Neon has acquired worldwide rights to Clarissa, a modern reimagining of the Virginia Woolf novel Mrs. Dalloway starring Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda), David Oyelowo (Selma), India Amarteifio (Queen Charlotte), Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), and Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso).
Pic was shot on 35mm film in Nigeria, with twin filmmakers Arie and Chuko Esiri directing. Neon will handle its U.S. release, with Neon International repping it for foreign sales.
Clarissa follows society woman Clarissa (Okonedo) as she prepares to host a party at her home in Lagos, Nigeria, where she will unexpectedly encounter once-intimate friends from her youth. As the group reflects on their shared past over the course of a single night, memories of their intricate relationships, passionate love, hidden desires, and lost aspirations give rise to bittersweet reckoning.
Chuko Esiri penned the script and produced alongside Arie Esiri, Theresa Park for Per Capita Productions, and Nicholas Weinstock for Invention Studios. Co-producers include Nina Gold and Thomas Bassett and executive producers include Okonedo, Dolly Omodolapo Kola-Balogun, Osahon Okunbo, and Jason Reif. Production financing was provided entirely by the Africa-based Afreximbank Creative Africa Nexus and MBO Capital.
Born in Warri, Nigeria and raided in Lagos, Arie and Chuko Esiri are coming off of their debut feature Eyimofe (This Is My Desire), which premiered in Berlin and went on to win five African Movie Academy Awards. The film was released by Janus Films and is now part of the Criterion Collection.
Neon currently holds 18 Oscar nominations, the second most for any motion picture studio, with titles including Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent, It Was Just an Accident, Sirāt, and Arco in the race. Releasing Sirāt in New York and Los Angeles today, their upcoming slate also includes Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, releasing February 13; Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, releasing February 20; Genki Kawamura’s Exit 8, releasing April 10; Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers; Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters, which is set to open SXSW; and Damian McCarthy’s Hokum starring Adam Scott.
Neon’s Director of Acquisitions, Development & Production, Kate Gondwe, negotiated the deal for Clarissa on behalf of the company, with UTA Independent Film Group negotiating on behalf of the filmmakers.
English (US) ·