Director Eduardo Sanchez‘s (The Blair Witch Project) Bigfoot horror pic, Exists, has been picked up by Lionsgate for North American distribution as one of the first deals out of the 2014 SXSW Film Festival. Read on for all the details.
From The Press Release
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) has acquired North American distribution rights to EXISTS, a new horror film from THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT director Eduardo Sánchez. The film played last night to a sold-out midnight screening at SXSW in Austin.
In Bigfoot’s bold return to the big screen, five friends on a camping weekend in the remote woods of East Texas struggle to survive against a legendary predator that is stronger, smarter, and more terrifying than anything they would have ever believed exists.
The film stars Chris Osborn, Dora Madison Burge, Roger Edwards, Samuel Davis, Denise Williamson and Brian Steele and is produced by Jane Fleming, Mark Ordesky, Robin Cowie and J. Andrew Jenkins. EXISTS is executive produced by George Waud, D. Todd Shepherd, Gregg Hale and Reed Frerichs, and the Sasquatch creature was designed by Spectral Motion.
“I’m really excited about working with the talented team at Lionsgate. We’ve had great history together and they really understand EXISTS and see the tremendous opportunity to reboot Bigfoot for a new generation,” said director Sanchez.
Fleming and Ordesky, who developed and produced the film with Haxan Films through their production company Court Five, said, “It is especially gratifying to sell the film at SXSW in Austin so close to Bastrop, Texas where we shot EXISTS with an amazing Texas-based cast and crew. We look forward to working with Lionsgate to bring Ed’s vision to the masses.”
Jason Constantine, Lionsgate’s President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions; Eda Kowan, Lionsgate’s SVP of Acquisitions; and Wendy Jaffe, Lionsgate’s EVP of Business and Legal Affairs, negotiated the deal on behalf of the Studio. Graham Taylor and Christine D’Souza at WME and Stuart Rosenthal at Bloom Dekom negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Eduardo Sánchez was born in Cuba in 1968 and lived in Spain and New York before his family settled in Maryland. He has been making films since he was 16-years old, and his directing credits include the ground-breaking, genre bending The Blair Witch Project, Altered, and Lovely Molly. He also directed the first four episodes of the BBC America series, Intruders.
