BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions is back on the Sundance schedule and ready to screen for buyers on Sunday and premiere on Monday after The Apprentice
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions is back on the Sundance schedule and ready to screen for buyers on Sunday and premiere on Monday after The Apprentice backer Rich Spirit has partnered with director Kahlil Joseph’s BN Media to buy the film from Participant.
On Saturday night the festival issued the following statement: “Sundance Film Festival is overjoyed to welcome BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions back to the festival lineup. This boundary-pushing, relentlessly innovative art deserves to be shared after years of work by the filmmaking team, and the festival is proud to have it as part of our programming.”
Participant pulled BLKNWS last week, claiming Joseph had submitted an unauthorised cut to the festival after delivering the film to the company last November.
A statement from Joseph and producer Onye Anyanwu read: “This film would not have made it to Sundance without the early support and belief of A24 and Participant. Their faith in our vision from the very beginning was instrumental in bringing this project to life.
”We are deeply grateful for their willingness to relinquish ownership of the film, a gesture that allows audiences to finally experience what we’ve spent years crafting alongside so many contributing artists. This moment has been a long time coming, and we are thrilled to finally share this with the world. We look forward to welcoming audiences to the film’s debut and are excited to begin this next chapter for BLKNWS.”
It is understood the film’s international premiere will go ahead in Berlin next month. Screen has reached out to the Berlinale.
Last week Participant, which shuttered last year, said it had originally requested delivery by June 2022 and had to enhance its financial commitment when co-financier and distributor A24 dropped out last August due to Covid-related production delays. Participant said it hired CAA Media Finance as the film’s sales agent and spent more than $40,000 in preparation for the premiere.
BLKNWS is the latest iteration of Joseph’s ongoing BLKNWS project that first appeared in the festival’s New Frontier section in 2020.
The festival’s website describes the novel work as: “A boldly inventive feature film, firmly rooted in an encyclopedic survey of a people manifesting a generative world history that sidesteps empire, BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions weaves together the journeys of W. E. B. Du Bois, Joseph’s own family legacy, and a mysterious young journalist who boards an International cruise liner, the Nautica, to cover the Transatlantic Biennial while cleverly staying undercover.”
Sunday’s P&I screening at Holiday Village Cinemas takes place at 1pm Mountain Time and Monday’s world premiere at Egyptian Theater is at 9am.
Rich Spirit is the company owned by James Shani that rose to prominence last summer when it stepped in to acquire Kinematic’s stake in Cannes premiere The Apprentice when that film became entangled in complications. That paved the way for Briarcliff Entertainment to board as US distributor. Last week Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong earned lead and supporting actor Oscar nominations.
COMMENTS