MUBI has acquired all rights for Molly Manning Walker’s directorial debut “How to Have Sex” for major territories.
The deal covers North America, U.K., Ireland, Italy, Latin America, Turkey and Benelux ahead of the movie’s world premiere at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section.
Theatrical releases are planned for key territories, including the U.S. and U.K. In Benelux, the film will be released theatrically in partnership with Imagine Film Distribution. Following theatrical releases, the film will premier exclusively on MUBI in all territories acquired.
Written and directed by Manning Walker, “How to Have Sex” stars Mia McKenna-Bruce (“Persuasion”) alongside Lara Peake (“Mood”), Shaun Thomas (“Ali & Ava”), Samuel Bottomley (“Somewhere Boy”), and newcomers Enva Lewis and Laura Ambler. The film was shot by Nicolas Canniccioni.
In the film, three British teenage girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday – drinking, clubbing and hooking up, in what should be the best summer of their lives.
Manning Walker trained at NFTS in England and holds an MA in cinematography. Her previous work as a cinematographer includes shooting Charlotte Regan’s debut feature “Scrapper” and the multi BAFTA-nominated “Mood.”
Her directing debut was the short film “Good Thanks, You?” which premiered at Cannes’ Critics Week, and went on to play at many festivals. She also won the Next Step prize at Cannes in 2022 for the “How to Have Sex” script.
The film is produced by Wild Swim’s Ivana MacKinnon and Emily Leo alongside Heretic’s Konstantinos Kontovrakis. Film4 and BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, developed the project and financed the production, alongside mk2 Films. Executive producers are Farhana Bhula and Ben Coren for Film4, Kristin Irving for the BFI, Nathanaël Karmitz and Fionnuala Jamison for mk2 Films, Giorgos Karnavas for Heretic, and Phil Hunt and Compton Ross for Head Gear.
Film4 will retain TV and on demand rights in the U.K. and Ireland. Mk2 films is handling international sales and brokered the deal with MUBI.