The Weinstein Company has paid a little under $2.5m for US and German rights to Tom Ford’s A Single Man following an all-night negotiating session.

The film arrived in Toronto on a wave of anticipation following its triumphant world premiere in Venice, where Coln Firth won the Coppa Volpi for his portrayal of a gay professor grieving over the loss of his partner.

The Weinsteins will release this year to parlay the drama’s strong critical buzz into Oscar consideration after beating out interest from Miramax. Focus Features are understood to have pursued the film in the early stages, too.

President of international distribution David Glasser and senior vice-president of business and legal affairs and acquisitions Michal Steinberg negotiated with CAA.

Late on Monday night IFC acquired US rights to Nicolas Winding Refn’s Viking saga Valhalla Rising.

Meanwhile UTA is talking to buyers on Jordan Scott’s girls’ boarding school drama Cracks and Submarine is fielding a handful of offers on Don Argott’s documentary The Art Of The Steal.

Derrick Bortes’ The Joneses, Brian Koppelman and David Levien’s Solitary Man, Atom Egoyan’s Chloe, and Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves Of Grass have also drawn interest.

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