Neon Acquires Hip-Hop Drama ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ — Sundance 2017
Neon has acquired the North American rights to “Roxanne Roxanne,” which premiered last Sunday in the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S Dramatic section. The deal was worth nearly $3 million, Deadline reported, and came following a bidding war between Amazon, Lionsgate and Miramax.
The film tells the story of Lolita “Roxanne Shanté” Gooden, a Queens teenager and feared battle MC in the early 1980s. On her way to becoming a hip-hop legend, Gooden provides for her family and defends herself from the dangers of New York City’s streets.
“Roxanne Roxanne” earned actress Chanté Adams Sundance’s Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance on Saturday. The film was written and directed by Michael Larnell, whose debut feature “Cronies” premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
In addition to “Roxanne Roxanne” Neon acquired the dramatic comedy “Ingrid Goes West,” starring Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, and the teen drama “Beach Rats,” both of which premiered in Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic section.
Neon founders Tom Quinn and Tim League first announced the name of their distribution shingle earlier this month. The company purchased the Anne Hathaway monster movie “Colossal” at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and previously released Michael Moore’s “Where To Invade Next” in 2015. Quinn is the former co-founder of RADiUS and League is the co-founder and CEO of Alamo Drafthouse.
