IFC Films and Sapan Studio Acquire North American Rights to Jay Duplass’ “The Baltimorons”

IFC Films and Sapan Studio have officially secured the U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to The Baltimorons, the latest film from director Jay Duplass. The acquisition follows the film’s World Premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, where it received the Audience Award in the Narrative Spotlight category.

A holiday-themed comedy, The Baltimorons centers on Cliff, a man newly in recovery, who finds himself embarking on a quirky Christmas Eve journey through Baltimore after cracking a tooth. Along the way, he connects with Didi, his emergency dentist. The film is co-written by Duplass and Michael Strassner, who also stars in the film alongside Liz Larsen and Olivia Luccardi, known for her work in It Follows.

This project marks Jay Duplass’s return to solo feature directing after more than a decade, and is produced by Duplass Brothers Productions. The producing team includes David Bonnett Jr., Michael Strassner, and Drew Langer, with executive producers Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Mel Eslyn, and Shuli Harel.

In a statement, Duplass expressed his enthusiasm about partnering with IFC Films and Sapan Studio, calling them “indie exemplars” and referring to The Baltimorons as his “solo directorial debut.”

IFC Films’ VP of Acquisitions, Ayo Kepher-Maat, described the film as a “deeply heartfelt and humorous” story and emphasized the company’s ongoing collaboration with the Duplass Brothers. “We are also excited to continue our collaboration with Sapan Studio to bring this crowd-pleasing film to theaters later this year,” Kepher-Maat said.

Sapan Studio’s Josh Sapan echoed the sentiment, calling the opportunity to work with Duplass “an absolute treat,” and highlighted IFC Films as an ideal distributor for the film’s theatrical rollout.

The distribution deal was negotiated by Ayo Kepher-Maat on behalf of IFC Films, Mark Simon for Sapan Studio, and Christine Hsu at CAA alongside Josh and Dan Braun of Submarine, representing the filmmakers.

The Baltimorons is scheduled for theatrical release later in 2025.

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