2018 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Matthew Ross’ Siberia

Matthew Ross‘ first foray into feature films received its world premiere debut at Sundance (read our review) in 2016, and he was quick to move from crime rom Frank & Lola into his sophomore project, which is described as a romantic-thriller and filmed in the frigid St Petersburg, Russia and Winnipeg, Canada. Beating Abel Ferrara at the finish line for the first to use the film title, shot in April, Siberia stars Keanu Reeves along with Molly Ringwald, Aleks Paunovic, Pasha D. Lychnikoff and Ana Ularu and sees the filmmaker re-team with composers Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans (The Fits).

Gist: Based on a story Stephen Hamel and a screenplay by Scott B. Smith, this follows Lucas (Reeves), an American diamond merchant, who travels to Russia to sell rare blue diamonds of questionable origin. As the deal begins to collapse, he falls into an obsessive relationship with Katya (Ularu), a Russian cafe owner, in a small Siberian town. As their passion builds, so does the treacherous world of the diamond trade from which he is unable to extricate himself. Both collide as the American man desperately looks for escape in a world with no exit.

Production Co./Producers: Company Films’ Stephen Hamel (Passengers), Summerstorm/Film House Germany’s Gabriela Bacher (The Aspern Papers), Mars Town’s Cassian Elwes (JT Leroy), Braden Aftergood (Wind River), Dave Hansen (Menashe).

Prediction: Premieres section is the only spot open. Perhaps another template launch at another North American film fest.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. WME Global (domestic). IM Global (international)