SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES VICTOR KOSSAKOSVKY’S AQUARELA

NEW YORK (October 19, 2018) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that it has acquired all rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Scandinavia, South Africa, and India from Participant Media to Victor Kossakosvky’s AQUARELA. The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and also screened at the London Film Festival.

AQUARELA takes audiences on a deeply cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. Filmed at a rare 96 frames-per-second, the film is a visceral wake-up call that humans are no match for the sheer force and capricious will of Earth’s most precious element. From the precarious frozen waters of Russia’s Lake Baikal to Miami in the throes of Hurricane Irma to Venezuela’s mighty Angels Falls, water is AQUARELA’s main character, with director Victor Kossakovsky capturing her many personalities in startling visual detail.

“For me, AQUARELA represents a personal journey that encapsulates every possible emotion – from joy and ecstasy to angst and awe – providing a unique lens that allows audiences to develop a deeper connection to the beauty and power of water in all its forms,” Kossakovsky said. “I am deeply grateful and excited to be working with Sony Classics; their track record for bringing thought-provoking and inspiring films like AQUARELA is unparalleled.”

Said Sony Pictures Classics, “Victor Kossakosvky has created a mind-blowing experience on screen at 96 frames-per-second with AQUARELA and we are excited to share this powerful film and its message with audiences.”

“AQUARELA is raw cinematic ambition brought to life by the extraordinarily talented Victor Kossakovsky,” said Diane Weyermann, President of Documentary Film & Television for Participant Media. “An immersive experience, the film captures for audiences both the visceral and poetic power of our planet’s most precious element, water. We are thrilled to join forces with Tom and Michael and the whole team at Sony Classics in bringing this exquisite film to audiences worldwide.”

The film reunites Michael Barker and Tom Bernard with Participant Media after having previously collaborated on last year’s Academy Award^®-winner for Best Foreign Language Film, A FANTASTIC WOMAN, NO and documentaries MERCHANTS OF DOUBT, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE and JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS.

The film is presented by Sony Pictures Classics and Participant Media together with Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Creative Scotland, BFI, Deutscher Filmförderfonds – DFFF, Medienboard Berlin – Brandenburg and Danish Film Institute, in association with Cactus World Films, a Ma.ja.de Film, Aconite and Danish Documentary production, in co-production with Louverture Films and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg in association with ARTE and Rio Negro Producciones and Ánorâk Film. AQUARELA received additional financial support from Sundance Film Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, The Government of Greenland, Eurimages and RBB TV. Endeavor Content and Lionsgate International are handling international sales.

AQUARELA is a UK, German and Danish production, directed by Kossakovsky, produced by Aimara Reques, Heino Deckert and Sigrid Dyekjær, and co-produced by Joslyn Barnes, Susan Rockefeller, Emile Hertling Péronard. Executive Producers included Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Mark Thomas, Isabel Davis, Sawsan Asfari, Maya Sanbar, Madge Bray, Matthias Ehrenberg and Frank Lehmann.

The deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics and Endeavor Content on behalf of Participant Media.

Sony Pictures Classics is planning a 2019 release.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS 

Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992—which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.  Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 39 Academy Awards® (35 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 169 Academy Award® nominations (147 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT 

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com. 

ABOUT PARTICIPANT MEDIA

Founded by Chairman Jeff Skoll and under the leadership of CEO David Linde, Participant Media (www.participantmedia.com) combines the power of a good story well told with real world impact and awareness around today’s most vital issues. Through its worldwide network of traditional and digital distribution, aligned with partnerships with key non-profit and NGO organizations, Participant speaks directly to the rise of today’s “conscious consumer,” representing the well over 2 billion consumers compelled to make meaningful content a priority focus.

As an industry content leader, Participant annually produces up to six narrative feature films, five documentary films, three episodic television series, and more than 35 hours of digital short form programming, through its digital subsidiary SoulPancake. Participant’s more than 80 films, including Wonder, Contagion, Lincoln, The Help, CITIZENFOUR, RBG, Food, Inc., and An Inconvenient Truth, have collectively earned 56 Academy Award^® nominations and 12 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight and Best Foreign Language Film for A Fantastic Woman. Participant’s digital division, SoulPancake (www.soulpancake.com), is an award-winning provider of thought-provoking, joyful, and uplifting content including such widely popular series as Kid President and The Science of Happiness and reaches an audience of over 9 million fans. Follow Participant Media on Twitter (@Participant) and on Facebook and Instagram. Follow SoulPancake on Twitter (@soulpancake) and on Facebook and Instagram.