Strand has acquired U.S. rights to Michael O’Shea’s New York tale The Transfiguration, which world-premiered at Cannes Film Fest series, Un Certain Regard.
Sold by Protagonist Pictures at Toronto, The Transfiguration marks the feature debut of writer-director Michael O’Shea, starring Eric Ruffin along with Chloe Levine.
A genre film dealing with love, loss and vampires, The Transfiguration stars Ruffin as a 14-year-old misfit. Bullied at school, he immerses himself in the world of vampires to escape his solitude at home.
“O’Shea’s film is a unique hybrid that audiences and critics will be compelled by,” said Strand Releasing’s partner Jon Gerrans, who discovered the film at Cannes.
“The Transfiguration” was produced by Susan Leber, whose credits include Debra Granik’s Sundance prize winner, “Down To The Bone,” and Ti West’s feature debut, “The Roost.”
The film’s key crew includes cinematographer Sung Rae Cho (“Graceland”) and sound designer Coll Anderson (“The Host,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”).
The deal was negotiated by Gerrans for Strand Releasing and Vanessa Saal, Protagonist’s head of sales.
Strand Releasing’s slate includes three interesting films: Alain Guiraudie’s “Staying Vertical,” Andre Techine’s “Being 17” and Stephen Dunn’s “Closet Monster.”
