Bleecker Street has acquired “The Assistant,” the story of an entry-level employee in the entertainment industry that made headlines for its look at the movie business in the #MeToo era. The film debuted at this year’s Telluride Film Festival. Bleecker will release it in theaters on Jan. 31, 2020.
Emmy winner Julia Garner (“Ozark”) stars as a recent college graduate and aspiring film producer who gets a job working for an entertainment mogul who is very reminiscent of Harvey Weinstein. Over the course of her daily routine of getting coffee and running errands, she becomes increasingly aware of the culture of abuse where she works. Kitty Green (“Casting JonBenet”) wrote and directed the film.
“I’m so thrilled that ‘The Assistant’ is in the hands of a team with such passion and vision for sharing it with the world,” Green said in a statement.
The film is produced by Green, Scott Macaulay, James Schamus, and P. Jennifer Dana and Ross Jacobson of 3311 Productions. The deal was negotiated between Kent Sanderson, Bleecker Street’s president of acquisitions and ancillary distribution, and the producers.
Bleecker Street also announced that “Ordinary Love” with Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson will open on February 14, Sally Potter’s latest film with Javier Bardem and Elle Fanning is premiering on March 13, “Military Wives” starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan bows on March 27, and “Dream Horse” with Toni Collette and Damien Lewis launches on May 1.