Sony Classics pre-buys British memoir drama [ 13/09/2006 ]

Screen Daily - Jeremy Kay in Toronto 13 September 2006

Sony Pictures Classics has bought North America and Latin American rights to And When Did You Last See Your Father?

Anand Tucker will direct the film, whose production is set to begin in October. The project has been developed under the UK Film Council's Super-Slate initiative in association with Film4, Intandem Films and the Irish Film Board.

Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen at Number 9 Films are producing the adaptation of Blake Morrison's memoirs starring Colin Firth as the Yorkshire-born author and Jim Broadbent as his terminally ill father.

"This screenplay is so moving, the combination of roles so engaging and full and the precision of Anand Tucker's direction made this a very easy decision to make," SPC co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard and executive vice president of acquisitions and production, Dylan Leiner said.

"And When Did You Last See Your Father? promises to be a winner for 2007. We are thrilled to be partnering with our old friends at Intandem and Number 9 Films on this picture and at long last to be working with Anand Tucker."

"Having already secured sales of the film in the UK (Buena Vista), Australia (Icon) and Portugal (Lusomundo), we can't think of a better home for this picture than with our friends at Sony Pictures Classics who we know will give it the love and respect that this great British film deserves," Intandem said in a statement.

"And When Did You Last See Your Father? will be one of the high points of British cinema in the year 2007 and, together with Intandem, we look forward to working closely with Sony on its marketing and distribution of the film in North and South America," Woolley said.

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