British director Michael Pearce's debut Beast was one of the indie success stories of this year's Toronto film festival, selling to 30WEST for a seven-figure sum. Starring newcomer Jessie Buckley in her first film lead, Beast is a psychological thriller in which a young girl with a tortured past meets a dangerous…

EXCLUSIVE: The upstart 30WEST has made its third splashy deal at the Toronto Film Festival, acquiring the North American distribution rights to Beast, the Michael Pearce-directed film that premiered Saturday at the Winter Garden Theatre. The deal is seven figures, including P&A spend.

Co-founded by Dan Friedkin and Mic…

EXCLUSIVE: Writer-director Michael Pearce’s romantic thriller Beast is heading to the Toronto Film Festival for its world premiere Saturday. Before that, here is an exclusive clip from the film about a troubled young woman who falls for a mysterious outsider who empowers her to escape her oppressive family. When he…

EXCLUSIVE: Highly rated director Michael Pearce is assembling a cast of up-and-coming talent for his feature directorial debut Beast. Johnny Flynn and Jessie Buckley are in advanced talks to star in the project. Beast is a love story trapped within a horror film; a dark fairytale about an emotionally isolated woman…