NEW YORK, NY (October 31, 2022) – IFC Midnight and Shudder announced today that they are acquiring North American rights to AGC Studios’ supernatural thriller CONSECRATION directed by Christopher Smith (The Banishing, Detour, Severance) from the script he wrote with Laurie Cook (The Banishing).
The film stars Jena Malone (The Hunger Games franchise, Neon Demon, Nocturnal Animals), Danny Huston (Wonder Woman, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood), and Academy Award® nominee Janet Suzman (The Crown, Dry White Season, Nicolas and Alexander). The film is produced by Xavier Marchand of Moonriver Content (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, The Ritual, The Lodge, Sinister, Woman in Black series), Jason Newmark of Newscope Films (Triangle, Detour, Severance) and Laurie Cook of Bigscope Films (The Banishing; Don’t Hang Up; Pressure) and was financed by AGC with additional financing by Sherborne Capital. Ford is executive producing along with Linda McDonough, AGC’s Miguel Palos and co-executive producer Zachary Garrett, together with Bigscope’s Ed Fraiman and Adam Nagel. Casey Herbert of Moonriver Content is co-producing. IFC Midnight will release the film in theaters in 2023 with Shudder subsequently taking the first streaming window exclusively.
After the suspicious death of her brother, a priest, Grace (Malone) goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what really happened with the help of Father Romero (Huston). But she soon comes to distrust the account of the Church as she uncovers murder, sacrilege, and a disturbing truth about her own shadowy past that brings long-buried trauma to the surface.
Said Ford, “We’re excited to continue our ongoing relationship with Arianna, Scott and the IFC Midnight team on CONSECRATION. They did outstanding work on Neill Blomkamp’s “DEMONIC” for us last year and also on Chloe Okuno’s WATCHER last summer which we were privileged to be a partner on. When they watched the film the IFC Midnight team immediately understood CONSECRATION’s marketing possibilities and theatrical potential.”
Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Films, said “Christopher Smith is the premiere contemporary genre filmmaker working today. He is a true original, and we’re thrilled to finally work with him at IFC Films and Shudder. We could not be more excited to be back in business with Stuart and the team at AGC Studios.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by IFC Films’ Head of Acquisitions and Production Scott Shooman with AGC’s SVP of Legal & Business Affairs Anant Tamirisa on behalf of the filmmakers. The film will be screened for international buyers at AFM.
ABOUT IFC MIDNIGHT
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 digital and cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes.
Current releases include Chloe Okuno’s WATCHER, Hannah Bergholm’s HATCHING, and Eskil Vogt’s THE INNOCENTS. Some of the company’s successes have included Andy Nyman’s critical darling GHOST STORIES, André Øvredal’s box-office success THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, Peter Strickland’s modern giallo BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, Natalie Erika James’ RELIC, Dave Franco’s THE RENTAL and the award-winning and cultural phenomenon THE BABADOOK. IFC Midnight is a sister label to IFC Films, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.
ABOUT SHUDDER
AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
ABOUT AGC STUDIOS
Since its launch in 2018 Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios has enjoyed explosive growth and is already well established as one of the most prolific and diversified independent content companies in the industry. AGC has 27 major film and television productions to date covering scripted, unscripted and non-fiction projects, working with major partners around the globe including Amazon, Viacom, HBO MAX, Fox, Netflix, Sky, Leonine, EPIX, SKY, Lionsgate and Canal+. In addition to CONSECRATION, currently in post-production are Pierre Morel’s action comedy FREELANCE staring John Cena, Alison Brie and Juan Pablo Raba; Christian Ditter’s family comedy THE PRESENT starring Isla Fisher and Greg Kinnear; Numa Perrier’s THE PERFECT FIND starring Gabrielle Union and Gina Torres for Netflix; and Chris Pine’s directorial debut POOLMAN starring Pine, Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Jason Leigh and DeWanda Wise. AGC is currently in production on Richard Linklater’s HITMAN starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, and in pre-production on Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut THE DATING GAME starring Kendrick, and on Brad Anderson’s action thriller THE SILENT HOUR starring Joel Kinnaman.
AGC Television’s Emmy® nominated THE TINDER SWINDLER is Netflix’s most watched documentary ever and topped the Netflix list of its most popular films worldwide. In addition, AGC TV recently financed and produced the first season of Sebastian Gutierrez’s LEOPARD SKIN starring Carla Gugino and Jeffrey Dean Morgan for Peacock in the U.S. and Lionsgate Television internationally; produced an adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s NEWS OF A KIDNAPPING for Amazon Originals; and is a co-financier and worldwide distributor of TROPPO starring Thomas Jane, Nicole Chamoun and Radha Mitchell in partnership with Australia’s ABC and Amazon’s FreeVee. They are in post-production on GRAY starring Emmy® winner Patricia Clarkson, Lydia West, and Rupert Everett; and are in pre-production on the docu-series NOBU about famed chef and entrepreneur Nobu Matsuhisa to be directed by Matt Tyrnauer, and on the epic gladiatorial action series THOSE ABOUT TO DIE from director Roland Emmerich. WAR OF THE WORLDS, AGC’s co-production with Canal+ and Fox International