Bleecker Street Acquires U.S. Rights To TIFF Buzz Title ‘One Life’; Tour De Force For Anthony Hopkins
EXCLUSIVE: Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. rights to TIFF standout One Life, the James Hawes-directed drama that stars Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Lena Olin, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp, Marthe Keller, with Jonathan Pryce and Helena Bonham Carter. Scripted by Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake, the film is a production of See-Saw Films, which developed it alongside BBC Film. Bleecker Street is planning a 2024 theatrical release.
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Based on the Barbara Winton book If It’s Not Impossible…: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton, One Life tells the true story of Nicholas “Nicky” Winton (Flynn), a young London broker who visits Prague in December 1938. In a race against time, Winton convinces Trevor Chadwick (Sharp) and Doreen Warriner (Garai) of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia to rescue as many children as possible before the Nazis close the borders. Fifty years later, Nicky (Hopkins) is haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England. It’s not until the BBC show That’s Life! re-introduces him to some of those he helped rescue that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he carried – all the while skyrocketing from anonymity to a national hero.
One Life had its world premiere last month at the Toronto International Film Festival, to rave reviews. The film will play this week at the BFI London Film Festival. Watch a trailer below.
One Life was made with the support of BBC Film and is a BBC Film and MBK Productions presentation, in association with Cross City Films, FilmNation Entertainment and Lipsync. Producers are Joanna Laurie, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Guy Heeley. Simon Gillis, Eva Yates, Barbara Winton, Maria Logan, Anne Sheehan, Peter Hampden are the executive producers. CAA Media Finance and Simon Gill brokered the deal for See-Saw and Cross City Films, with Bleecker Street’s Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy negotiating for the distributor. FilmNation Entertainment is handling international sales.
It was a busy TIFF for Bleecker Street, which acquired the UK rights to Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, alongside Elysium Film Group and Anonymous Content. Bleecker Street also acquired the U.S. rights to British comedy Fackham Hall starring Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Thomasin McKenzie, Katherine Waterston, and Emma Laird. That film will begin principal photography in early 2024.
Bleecker’s upcoming slate includes Meg Ryan’s What Happens Later, starring Ryan alongside David Duchovny, releasing on November 3; Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson’s Waitress: The Musical, which is set for a December 7 release with Fathom Events; The Origin, a Stone Age-set thriller which recently had its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest; and Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space station-set thriller I.S.S., which debuted to acclaim at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. Recently released titles include Guy Nattiv’s Golda starring Helen Mirren, which is currently in theaters; Marc Turtletaub’s sci-fi comedy, Jules starring Ben Kingsley; Laurel Parmet’s feature directorial debut and Sundance Film Festival breakout The Starling Girl; and Alice Troughton’s The Lesson with Daryl McCormack, Richard E. Grant, and Julie Delpy.