Festival Predictions

2017 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Brian Crano’s Permission

Published on November 27, 2016

With 2011’s A Bag of Hammers and his 2014’s short “Dog Food” both preeming at Austin, you can bet that the SXSW programmers have Brian Crano‘s sophomore film on their must list. A rom com that reteams the filmmaker with Rebecca Hall, Permission lensed this past January in Brooklyn with Dan Stevens in the co-lead and a supporting cast comprised of Gina Gershon, Francois Arnaud, Morgan Spector, Bridget Everett, David Joseph Craig, Sarah Steele and Jason Sudeikis.

Gist: The story unfolds at the 30th birthday party of Hall’s character, as Stevens’ character is about to propose, when the couple’s best friend stands up and makes a drunken toast, suggesting that as their relationship is so functional, equitable and stable, it’s threatening to their friends and perhaps they should sleep around before their inevitable marriage.

Production Co./Producers: Rebecca Hall, Margot Hand (Meadowland), Giri Tharan (The Good Neighbor), Joshua Thurston.

Prediction: An acquisitions title for the Premieres section.

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

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Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).