Gus Van Sant’s ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Sells to Row K at TIFF

In one of the first major transactions out of TIFF, Row K Entertainment lands the U.S. and Canadian rights to Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire.” The film serves as the inaugural release title for Row K, a new U.S. theatrical distribution company from Media Capital Technologies, which launched last month.

“Dead Man’s Wire” tells the fascinating true story of the 1977 kidnapping that made aspiring Indianapolis entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis an eccentric outlaw folk hero. The film stars Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo and Al Pacino.

The thriller debuted last week at the Venice Film Festival, where the audience praised the project with an 11-minute ovation. Domingo, who features in the ‘70s-set film as a smooth radio DJ who becomes a key component in a hostage negotiation, also energized the crowd with chants of “Gus! Gus! Gus!” as Van Sant looked on with pride. The film then made its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this week.

“When we launched Row K less than a month ago we knew the type of movies, and even more importantly, filmmakers, that we wanted to align ourselves with, which is why we could not be more energized to work alongside Gus Van Sant and the cast of ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ to bring this story to audiences across the United States and Canada,” said MCT principals and Row K co-chairman Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh. “As evidenced by the reactions out of Venice and now TIFF, Dead Man’s Wire is an incredibly captivating film and a statement to the kind of ambitious, artist-driven cinema we are committed to championing.”

Added Row K president Megan Colligan: “Gus Van Sant has crafted yet another masterful work that audiences are already embracing around the world. As we introduce and scale Row K, we’re proud that our very first release is Dead Man’s Wire. It’s an ambitious, artist-driven film that reflects the kind of bold cinema we intend to bring to audiences.”

The acquisition was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by Cassian Elwes of Elevated Films and Paula Paizes and Sam Pressman of Pressman Film. WME Independent represents the worldwide rights for the film.

MCT and Row K are both represented by CAA.

More to come…