Irish Abroad: International rights sell out for Lenny Abrahamson’s Room

News from Cannes, where Deadline is reporting that FilmNation Entertainment has sold all international rights to Irish director Lenny Abrahamson’s next film Room.

Emma O’Donoghue is adapting the story from her own best-selling novel, which is told from the perspective of a five-year-old boy, Jack, who is being held captive in a small room along with his mother. To him the room is his world, but his mother knows different having been held there for 7 years.

The film stars Brie Larson (Short Term 12, The Spectacular Now), Jacob Tremblay (The Smurfs 2, Somnia), Joan Allen (The Bourne Supremacy, Nixon) and William H. Macy (Shameless, Magnolia). Also joining the cast are Sean Bridgers (Rectify), Tom McCamus (The Samaritan) and Megan Park (What If).

Last year rights were sold to A24 for the US, with additional rights for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Scandinavia, and Latin America being acquired by Universal. Studiocanal picked up the UK rights, with Village Roadshow taking Australia, and Culture Entertainment those for Japan.

Additional rights were sold for Canada (Elevation Pictures); Israel (Lev Films); Poland (Monolith); Greece (Spentzos); Iceland (Sam Films); Middle East (Italia); Switzerland (Elite Film); Turkey (Aqua/Pinema); Hong Kong (Bravos); ex-Yugoslavia (Blitz); South Africa (Ster Kinekor); Thailand (IPA); Indonesia (PT Amero/Prima); Singapore (Shaw); Korea (Contents Gate); Taiwan (Maison Motion); and Pan Asian pay-TV went to Fox International Channels.

Room is an Element Pictures and No Trace Camping production, in association with Telefilm Canada, Film4, and the Irish Film Board. Expect to see it premiere at Toronto in September.

To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. It’s where he was born, and where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. But to Ma, it’s the prison where she’s been held for seven long years, since Old Nick abducted her when she was nineteen. Through her fierce love for her son, Ma has created a life for him in that eleven- by-eleven-foot space. But Jack’s curiosity is building alongside her own desperation—and she knows that Room cannot contain either indefinitely.

Room is a celebration of resilience and a powerful story of a mother and son whose love enables them to survive the impossible.