IFC Takes Rights To Santa Slasher SAINT

Just hours before the film is slated to have its US debut at the Tribeca Film Festival it has been announced that IFC have picked up US distribution rights for Dick Mass' Dutch slasher Saint (Sint). Theatrical rights are included in the deal, so I would look at other prominent IFC Midnight titles for an idea of how widely this may go out. Here's the official announcement with the trailer below!

New York, NY (April 21, 2011) - IFC Midnight announced today that the company has acquired U.S. distribution rights from sales and production outfit XYZ Films for director Dick Maas' evil Santa film SAINT. The deal includes a theatrical component and was made prior to the movie's North American premiere in the Cinemania section at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Maas wrote the screenplay for the picture and produced with Tom de Mol. Starring Huub Stapel, Egbert-Jan Weeber, Caro Lenssen, Bert Luppes and Escha Tanihatu, the Dutch film will premiere tonight at 9:00pm at the AMC Loews Village 7.

An original and delightfully gruesome slasher film, SAINT re-imagines jolly old Saint Nick as a murderous bishop fulfilling a grisly prophecy under the December full moon. Packed with creative yuletide horror, SAINT is a fun chiller that follows local teen Frank (Weeber) as he sets out on a bloody, high-energy battle to save Amsterdam from the wrathful "Sinterklaas" and his minions.

Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: "Dick Maas has created a high-octane, extraordinarily chilling film that is truly unlike anything we've seen before. It's sure to make a huge splash with audiences at the Tribeca Film Festival."

The deal for SAINT was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Nate Bolotin of XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

Additional Tribeca Film Festival screenings: Saturday, April 23, 11:59 p.m. - Clearview Chelsea Cinemas Sunday, April 24, 12:00 p.m. - AMC Loews Village 7 Wednesday, April 27, 11:30 p.m. - AMC Loews Village 7

At Tribeca, XYZ Films is also representing North America rights on the narrative competition film THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY starring Dennis Farina and written and directed by Joseph Maggio; BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW, the feature film debut of writer and director Panos Cosmatos and featuring a hypnotic analog synthesizer score by Jeremy Schmidt of Sinoia Caves and Black Mountain; RABIES from Israeli filmmakers Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado; and U.S. rights on the feature documentary THE SWELL SEASON.

IFC Midnight is a sister division to Sundance Selects and IFC Films, and is owned and operated by Rainbow Media.