EXCLUSIVE: Metrograph Photos has acquired U.S. rights to The Black Sea, the offbeat comedy from Crystal Moselle and Derrick B. Harden which debuted at this yr’s SXSW Movie Competition. Metrograph will launch the pic theatrically later this yr.
Impressed by Harden’s travels to Bulgaria, and improvised by Harden and its Bulgarian solid, The Black Sea traces the journey of a charismatic dreamer from Brooklyn who inadvertently finally ends up as the one Black particular person in a small city on the Black Sea in Jap Europe. Whereas initially, all he needs is to get residence, he turns into more and more drawn to the unorthodox characters and surprising connections he finds.
UTA negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers. The movie was produced by Izabella Tzenkova, Kotva Movies, and GiveThanks. Government producers embody Andrea Leibof, Cameron Brody, Dana Høegh, Jonas Carpignano, Josh Peters, Robina Riccitiello, Ted Hope, and Ted Wright. The movie was shot by cinematographer Jackson Hunt, edited by Anastas Petkov, and options unique music by Derrick B. Harden and composed by Charles Moselle.
The pic is the newest narrative characteristic from Moselle, who beforehand gained the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize for her breakout documentary The Wolfpack. Her second movie, Skate Kitchen, starring Jaden Smith, was a cult hit and picked up two Gotham Award noms. Moselle would go on to create, direct, and government produce a TV sequence based mostly on Skate Kitchen, entitled Betty, for HBO MAX. Harden additionally featured on Betty. The Black Sea is his characteristic debut.
“The Black Sea is such a joyful discovery of a film,” David Laub, Head of Metrograph Photos, advised us this morning. “A very contemporary, related, and poignant tackle the fish-out-of-water story, the movie is bursting on the seams with infectious allure and vitality, whereas portraying and reflecting on important cultural concepts and considerations. We’re thrilled to be working with Crystal, whose work we’ve got lengthy admired, and Derrick, whose one-of-a-kind spirit appears to imbue each body of the film, to make this into a really particular launch.”
Moselle and Harden added: “The approaching collectively of Metrograph Photos and The Black Sea is precisely what we pictured for the discharge of our movie. Their crew actually helps unbiased cinema, conserving unique thought alive. We appear to share the identical need to interrupt the mildew on how one could launch a movie. We stay up for creating an surprising and impressed launch collectively, for a movie that could be very private to us.”
