EXCLUSIVE: The worldwide rights to Simple Wedding, executive produced by and starring Rita Wilson, with Shohreh Aghdashloo and Tara Grammy, has been reached in an agreement with Blue Fox Entertainment for domestic distribution.
Blue Fox is introducing the film to buyers this week at the European Film Market in Berlin, while the domestic distribution arm is planning a late-Summer 2019 US theatrical release.
Simple Wedding was produced by Mainstay Entertainment and made it’s world premiere at the LA Film Festival. It marks the feature directorial debut of award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker Sara Zandieh, whose first short film The Pool Party earned her a jury award at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Zandieh also co-wrote the script and served as producer with Mainstay Entertainment partners Ray Moheet and Norm Aladjem.
Maz Jobrani, Peter Mackenzie , James Eckhouse, Houshang Touzie, Jaleh Modjallel, Rebecca Henderson and Aleque Reid round out the cast.
Blue Fox Entertainment’s Todd Slater negotiated the deal with CAA Media Finance negotiating on behalf of the filmmakers.
In Simple Wedding, Nousha (Grammy) continues to sabotage her relationships, much to the frustration of her parents (Aghdashloo & Touzie). She is, after all, their only hope for a real Persian wedding.
Under this pressure, Nousha meets Alex Talbot (O’Shea)—a bisexual artist, activist, and DJ living in an old warehouse. Their relationship progresses quickly, ultimately coming to the moment when Nousha’s parents discover that she and Alex are living together before marriage. Chaos unfolds, leading to a wedding that is anything but simple.
“Simple Wedding is a unique and fresh new take at the romantic comedy genre by the very talented Sara Zandieh, who pushes expectations by tackling progressive issues with her own clever and modern spin,” said Blue Fox Entertainment Head of International Sales and Acquisitions Lisa Gutberlet. “Rita Wilson, Shohreh Aghdashloo and the entire cast are spot on, especially the breakout performance by Tara Grammy who absolutely shines in the leading role.”
“I’ve always wanted to do my take on the rom-com and expand the genre to new characters and politics,” said director Sara Zandieh. She continued, “I love stories about family and multiculturalism, and everything we can learn from one another about love. This movie brings these together, it puts a different set of faces on screen for the romantic comedy, and with them a different set of problems and humor.”
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