Barry Ward and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor in MAZE

#IrishAbroad: Lightyear Entertainment to release Stephen Burke’s MAZE in the U.S.

Distributor Lightyear Entertainment has acquired all U.S. rights to Stephen Burke’s energising prison drama MAZE.

Lightyear Entertainment president Arnie Holland said the company has set a March 22nd theatrical release debut in New York and will expand a week later into Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC and other U.S. markets. The deal was negotiated by sales agent Visit Films.

MAZE, written and directed by Stephen Burke, achieved the largest domestic box-office for an Irish film when it was released by Lionsgate in 2017, earning €860,000. In 2018, it was acquired by Netflix for UK and Ireland. It’s available to watch there now.

Starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Avengers: Infinity War), Barry Ward (Jimmy’s Hall) and Martin McCann (The Survivalist), MAZE is based on the true story of the 1983 mass breakout of 38 IRA prisoners from HMP Maze high-security prison in Northern Ireland.

Produced by Jane Doolan and Brendan Byrne, MAZE is a Mammoth Films and Cyprus Avenue Production, in co-production with Filmgate Films, Sweden and was financed by Screen Ireland, RTÉ, BAI, Film Vast, Windmill Lane, Cork regional funding and Irish tax incentives for the film industry.