Same-Sex Family Themed Film a Hit at Sundance

Lesbian director Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last week (1/25) to overwhelmingly positive reviews, resulting in the festival’s most visible bidding war. Rumored suitors for the film – that stars Julianne Moore and Annette Bening as lesbian moms whose teenage kids (played by Josh Hutcherson and Mia Wasikowska) decide they want to meet their sperm donor, Mark Ruffalo – included Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, The Weinstein Company, and Summit Entertainment. Focus Features (the specialty film unit of Universal Pictures) however, confirmed on Thursday that they had picked up distribution rights for the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Germany.

Artist International (http://artistint.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hollywood Studios International (http://www.hsifilms.com), was a production company for The Kids Are All Right, with HSI CEO Steven Saxton serving as an Executive Producer. Artist International Managing Director Joel Newton was on the project as a Co-Producer.

“Lisa delivered a wildly entertaining and important film, one we are very proud to be part of,” commented Saxton.

“The Kids Are All Right fits perfectly in our mission to make films that succeed both artistically and commercially,” said Joel Newton.

In a written statement, Focus Features’ James Schamus said: “Lisa has made an extraordinary gem of a film that combines comedic surprise with poignant emotional truth. Not only is The Kids Are All Right infectiously funny and touching, but it’s also entirely accessible. We’re confident that audiences everywhere will fall in love with this family, as brilliantly brought to life by a remarkable cast of actors.”

Positive reviews continue to pour in from a number of media sources about The Kids Are All Right. Here are just a few of the great reviews already written about the film:

* The Hollywood Reporter said, “Sundance 2010 has been waiting for a breakout hit…it finally happened,” and that the film was “much more than alright.”

* New York Magazine wrote, “Annette Bening and Julianne Moore Wow the Fest.”

* The Wall Street Journal called the film a “heart-warming look at modern families.”

* The Los Angeles Times wrote the film “becomes a Sundance sensation.”

* Indie Wire said the film “shines at Sundance.”

* Screen Daily International said the film is. “a consistently amusing delight.”

* Daily Variety called The Kids Are All Right one of Sundance’s “hottest acquisition titles.”

The ongoing praise and recent pick up by Focus Features have brought a lot of attention to a film that will now bring the realities of same-sex parenting into mainstream households. With a talented director like Cholodenko (who has previously brought lesbian storylines to mainstream audiences with High Art and Laurel Canyon) we can trust that the subject will be handled in a way that best represents and respects the lesbian community.