Age of The Nerd
Ketchup Entertainment announced today that they have acquired North American rights to the critically-acclaimed and award-winning MEMORY, written and directed by the internationally acclaimed filmmaker Michel Franco. The film stars Academy Award ® winner Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Brooke Timber, Merritt Wever, Elsie Fisher, Jessica Harper and Josh Charles. It premiered in Competition at the 80th Venice Film Festival earning an eight-minute standing ovation, with Sarsgaard going on to receive the Volpi Cup for Best Actor from the Jury. It also screened to great acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is screening at AFI this Saturday, October 28th with Franco and Sarsgaard in attendance and will open theatrically this December.
MEMORY follows Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) a social worker who leads a simple and structured life until Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the memories, challenges, and revelations that will leave a lasting impact.
“MEMORY delivers a poignant journey into the depths of human emotion anchored by fantastic performances,” says Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West. “We are delighted to collaborate with such passionate filmmakers on bringing this movie to audiences in the US.”
Director Michel Franco said, “MEMORY is a passionate undertaking – from Jessica and Peter, our Producers, and our whole filmmaking team. Thanks to the SAG Interim Agreement, we went to Venice and Toronto together to launch the film. We have chosen an independent path for distribution in the US – we know it moved the people at Ketchup, and we are embarking on this adventure together with independence and passion.”
The film is produced by Teorema in collaboration with High Frequency Entertainment, and in association with Screen Capital / Screen One, Mubi, and Case Study Films.
Producers are Michel Franco, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Alex Orlovsky and Duncan Montgomery. Executive producers are Moisés Chiver and Paula Perez Manzanedo; for High Frequency Entertainment, Jack Selby; for Screen One, Joyce Zylberberg, Tatiana Emden, Ralph Haiek, and Patricio Rabuffetti; for MUBI, Jason Ropell and Efe Cakarel; for The Match Factory, Michael Weber.
Bart Walker and Jay Cohen at Gersh negotiated the deal with Gareth West.
Teorema, formerly Lucia Films, is the production company of Mexican director Franco and producing partner Eréndira Núñez Larios. The company has made Franco’s last two features.
Chile-based Screen Capital was founded and managed by former Chile Film Commissioner Joyce Zylberberg, and former Executive Secretary of the Chilean National Film Fund Tatiana Emden. Mubi’s co-productions to date include Mia Hansen-Løve’s One Fine Morning, Ekwa Msangi’s Sundance prize-winner Farewell Amor and Rachel Lang’s Our Men.
In addition to MEMORY, High Frequency Entertainments’ recent credits include Azazel Jacobs’ Toronto standout His Three Daughters, and Charlie McDowell’s upcoming The Summer Book starring Glenn Close.
