Roadside Attractions Moves Behind Enemy Lines; Yann Demange’s ’71 Set for the Front Lines of 2015

THR reports that Roadside Attractions and the newly formed Black Label Media who are backing a trio of (Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition, Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario and Philippe Falardeau’s The Good Lie) in the works items from Quebecois auteurs turning toward American productions, will deploy Yann Demange’s break-out Berlin Film Fest debut for sometime early next year. Jack O’Connell (who dazzled in David Mackenzie’s raw drama Starred Up) toplines the thriller. When discussing timelines, ’71 appears to be a strong precursor event to Paul Greengrass’ Bloody Sunday.

Gist: Written by Gregory Burke, this tells the tale of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. It takes place over a single night, during which the soldier has to navigate solo in a deadly environment where he can’t tell friend from foe.

Worth Noting: Demange received a BAFTA nomination for the TV miniseries Top Boya.

Do We Care?: From what we’ve gathered, this is an assured directing debut from Demange receiving positive Berlin Film Fest (see press conference montage below) reviews from the like of Variety, THR, and Screen Daily).

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