Sophie Thatcher & Havana Rose Liu Starring In Hong Kong-Set Comedy ‘Peaches’ For Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films & Mk2; IFC Pre-Buys U.S. — AFM
EXCLUSIVE: Independent Film Company has pre-bought North American rights to Jenny Suen’s Hong Kong-set comedy Peaches, which will now star Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) and Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms).
Currently filming in Hong Kong, Peaches follows Nora (Thatcher) and Bing Bing (Liu), two spoiled best friends who scam sugar daddies for a living. When they discover that a coveted Hermès Birkin bag they were gifted is a fake, their “boyfriends” and their crimes quickly catch up with them, sending the pair on a wild romp through Hong Kong. The movie is inspired by Vera Chitylova’s 1966 film Daisies.
The NA deal was negotiated by Rachael Labes on behalf of Independent Film Company and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers. Mk2 continues to sell the film’s international rights at this week’s American Film Market.
Pic is produced by Coco Francini and executive-produced by Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton of Dirty Films (which has Alpha Gang upcoming). Jacqueline Liu of One Cool Workshop Limited and Suen also produce.
The film marks director Suen’s English-language debut after 2017 drama The White Girl, which she wrote and co-directed with DoP Christopher Doyle.
Executive producers are Matthew Helderman and Luke Taylor for BondIt Media Capital, Jessamine Burgum and Kara Durrett for Pinky Promise, Patrick Patterson and Joel Reilly for Undisputed Pictures, Tristan Strathy, Harriet Harper-Jones, Jesse Ozeri, Sam Pressman and Sara MacFarlane.
Said director Jenny Suen: “I am floored by Sophie and Havana’s uproarious performances as best friends indulging in all that Hong Kong has to offer. Their chemistry onscreen is undeniable. I’m grateful to my Dirty Films collaborators Coco Francini, Cate Blanchett, and Andrew Upton for supporting my vision, and to Independent Film Company and MK2 for sharing it with the world.”
Coco Francini of Dirty Films added: “Seeing the logo for the Independent Film Company has always signified that you were about to experience something daring and distinctive, the kind of work that shaped my own love of cinema. To have Peaches find its home there feels like a full-circle moment. Sophie Thatcher and Havana Rose Liu bring extraordinary depth and vitality to Jenny Suen’s uniquely audacious vision, and we could not ask for a better home or more inspiring collaborators.”
“From the moment we read the script we were enamored by the sheer joy and absurd cleverness of the story,” commented Rachael Labes of Independent Film Company’s acquisition team. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this vibrant, imaginative film to audiences.”
We first told you about the project two years ago when Emma Corrin and Lucie Zhang were attached to star.
