Sarasota Groves: The Orchard Picks Campos’ Christine From Sundance Tree

After making a run with Josh Mond’s James White, and less than a day after picking up the docu Life, Animated, Variety reports that The Orchard have reteamed with the Borderline Films folk on the Sundance preemed Christine – Antonio Campos’ third feature film. With a stellar perf from Rebecca Hall, we imagine the company will look to premiere the film at major film fests prior to an awards-friendly theatrical release date later this year.

Gist: Based on true events, ‘Christine’ is about an ambitious 29-year-old news reporter (Hall), in Sarasota, Florida, circa 1974. Relentlessly motivated to succeed, she knows she has talent, but being a driven career woman in the 1970s comes with its own challenges, especially when competition for a promotion, unrequited love for a coworker (Michael C. Hall) and a tumultuous home life lead to a dissolution of self. With ratings in the cellar, the station manager issues a mandate to deliver juicier and more exploitative stories, a story firmly at odds with Christine’s serious brand of issue-based journalism. To accomplish her goals, she must overcome her self-doubt and give the people what they want.

Worth Noting: Craig Shilowich who wrote the original screenplay, is the producer on the Benjamin Dickinson’s Creative Control (03.11)

Do We Care?: The best film to come out of the U.S. Dramatic Comp section, this was our (Bell/Lavallee) number 2 pick of the fest.