Julius Onah’s stirring family drama “Luce” has sold to Neon and Topic Studios out of the Sundance Film Festival.
Starring Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Tim Roth, the deal was struck for U.S. distribution rights for an undisclosed amount.
“It’s been a real thrill premiering ‘Luce’ at Sundance. After hearing Neon’s passion and excitement for the film, I know there is no better partner. Tom Quinn and his entire team have shown a clear vision for ‘Luce’ with great enthusiasm. I look forward to continuing the journey of this film with Neon and Topic Studios,” said Onah.
The film is an adaptation of JC Lee’s play. Onah directs and co-wrote the script with Lee. John Baker, Onah, and Andrew Yang produced. Rob Feng and Amber Wang served as executive producers, with Eric Ro as co-producer.
The deal was negotiated by Neon and Topic Studios with CAA Media Finance and Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers.
It’s been a busy festival for Neon, which has taken high-brow horror titles “Monos” and “The Lodge,” as well as Lupita Nyong’o’s zombies vs. kindergarten teacher romp “Little Monsters.” It also came to the fest with the visually stunning “Apollo 11” and the sustainability doc “The Biggest Little Farm.”
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Topic Studios is also represented in Park City, Utah, with Scott Z. Burns’ political thriller “The Report” starring Adam Driver, Annette Bening, and Jon Hamm, which sold to Amazon for $14 million, as well as Patrick Bresnan and Ivete Lucas’ feature debut doc “Pahokee” and “Black 14,” a documentary short from acclaimed filmmaker Darius Clark Monroe.
Read the synopsis for “Luce” below.
“Amy and Peter Edgar (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth) adopted their son Luce (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) from war-torn Eritrea ten years ago. Luce is now an all-star student athlete, beloved by everyone. After a series of encounters with his teacher, Harriet Wilson (Octavia Spencer), questions about who Luce really is begin to emerge. A thrilling psychological drama, Luce is a complex film that addresses identity, truth, individuality and race.”