Paul Schrader’s ‘Oh, Canada’ Acquired By Kino Lorber
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Oh, Canada, the drama reteaming filmmaker Paul Schrader with actor Richard Gere for the first time since 1980s’s American Gigolo.
Co-starring Uma Thurman, Jacob Elordi, and Michael Imperioli, the film will be positioned for awards contention with a December theatrical release, with a home video, educational, and digital release on all major platforms to follow. After premiering in competition at Cannes, the film’s next high-profile stops on the festival circuit include the Toronto Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.
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Written and directed by Schrader, Oh, Canada is based on the novel Foregone by the late Russell Banks, whose novel Affliction provided the source material for Schrader’s 1997 film of the same name. Gere plays documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife, who sits down for a final interview to reveal the unvarnished facts of his life, reflecting on his relationships, regrets, and mortality.
Fiery but feeling his years and his illness, the ailing artist wants to tell his life story, unfiltered, before it’s too late. As the director of lauded documentary exposés, he has much to be proud of, but his avoidance of the Vietnam War draft and his past relationships harbor thorny truths. Finally choosing to reveal the truth and lies in his life and career, Leonard sits for an extended filmed interview with his former student Malcolm (Imperioli), charging ahead with candid stories about his younger self (Elordi) in the fractious 1960s and beyond. At Leonard’s insistence, his wife and indispensable partner, Emma (Thurman), hears it all. Leonard’s successes are held up against his failings — the fibs held up against the facts — and as the man in full is cleansed of the myth, Leonard must confront what is left.
Oh, Canada is an Arclight Films International presentation of a Northern Lights, Vested Interest, Ottocento, Left Home Prods. production, in association with Exemplary Films, Carte Blanche Entertainment, One Two Twenty Entertainment, Sipur Studios. The film is produced by David Gonzales, Tiffany Boyle, Luisa Law, Meghan Hanlon, and Scott Lastaiti.
“Oh, Canada is a stunning artistic achievement by the great Paul Schrader, a poignant, formally daring rumination on aging, memory, and mortality anchored by a commanding performance from Richard Gere,” said Kino Lorber’s Head of Theatrical Acquisitions and Distribution, Lisa Schwartz. “Schrader and Gere are true icons of American cinema, and we couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to bring their reunion to audiences across North America.”
Stated Schrader, “I’ve been tracking Kino Lorber’s films for years, and I’m happy to become part of the family.”
Schwartz negotiated the deal for Kino Lorber, with Gonzales and WME Independent repping the filmmakers.
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