CHEAP THRILLS Gets Picked up by Films Distribution

International sales agents Films Distribution has acquired the foreign sales rights to CHEAP THRILLS, the economy themed thriller opening the Midnighters program at SXSW. U.S. sales will be handled by Josh and Dan Braun of Submarine Entertainment.

Starring Pat Healy (COMPLIANCE), Sara Paxton (LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT), reunited for the first time since THE INNKEEPERS, David Koechner (ANCHORMAN 2), Ethan Embry (ONCE UPON A TIME – ABC television), and Amanda Fuller (LAST MAN STANDING – CBS television). CHEAP THRILLS tells the story of a new father facing eviction whose life is turned upside down when he meets a wealthy couple who offer him a path to a better life…but at a price.

The screenplay was penned by Trent Haaga (DEADGIRL) and David Chirchirillo and is the directorial debut of screenwriter E.L. Katz. Travis Stevens of Snowfort Pictures produced alongside Gabriel Cowan and John Suits of New Artists Alliance. The film was executive produced by Curtis Raines, Gena Wilbur and Jon Schurgin.

Paris based Films Distribution has a long history of handling elevated genre films which have been world wide successes, such as Alex de la Iglesia’s visionary THE LAST CIRCUS, Franck Richard’s flesh eating party film THE PACT or Benjamin Rocher’s French urban zombie film THE HORDE.

Snowfort Pictures returns to SXSW with two films this year: CHEAP THRILLS and the comedic monster mayhem flick BIG ASS SPIDER! produced with Patrick Ewald and Shaked Berenson of Epic Pictures Group. Upcoming productions include JODOROWSKY’S DUNE (an international co-production with Germany’s Koch Media and France’s Camera One), the arthouse action film AMERICAN MUSCLE (produced with Paradise City Pictures’ Jeffrey Giles and Michael Lurie) and Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch’s STARRY EYES, an occult tale set in Hollywood.

NAA returns to the festival with a second film as well–the horror-comedy, MILO (Ken Marino, Peter Stormare, Gillian Jacobs, and Patrick Warburton), which Cowan and Suits produced alongside the Duplass brothers. In April they film WHY NOW starring Marisa Tomei and Sam Rockwell. Cowan and Suits are currently in post production on their films 3 NIGHTS IN THE DESERT (Wes Bentley, Amber Tamblyn, and Vincent Piazza), THE SCRIBBLER (Katie Cassidy, Garret Dillahunt, Michelle Trachtenberg, Eliza Dushku, Billy Campbell, and Gina Gershon), and ABBY IN THE SUMMER (Jaime Pressley, Robin Thicke).