IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Russell Crowe drama “True History of the Kelly Gang” ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, the company announced on Thursday.
Nicholas Hoult, Charlie Hunnam and George MacKay also star in the period film directed by Justin Kurzel. The film was written by Shaun Grant.
The film will have its world premiere in the Gala Section at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. IFC Films previously collaborated with Kurzel on his directorial debut “The Snowtown Murders” which won the Grand Jury Prize at Critics Week in Cannes. IFC Films will be releasing “True History of the Kelly Gang” theatrically in 2020.
Inspired by Peter Carey’s Man Booker prize-winning novel, “True History of the Kelly Gang” shatters the mythology of the notorious icon to reveal the essence behind the life of Ned Kelly and force a country to stare back into the ashes of its brutal past.
Spanning the younger years of Ned’s life to the time leading up to his death, the film explores the blurred boundaries between what is bad and what is good, and the motivations for the demise of its hero. Youth and tragedy collide in the Kelly Gang, and at the beating heart of this tale is the fractured and powerful love story between a mother and a son.
The film was produced by Hal Vogel, Liz Watts, Paul Ranford, and Justin Kurzel. Executive producers are David Aukin, Vincent Sheehan, Peter Carey, Daniel Battsek, Sue Bruce-Smith, Sam Lavender, Emilie Georges, Naima Abed, Raphaël Perchet, Brad Feinstein, David Gross, and Shaun Grant.
“True History of the Kelly Gang” is a Porchlight Films and Daybreak Pictures production. Major production investment from Screen Australia, La Cinefacture and Film4 in association with Film Victoria, Asia Film Investment Group and Memento Films International.
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco and Betsy Rodgers of IFC Films with CAA Media Finance, UTA Independent Film Group, Film4, Memento Film International, and Screen Australia on behalf of the filmmakers.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news about the acquisition.