‘Hearts and Bones’.
Director Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones has sold to Gravitas Ventures for the US via Visit Films.
Produced by Matt Reeder and written by Lawrence with Beatrix Christian, the film made its world premiere in competition at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival, before bowing internationally in Toronto.
The drama follows the relationship between a war photographer (Hugo Weaving) and a South Sudanese refugee (newcomer Andrew Luri), who later discover a photograph that threatens to destroy them both. Hayley McElhinney and Bolude Watson also star.
The US deal was negotiated by Ryan Kampe and Lydia Rodman on behalf of Visit Films and Nick Royak and Brendan Gallagher at Gravitas Ventures.
Hearts and Bones is Lawrence’s narrative feature debut, following on from award-winning documentary Ghosthunter.
Lawrence said:, “I’m thrilled that Gravitas will present Hearts and Bones to a larger international audience. The response from our festival tour gave me a deep confidence that the film entertained and resonated across borders. Across the globe, the film’s themes of hope, family, friendship, love and human connection are needed even more right now.”
Royak said: “Watching Ben Lawrence’s stunning film at TIFF 2019 was one of the highlights of the festival for me. Having our team work on it now is even more thrilling. This film is an awesome story about how raw pain can be turned into raw hope. Cannot wait for audiences to witness Hugo Weaving, Andrew Luri, Hayley McElhinney, and Bolude Watson weaving their powerful performances together.
Madman Entertainment released the film locally yesterday on digital platforms.