“Witch Hunt,” the genre thriller and 2021 SXSW Film Festival entry, has sold domestic rights to Momentum Pictures.
Gideon Adlon, Abigail Cowen and Elizabeth Mitchell star in the bleak tale of the last stop on an underground railroad of refugee witches hiding in a small U.S. border town to Mexico. As time passes, uneasiness turns into paranoia when authorities close in on a seemingly normal family sheltering the witches along their journeys to freedom. The project was written and directed by Elle Callahan.
Momentum, a subsidiary of Entertainment One, acquired the project from Defiant Studios. It was produced by Defiant’s Eric B. Fleischman and Maurice Fadida of Kodiak. Chris Abernathy was co-producer, with EP’s including Victor Shapiro, Raphael Swann and André Druskeit.
“We’re thrilled to bring the timely and relevant story of ‘Witch Hunt’ to audiences this fall. We were drawn to the fresh take on a classic tale, and Elle’s visionary filmmaking coupled with Gideon Adlon’s performance is a force to be reckoned with”, said Ian Goggins, Momentum’s executive vice president of global home entertainment. A release is set for this fall. UTA’s John McGrath negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers.
At its premiere, the film was praised by critics for its take on immigration and timely themes of subjugation. Fleischman added that “Witch Hunt” is “a special kind of film; one that creates a whole new world audiences have yet to see, while marrying a socially-conscious genre bend to a modern day struggle. Momentum Pictures is the perfect partner to help get this story out into the world.”