“Girls” creator Lena Dunham has wrapped production on “Sharp Stick,” her first feature film since 2010’s “Tiny Furniture.”
Dunham wrote and directed the film, in which she stars alongside Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jon Bernthal, Kristine Froseth, Taylour Paige and Scott Speedman. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Dunham described it as a personal story about the complexities of female sexuality.
“Sharp Stick” will be presented to buyers in screenings as part of the Berlin International Film Festival. CAA Media Finance is co-representing domestic rights with FilmNation, which is also handling financing and worldwide distribution rights.
Dunham filmed the project in Los Angeles under COVID-19 compliance protocols over the last few months. “Sharp Stick” was produced by Dunham’s Good Thing Going production banner, with Kevin Turen, Katia Washington, Michael Cohen and Dunham all serving as producers.
The film was executive produced by Kenneth Yu and Will Greenfield, and by Glen Basner and Ben Browning for FilmNation Entertainment. Taylour Paige and Jon Bernthal also serve as executive producers, with Harrison Kreiss as co-executive producer. Soham Joglekar for Good Thing Going is an associate producer.
“I made my last feature film 11 years ago in my family home with just a few close friends. It’s a testament to FilmNation and my incredible producers, cast, crew and — especially — my COVID-19 compliance team that this experience felt just as intimate and creatively free,” Dunham said in a statement. “This story is incredibly personal to me and a continuation of my career-long mission to create a free dialogue around the complexities of female sexuality and to turn the idea of the ‘likable’ female protagonist on its head — and you can’t do that in this business on any scale larger than your mother’s living room without forward-thinking partners. I feel very lucky.”
“Lena is one of the most unique voices of her generation and her storytelling has always excited us. We are thrilled to be working with someone who has such a clear, bold vision, and alongside this incredibly talented team,” FilmNation Entertainment CEO Glen Basner and president of production Ben Brownings said in a statement.
As an actress, Dunham last starred in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.” She recently joined the cast of “Iron Box,” the next film from the director of “And Tomorrow the Entire World,” in which she will star opposite Mandy Patinkin.
Dunham is represented by CAA, ID Public Relations and HJTH, LLP. Froseth is represented by CAA, Anonymous Content and HJTH, LLP. Paige is represented by CAA, Management 360 and Granderson Des Rochers. Jason Leigh is represented by CAA and Untitled Entertainment. Bernthal is represented by WME, Daniele Bernfeld and Sloane, Offer, Weber, and Dern. Speedman is represented by CAA and Narrative.
Variety first reported the news.