EXCLUSIVE: Sovereign Film Distribution has secured UK and Irish distribution rights to Acting, the latest documentary from Sophie Fiennes.
The deal was closed during the recent European Film Market. Sovereign has said it plans to release the film theatrically this year.
The documentary is said to offer an “intimate and immersive” look inside the rehearsal process of the theatre company Cheek by Jowl and directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod as they work with a small ensemble of actors on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Fiennes shot and edited the feature.
Cheek by Jowl was founded in 1981 by Donnellan and Ormerod. Notable company alumni include Gwendoline Christie, Tom Hiddleston, Adrian Lester, Michael Sheen, Matthew Macfadyen, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Olivia Williams, Tom Hollander, and Michelle Fairley.
Acting received its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival before screening at IDFA. North American rights were recently picked up by Juno Films.
Fiennes’ previous credits include The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology, Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, and T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, starring her brother Ralph Fiennes, who is also a Cheek by Jowl alumnus.
“Working with Cheek by Jowl was a thrilling experience,” Fiennes said. “It allowed me to explore performance from the inside out and share this beyond the rehearsal room. I’m delighted that Sovereign will be bringing Acting to audiences in the UK and Ireland with such care and commitment.”
The deal was negotiated by Chee Keong Cheung on behalf of Sovereign and Shani Hinton and Sophie Fiennes on behalf of P Guide Limited.
The film is a co-production between Cheek by Jowl, Amoeba Film, and Lone Star Productions. Fiennes is currently in post-production on The Pervert’s Guide to Utopias. The film is part of a trilogy of films with the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek.
