Aubrey Plaza and Matt Berry book An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn

9 February 2017

Park Pictures, Wigwam Films and Rook Films announced that production for ‘An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn’ has commenced. Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Safety Not Guaranteed), Emile Hirsch (Lone Survivor, Milk, Into The Wild), Jemaine Clement (What We Do In The Shadows), Matt Berry (Moon), and Craig Robinson (Morris From America, This Is The End, Pineapple Express) head the cast in the film, directed by BIFA Discovery Award winner Jim Hosking (The Greasy Strangler). Written by David Wike and Hosking, the film is shooting in Eureka, California.

Lulu Danger’s unsatisfying marriage takes a fortunate turn for the worse when a mysterious man from her past comes to town to perform a mysterious event called An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; For One Magical Night Only.

Mary Burke for the British Film Institute says, “After the success of The Greasy Strangler, we are proud to continue to support Jim Hosking as a left-field, break-out British comedy talent.”

Park Pictures producer Sam Bisbee says, “We are all thrilled to be working with the singularly talented Jim Hosking and this dream team of a cast. We can't wait to introduce Beverly Luff Linn to the world."

Film4’s Deputy Head of Creative Sam Lavender added, “We’re delighted to be working with the exceptionally talented Jim Hosking, his amazing cast and his team on this funny and unique film.”

The film is being funded by the BFI with National Lottery funding, Film4 and GPS Partners. Sam Bisbee and Theodora Dunlap of Park Pictures, along with Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh, Emily Leo OF WIGWAM FILMS and Andy Starke of Rook Films are producing. David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), the BFI's Mary Burke, Sam Lavender from Film4, Jim Hosking, David Wike, Jackie Kelman Bisbee and Lance Acord serve as executive producers.

Aubrey Plaza recently starred in two films, Ingrid Goes West and The Little Hours, at the Sundance Film Festival.

UTA Independent Group is representing the North America sale. Protagonist Pictures is handling international sales outside of North America.

UTA represents director Jim Hosking, along with Jemaine Clement, Emile Hirsch and Craig Robinson.

 

ABOUT PARK PICTURES

Launched in the summer of 2010, Park Pictures Features is led by producer Sam Bisbee, Jackie Kelman Bisbee and Lance Acord. Kelman Bisbee and Acord are the owners of Park Pictures, an award winning commercial production company with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London. Park’s debut into narrative film was the 2010 Academy Award winning short, “The New Tenants.” Park Pictures Features' first feature film, “Robot & Frank,” starring Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard, James Marsden, and Liv Tyler, directed by Park Pictures' Jake Schreier, premiered at Sundance 2012 where it won the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and was acquired by Sony Worldwide and Samuel Goldywn. Following the successful release of “Robot and Frank,” Park completed two feature films in 2013 that went on to be selected for the Sundance 2014 Dramatic Competition. “God’s Pocket,” directed by John Slattery, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, John Turturro and Christina Hendricks was acquired by IFC and NBC Universal. Golden Globe Nominee “Infinitely Polar Bear,” directed by Maya Forbes, starring Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. In 2014, Park Pictures produced the Jon Watts thriller, “Cop Car” starring Kevin Bacon - a Sundance 2015 Midnight selection which was bought and released by Focus World. Park continued it’s quest to tell great stories in 2016 with the Sundance Opening Night, Dramatic Competition feature, “Other People,” written and directed by Chris Kelly (“Saturday Night Live,” “Broad City”) which was acquired by Vertical Entertainment and Netflix and nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards in 2017. Park Pictures premiered “The Hero,” directed by Brett Haley (“I’ll See You In My Dreams”) and starring Sam Elliot, Laura Prepon, Nick Offerman and Katharine Ross, at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where the film sold to The Orchard with a wide release set for fall 2017.

 

ABOUT WIGWAM FILMS

Wigwam Films is a BAFTA nominated UK production company with a background in development, financing and production. The Company was founded by Lucan Toh, Emily Leo and Oliver Roskill in 2012, with the aim of creating outstanding original content for film, television and emerging formats. In 2014, Wigwam Films produced the SXSW Audience Award winning film, Before I Disappear, written and directed by Academy Award winner, Shawn Christensen, the film was acquired by IFC Films.

In 2015, Wigwam Films produced Under The Shadow, written and directed by BAFTA nominated, Babak Anvari. The film was acquired by Netflix and was the UK submission for the Foreign Language Academy Award. Under The Shadow is BAFTA nominated for Outstanding British Film. In 2016, Wigwam Films produced the first UK Netflix Original film, IBOY, directed by Adam Randall and starring Bill Milner, Maisie Williams, Miranda Richardson and Rory Kinnear.

 

ABOUT ROOK FILMS

Rook Films was formed in 2008 by producer Andy Starke and director Ben Wheatley. Rook has made 5 films with Wheatley including his latest, Free Fire, which won the Midnight Madness Audience Award at its world premiere at TIFF 2016 and was the closing night gala at LFF16. The film features Academy Award winner Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy and Sharlto Copley and will receive a wide domestic release by A24 in April 17. Rook has also produced films by Peter Strickland (who’s new feature will shoot in 2017), Steve Oram and Jim Hosking and has a slate of movies and television in production and development with directors Ben Rivers, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Brandon Cronenberg, Kier-La Janisse and Ashim Ahluwalia.

 

ABOUT FILM4

Film4 is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division. Film4 develops and co-finances films and is known for working with the most distinctive and innovative talent in UK and international filmmaking, whether new or established.  

Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years, Academy Award®-winners such as Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Lenny Abrahamson’s Room, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, Asif Kapadia’s box office record breaking documentary Amy and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady, in addition to critically-acclaimed award-winners such as Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Chris Morris’s Four Lions, Shane Meadows’ This is England, Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin and David Mackenzie’s Starred Up.

Film4’s recent releases include Danny Boyle’s T2 Trainspotting, Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise, Susanna White’s Our Kind of Traitor, Todd Haynes’ Carol, Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette, Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster and Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years. Forthcoming releases include Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, Benedict Andrews’ Una, Adam Smith’s Trespass Against Us and Baltasar Kormákur’s The Oath. Films in production include Clio Barnard’s Dark River, Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete, Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Michael Pearce’s Beast, Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Paddy Considine’s Journeyman, John Cameron Mitchell’s How To Talk To Girls At Parties, Toby MacDonald’s Old Boys, Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not a Witch, Sebastián Lelio’s Disobedience, Garth Davis’s Mary Magdalene, and Asif Kapadia’s Maradona. Forthcoming productions include Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite, Bart Layton’s American Animals and Mike Leigh’s Peterloo.

For further information visit www.film4.com/productions

 

ABOUT BFI

With over £50 million of Lottery funding to invest each year, the BFI is the UK's largest public investor in film, and the BFI Film Fund supports first-class British filmmaking from talent and project development, through production, to audience development across exhibition, distribution and international sales.

Films supported by the BFI include last year’s Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner and BAFTA-nominated I, Daniel Blake directed by Ken Loach and the Jury Prize award-winning and BAFTA-nominated American Honey by filmmaker Andrea Arnold; Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom and Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, the opening and closing galas respectively at last year’s BFI London Film Festival; James Spinney and Peter Middleton’s BAFTA-nominated Notes on Blindness; Roger Mainwood’s Ethel & Ernest; Colm McCarthy’s The Girl With All The Gifts; Jim Hosking’s The Greasy Strangler; John Michael McDonagh’s War on Everyone; Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise starring Tom Hiddleston; Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette; John Crowley’s BAFTA-winning and Oscar® nominated Brooklyn; Sean McAllister's A Syrian Love Story, BAFTA-nominated and Grand Jury prize winner at Sheffield Doc/Fest; Yorgos Lanthimos’ BAFTA-nominated and 2015 Cannes Competition selection The Lobster; and Andrew Haigh’s Berlin award winning and BAFTA and Oscar® nominated 45 Years.

Highly anticipated films backed by the BFI include Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country which has just received the Directing Award on its World Premiere at Sundance 2017 and now has its European Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival; William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth; Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete; Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not A Witch; Clio Barnard’s Dark River; Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here; Andy Serkis’ Breathe; Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones - The Musical of My Life; Gurinder Chadha’s Viceroy’s House; Nick Park’s Early Man; Paddy Considine’s Journeyman; Lucy Cohen’s Fly Away; Michael Pearce’s Beast; Peter Mackie Burns’ Daphne; Hope Dickson Leach’s The Levelling; Thomas Clay’s Fanny Lye Delivr’d; Haifaa Al Mansour’s A Storm in the Stars; Mercedes Grower’s Brakes; and Pete Travis’ City of Tiny Lights.

The BFI is the lead organisation for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by:

•             Connecting audiences to the widest choice of British and World cinema

•             Preserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations

•             Championing emerging and world class film makers in the UK - investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work

•             Promoting British film and talent to the world

•             Growing the next generation of film makers and audiences

bfi.org.uk / @bfi