New York, NY – September 9, 2022 – IFC Films is acquiring North American rights for the Australian crime thriller FORCE OF NATURE from director Robert Connolly. The film is based on the bestselling series by Jane Harper. This follow-up to Robert Connolly’s box office hit THE DRY reteams Connolly with Eric Bana, who reprises his character, Aaron Falk. Anna Torv, Deborra-lee Furness, Robin McLeavy, Sisi Stringer, Lucy Ansell, Jacqueline McKenzie, Tony Briggs, Richard Roxburgh and Jeremy Lindsay Taylor round out the cast with Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky of Made Up Stories producing, alongside Eric Bana for Pick Up Truck Pictures and Robert Connolly for Arenamedia. Ricci Swart, Meryl Metni, Andrew Myer, Robert Patterson, Andrew Bassat, Joanna Baevski, Hayley Baillie, James Baillie, Joel Pearlman and Edwina Waddy are executive producing. IFC FIlms will release the film in 2023.
In FORCE OF NATURE, when five women take part in a corporate hiking retreat and only four come out on the other side, Federal Agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper head deep into the Victorian mountain ranges to investigate in the hopes of finding their whistle-blowing informant, Alice Russell, alive.
Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Films said, “Eric Bana brought the character of Aaron Falk to life last year, intriguing audiences across the globe. Returning to this beautifully written true-crime universe with Eric, Robert, and the amazing team at Made Up Stories ensures all the ingredients that made The Dry a success is certain to be repeated with Force of Nature.”
Several distributors of THE DRY are already on board for FORCE OF NATURE, including Roadshow Films for Australia and New Zealand, LEONINE Studios for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Notorious Pictures for Italy and Spain, Sky for the UK, Three Lines for Benelux, M2 for Eastern Europe and Selmer for Scandinavia.
WME Independent negotiated the deal with Scott Shooman, SVP of Acquisitions at IFC Films on behalf of the filmmakers and will launch sales during TIFF for the rest of the remaining international territories.
The film received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with VicScreen.
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ABOUT IFC FILMS
Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) and digital platforms.
Upcoming releases include Julian Higgins’ GOD’S COUNTRY and the Cannes Un Certain Regard award-winner, CORSAGE, directed by Marie Kreutzer and starring Vicky Krieps (BERGMAN ISLAND, PHANTOM THREAD). Some of the company’s successes over the years have included BOYHOOD, THE DEATH OF STALIN, FRANCES HA, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, THE BABADOOK, TOUCHING THE VOID, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, CHE, SUMMER HOURS, ANTICHRIST, IN THE LOOP, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, TINY FURNITURE, and CARLOS. IFC Films has worked with established and breakout filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noé, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Paul Dano, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, Abdellatif Kechiche, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Abbas Kiarostami, Alfonso Cuaron, Noah Baumbach, Lena Dunham, Ethan Hawke and many more. IFC Films is a sister label to IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.
ABOUT MADE UP STORIES
Made Up Stories is a development and production company that amplifies distinctive voices to tell unforgettable stories about the diversity of human experience, driven primarily by multifaceted females on and off-screen. Made Up Stories was founded in 2017, and is led by Bruna Papandrea, the award-winning producer of the critically acclaimed HBO series BIG LITTLE LIES (eight Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards). On the television side, Made Up Stories premiered five series in 2022, including Netflix’s hit shows PIECES OF HER starring Toni Collette and ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL starring Sienna Miller and Michelle Dockery; the anthology ROAR for Apple TV+ starring Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, and Alison Brie; the genre-bending romantic comedy WOLF LIKE ME starring Isla Fisher and Josh Gad for Peacock and Stan that was recently renewed for a second season and is currently shooting in Sydney, Australia; and the Spectrum Originals women’s basketball drama LONG SLOW EXHALE, starring Rose Rollins. They are currently in post-production on the Amazon Prime Video series THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART, adapted by Sarah Lambert from Holly Ringland’s debut novel, and starring Sigourney Weaver set to release in 2023. Made Up Stories also executive produced THE UNDOING, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, which was HBO’s most watched series of 2020, NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, based on best-selling author Liane Moriarty’s book, starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, that premiered to great acclaim in August 2021 and immediately became Hulu’s most watched original series, ever, as well as the hit Amazon Prime Video series TELL ME YOUR SECRETS created by Harriet Warner and starring Lily Rabe.
Made Up Stories most recently produced the film adaptation of the inspiring international bestseller, PENGUIN BLOOM, directed by Glendyn Ivin and starring Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln and Jacki Weaver, that was released by Netflix, and THE DRY, based on the Jane Harper novel, from director Robert Connolly and starring Eric Bana, released by IFC. Made Up Stories is currently in post-production on the film adaptation of Jane Harper’s FORCE OF NATURE, a follow-up to THE DRY, with Eric Bana reprising his role and Robert Connolly directing; and recently announced that will go into production in Australia in late 2022 on romantic comedy ADDITION, the debut feature film from writer Becca Johnstone and director Marcelle Lunam. The company is also set to debut Netflix’s LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE, based on the novel by Jessica Knoll, starring Mila Kunis, and directed by Mike Barker, on October 7, 2022.