FilmRise Lands Duo of Feature Films

FilmRise has acquired the worldwide rights for Unintended, the first feature film from newly formed Shorelight Pictures, and the North American rights for Nighthawks starring Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl).

Unintended, which premiered at The Woodstock Film Festival, is directed by Anja Murmann and produced by Sabine Schenk, the co-founders of Shorelight. FilmRise has slated the film for a fall 2019 release.

Starring Elizabeth Lail (Netflix’s You) and Nathan Keyes (Maya Mardel, Britney Ever After), Unintended follows the life of a teenage girl who accidentally injures another teenager in a fight and is forced to leave town. Years later, the repressed memories of the incident come back to haunt her, triggering a prescription drug addiction and leading her back to her childhood home.

Danny Fisher, CEO of FilmRise, said, “Anja Murmann’s second feature is a beautifully shot film with strong and powerful performances from its ensemble cast. We are proud to be supporting these up and coming filmmakers who have new perspectives and fascinating stories to tell. We strongly believe Unintended will become a favorite among indie film fans.”

Nighthawks, Grant S. Johnson’s second feature film, features an ensemble cast that includes Kevin Zegers (Transamerica, Dawn of the Dead), Janet Montgomery (New Amsterdam, Black Swan), Blue Kimble (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Lola Bessis (Picnic at Hanging Rock), Tyler Weaks (The Chaperone) and Michele Weaver (Love Is), alongside Crawford in the lead role. The film is set to debut in fall 2019.

Crawford plays Stan, a wide-eyed Midwest transplant who moves to New York City and, by way of his mischievous roommate (Zegers), becomes entangled in the dark underside of the city’s nightlife, run by a group of millennials known as Nighthawks. The movie was written, directed and produced by Johnson, alongside John N. Hart, Jr. and Jeff Sharp, producers of Boys Don’t Cry, You Can Count on Me and Nicholas Nickleby, and Peter Pastorelli (Beasts of No Nation).

Fisher said, “We are excited to add Nighthawks to our extensive and growing library of independent films. The film has young, up-and-coming star power that fits well within our far-reaching content that is geared toward a millennial audience.”