Focus Features Partners With Sight Unseen, Makeready & Hillman Grad Productions On A.V. Rockwell’s Directorial Debut A Thousand and One
Production to begin in 2021
Focus Features along with Sight Unseen, Makeready and Hillman Grad Productions have announced plans to begin production next year on A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand and One. The film will be the feature directorial debut of Rockwell, who has also written the script, and produced by Hillman Grad’s Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani, Makeready’s Brad Weston, and Sight Unseen’s Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev. Makeready’s Negin Salmasi and Sight Unseen’s Oren Moverman and Rachel Jacobs are executive producing. Casting has yet to be announced. Focus Features will distribute the film in the U.S. and Universal Pictures International will distribute internationally.
Rockwell has been named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film for her distinctive voice and has received fellowships from Tribeca Film Institute, the Sundance Institute and the John S. Guggenheim Foundation.
Convinced that it is one last, necessary crime on the path to redemption, unapologetic and free-spirited Ines kidnaps six-year-old Terry from the foster care system. Holding onto their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their home, their identity, and stability in a rapidly changing New York City.
Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski said, “A.V.’s script absolutely floored us with its insights, emotions and humanity, and we are thrilled to join the powerhouse teaming of Hillman Grad, Makeready and Sight Unseen to bring her directorial talents to the screen.”
Makeready and Hillman Grad teamed up with Universal Pictures last year on Melina Matsoukas’ Queen and Slim. Sight Unseen and frequent collaborator Hillman Grad are also working on a Sammy Davis Jr. biopic with MGM, which is based on the book Sammy Davis Jr.: My Father written by Davis’ daughter Tracey and Dolores A. Barclay.
Rockwell is represented by WME Entertainment and Granderson Des Rochers. Hillman Grad Productions is represented by WME Entertainment and Blue Marble Management.
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