ruin them both. Nat Wolff, Johnny Knoxville, Jason Schwartzman and Alexa Demie also star.
Coppola directed the film and co-wrote the script with Tom Stuart. “Mainstream” is the director’s follow-up to her debut feature, “Palo Alto,” from 2013. That film starred Emma Roberts and James Franco and was about a teenage girl on the cusp of an illicit relationship with her adult soccer coach.
“Mainstream” is produced by Fred Berger of Automatik, Lauren Bratman, Gia Coppola of American Zoetrope, Andrew Garfield, Jack Heller and Scott Veltri of Assemble Media, Siena Oberman of Artemis, Francisco Rebelo De Andrade, Enrico Saravia, Alan Terpins of Tugawood and Zac Weinstein of Dynasty.
“Gia Coppola’s ‘Mainstream’ is a bold and innovative film that captures the excitement and discord of the current social media environs with an entertaining wit. We are thrilled to partner with Gia and her great producing team to bring these viral worthy performances to theaters and digital this summer,” Arianna Bocco, president of IFC Films, said in a statement.
“I’m very excited to partner with the IFC team. Not only have they worked with filmmakers and projects I deeply admire, but I really love and appreciate their innovative ideas on the film’s release,” Coppola added. “I’m so proud of everyone involved in the making of this movie, and I especially can’t wait for people to see Andrew’s radical performance.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by Bocco with CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers. International sales will be handled by Wild Bunch.