VARIETY – Neon has bought North American distribution rights to “Ingrid Goes West” out of the Sundance Film Festival, Variety has learned.
To nab the comedy-drama it beat out the likes of A24 and Netflix, both of which were in the hunt. The film is a satire of the digital age, chronicling the exploits of an unstable woman (Aubrey Plaza) with an obsessive streak. She follows Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen), a social media star, out to Los Angeles, after becoming fixated on her seemingly perfect life.
In addition to Plaza and Olsen, “Ingrid Goes West” stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, and Billy Magnussen. It marks the feature film directorial debut of Matt Spicer.
Sundance marks a coming out party of sorts for Neon, the recently christened indie venture from former Radius-TWC chief Tom Quinn and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League. The company is also using the festival to screen “Colossal,” a monster comedy with Anne Hathaway that it picked up out of the Toronto Film Festival.
The second snow storm in as many days is blanketing Sundance, but despite the chill, the acquisitions market at the festival is heating up. On Saturday, Variety broke the news that Amazon had landed the comedy “The Big Sick” in a blockbuster $12 million pact, and earlier Sunday, Sony Pictures Classics picked up rights to “Novitiate,” a religious drama.
CAA negotiated the deal for “Ingrid Goes West.” Star Thrower Entertainment and 141 Entertainment financed and produced the film. The producers include Jared Ian Goldman, Star Thrower Entertainment’s Tim and Trevor White, 141 Entertainment’s Adam and Robert Mirels, and Aubrey Plaza. Mary Solomon, Rick Rickertsen and Allan Mandelbaum executive produced the picture.