Indie film Buried gets distribution deal
Indie film Buried gets distribution deal
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Monday, 25, Jan 2010 09:25
By Lewis Bazley.
The Sundance Film Festival has seen its first major studio deal of the year, with independent thriller Buried bought by Lionsgate.
Starring Ryan Reynolds, the low-budget film received its world premiere at the festival on Saturday night, sparking a bidding war among several studios.
And swayed by the film's taut script and intriguing premise, Lionsgate - the studio behind the likes of Saw and Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire - has paid around $3.2 million for the North American distribution rights to Buried.
The Proposal actor Reynolds stars as Paul Conroy, a truck driver kidnapped in Iraq who wakes to find himself buried alive in a wooden coffin.
With only a cigarette lighter and a mobile phone with a rapidly dying battery, he faces a race against time - and asphyxiation - to raise the ransom money needed to secure his escape.
"Buried is a powerful reminder that all you really need for an unforgettable movie experience is a great story, inventive filmmaking and brilliant acting," said Lionsgate president of acquisitions and co-productions Jason Constantine in a statement.
Other high-profile releases making their debut at Sundance include post-recession drama The Company of Men - starring Ben Affleck and Kevin Costner - Allen Ginsberg biopic Howl and dark comedy Hesher, starring Kristen Stewart.