New York, NY (October 4, 2010) – IFC Films, the leading American distributor of independent and foreign films, announced today that the company is acquiring the U.S. rights to Michael Winterbottom’s British comedy THE TRIP starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. THE TRIP premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews. The film was produced by Andrew Eaton and Melissa Parmenter of Revolution Films. This marks the fourth time IFC Films is working with Revolution Films; and the third time working with Michael Winterbottom, following the releases of THE RED RIDING TRILOGY, THE SHOCK DOCTRINE, and THE KILLER INSIDE ME.
Reprising their hilariously fictionalized roles from TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULLSTORY, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reunite with director Michael Winterbottom for an acerbically witty trip through the English countryside. Coogan is asked by The Observer newspaper to travel through the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, dining in fine restaurants and visiting various historic locations from the life of William Wordsworth. But when his girlfriend backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him on the trip. Enter Brydon, his best friend and source of eternal aggravation. After a half-hearted invitation where Coogan explains he’s asked everyone else and that Brydon is his last resort, the two of them set off in the car, armed only with a map and incredible comic timing. They spend much of the trip trying to one-up each other with hilarious, canny dueling impersonations of Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Sean Connery and Woody Allen to name a few. Largely improvised, the film follows the pair through foodie heaven as they stop at some of the best restaurants and inns in the north of England. Though the laughs never cease, the film still manages to reveal something about the nature of comedy, friendship and connection.
Andrew Eaton, Co-Director of Revolution Films remarked, "We are thrilled to be working again with IFC. When they started doing impressions of Steve and Rob as Michael Caine, we knew we had found the right home for the film."
Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Films commented, "Like the cheering audiences in Toronto, we fell in love with Michael Winterbottom’s THE TRIP. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon give the comic performances of the year in this deeply funny and unexpectedly moving film that shows Michael Winterbottom going in yet another unexpected direction. We’re thrilled to be releasing this film and are happy to continue a great collaboration with Andrew Eaton and our friends at Revolution Films."
The deal was negotiated by IFC Films’ Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Arianna Bocco with Andrew Eaton, Co-Director of Revolution Films.
About Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom was born in Blackburn, England. He studied English at Oxford University and film at Bristol University and the Polytechnic of Central London. Many of his films have screened at the Festival: his four-part BBC serial Family (04), and the features Butterfly Kiss (95), Go Now (95), Jude (96), Welcome to Sarajevo (97), Wonderland (98), In This World (02), which won the Golden Bear at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival, Code 46 (03), 9 Songs (04), Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (05), The Road to Guantanamo (06), which won the Silver Bear for Direction at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival, A Mighty Heart (07), which was nominated for Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards, Genova (08), winner of the Best Director award at the 2008 San Sebastian International Film Festival, The Killer Inside Me (10) and The Trip (10). His other films include The Claim (00) and 24 Hour Party People (02).
About IFC Films
Established a decade ago, IFC Films – a division of Rainbow Media’s IFC Entertainment – is the leading U.S. distributor of independent and foreign film. Its unique day and date distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them simultaneously in theaters as well as on cable’s On Demand platform and through Pay-Per-View, reaching nearly 50 million homes. IFC Films’ "IFC Midnight" label, launched in 2010, offers the very best in international genre cinema, including horror, sci-fi, thrillers, erotic arthouse, action and more. Some of the company’s successes over the years have included MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, TOUCHING THE VOID, ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, GOMORRAH, CHE, SUMMER HOURS, IN THE LOOP, ANTICHRIST, THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, and WORDPLAY. IFC Films has worked with established and breakout auteurs including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noe, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, as well as more recent breakouts such as Andrea Arnold, Mia Hansen Love, Corneliu Porombiou, Joe Swanberg, Barry Jenkins, Lena Dunham, Aaron Katz, Daryl Wein and Abdellatif Kechiche.