Sony Pictures Classics Picks Up Chloe Zhao’s ‘The Rider’ — Cannes
Sony Pictures Classics has announced that they have acquired all rights in North America, Latin America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Eastern Europe to Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider” at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight section to stellar reviews on Saturday. It’s the second project from writer-director Chloe Zhao, who previously made the 2015 Sundance drama “Songs My Brother Taught Me.” That film also screened at Directors’ Fortnight.
“The Rider” is a drama about a young cowboy who suffers a near fatal head injury and embarks on a search for a new identity.
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Per the film’s official synopsis, “Based on his a true story, ‘The Rider’ stars breakout Brady Jandreau as a once rising star of the rodeo circuit warned that his competition days are over after a tragic riding accident. Back home, Brady finds himself wondering what he has to live for when he can no longer do what gives him a sense of purpose: to ride and compete. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity and tries to redefine his idea of what it means to be a man in the heartland of America. Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Lane Scott and Cat Clifford also star.”
Said Zhao in an official statement, “The films Sony Pictures Classics has distributed throughout the years have been of great inspiration to me. I’m very excited to find such a great home for ‘The Rider.'”
Last week, SPC picked up Palme d’Or contender “Loveless” from Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev.
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