Irish Abroad: Cineart acquires Benelux rights to Whit Stillman’s Love & Friendship

ScreenDaily is reporting that the Netherlands based distributor Cineart has acquired the Benelux rights to Whit Stillman’s new Irish co-produced drama Love & Friendship, following the film’s European premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) earlier this week.

Love & Friendship is based on Stillman’s adaptation of the Jane Austen novella Lady Susan, and sees Stillman reteam with his Last Days of Disco stars Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny. Xavier Samuel, Stephen Fry, Emma Greenwell, Jemma Redgrave, James Fleet, and Morfydd Clark also star in the period drama.

The novella on which the film is based is an early complete work that Austen never submitted for publication, that describes the schemes of the main character, the widowed Lady Susan, as she seeks a new husband for herself and one for her daughter.

Filming took place in Ireland in February and March of last year, with Katie Holly and Kieron J. Walsh of Blinder Films onboard as producers. Love & Friendship is a Westerly Films production in association with Blinder Films, Chic Films, Revolver Films, the Irish Film Board, Arte and the Netherlands Film Fund.

Cineart will release in Benelux this summer, after negotiating a deal with Protagonist Pictures. Amazon Studios secured US rights last year and Curzon Artificial Eye has taken the film for the UK and Ireland.

Love & Friendship will be released in the UK and Ireland on September 2nd.