Filed under: News
Dee Rees' debut film, 'Pariah,' which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, has been acquired by Focus Features for theatrical distribution, states Deadline.com.
The film, which stars Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell and Aasha Davis, is a coming-of-age story about a 17-year old African American teen from Brooklyn trying to find her place in the world and coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian.
Focus has also engaged Rees to write another script with an eye for her to direct. The deal was in the seven-figure range.
The picture, which started as a short film, was executive produced by indie icon Spike Lee and produced by Nekisa Cooper.
Rees, a graduate from New York University's Tisch School Graduate Film Program, was one of Filmmaker magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2008.
In 2010, Focus acquired 'The Kids Are All Right,' the Lisa Cholodenko-directed feature that premiere at Sundance and starred Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. It became a indie hit, grossing more than $20 million domestically and nearing $30 million worldwide. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including best picture.