Madman Entertainment has acquired Australian and New Zealand rights to Jeanie Finlay’s award-winning, Grierson shortlisted film YOUR FAT FRIEND.
Madman Entertainment acquired all rights for the film from Together Films and will be releasing YOUR FAT FRIEND in cinemas in October, including a preview Q&A tour in key cities.
The film was previously sold to broadcasters BBC Storyville and CBC and was picked up for all rights in Scandinavia and The Baltics by NonStop Entertainment, where it will also be released this Autumn. This follows a highly successful UK theatrical and sold-out preview tour, as well as multiple festival awards including the audience award at Sheffield DocFest last June.
Funded by Field of Vision, BFI Doc Society Fund awarding National Lottery funding, with development support from Broadway Cinema and made over 6 years, director Jeanie Finlay charts the rise of writer and activist Aubrey Gordon from anonymous blogger “Your Fat Friend” to NYTimes best selling author and beloved podcaster.
“There is a vast and passionate audience eagerly waiting to see this film in Australia and New Zealand. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Madman to deliver a theatrical experience and wide release across the region.” said Sarah Mosses, Founder & CEO of Together Films.
“As the leading independent distributor and home for remarkable docs in Australia and New Zealand we’re excited to be releasing YOUR FAT FRIEND, which has huge resonance in the territory.” said Paul Wiegard, CEO of Madman Entertainment.
Director, Jeanie Finlay said “Glimmer Films is delighted to be partnering with Madman to ensure the Australian and New Zealand audiences that have been clamouring to see the film have the best experience possible. As well as fostering community for fat people, with all participating cinemas listing seat sizes, we are looking forward to continuing the film’s conversation with its audience – building on the exuberant response to the Glimmer UK cinema release and the pioneering work we’ve undertaken with online platforms Kinema and Jolt – in Australia and New Zealand. We are delighted that Glimmer Films and Together Films’ collaborative and innovative partnership continues to pay off, reaching audiences where they are, across key territories and outlets”.
The film is directed and produced by Jeanie Finlay through her Nottingham production company Glimmer Films. Jeanie is one of Britain’s most distinctive and prolific documentarists. Making award winning films with steel and heart, telling intimate stories for international audiences. Her work is known for its emotional intimacy, pathos and humour.
She has made feature documentaries for HBO, IFC & BBC Storyville and others including; Your Fat Friend, Seahorse; Game Of Thrones: The Last Watch; SOUND IT OUT; The Great Hip Hop Hoax and Orion: The Man Who Would Be King. Jeanie is a pioneer of creative distribution and a Chicken & Egg Awardee, with retrospectives of her work at Museum of Moving Image NYC, BFI & Criterion.
