UK drama Philophobia has been acquired by a raft of international distributors including HBO Europe in a series of deals closed by writer-director Guy Davies and Wide Management.
Vertical Entertainment has secured UK VOD and digital rights to the coming-of-age drama in a deal directly with the filmmakers, and plans to release this spring under the title As I Am.
Davies previously organised a theatrical release in the territory himself during the pandemic. Philophobia opened in 45 locations on October 30 but had its release cut short when a second national lockdown was introduced on November 5.
The filmmakers, including producers Matt Cook and Toby Cook of Fablemaze, have also closed an all-rights deal with Bounty Films for Australia and New Zealand where it will also be re-titled As I Am.
Paris-based Wide Management, which picked up international rights ahead of last year’s virtual Cannes market, has made further sales of the film to several distributors including HBO Europe. The HBO deal comprises 14 central and eastern European countries, including Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic, and will release the film digitally on February 28.
Further deals closed by Wide include for France (E-Cinema), Latin America (A2 Filmes, Encripta), South Korea (United Media) and Russia (Kamer-Ton International).
The film stars newcomers Josh Glenister and Kim Spearman alongside James Faulkner (Game Of Thrones) and Harry Lloyd (The Theory Of Everything). Set in the English countryside, it centres on a young aspiring writer (Glenister) and his friends during their final week of school, during which one of them will lose their life and leave the rest of the group forever changed.
Written and directed by Davies, Philophobia received its world premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival in October 2019 and went on to win the audience award and festival prize at San Diego before playing in the youth competition at Tallinn Black Nights.
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