Carol Kane drama If I Tell You lands Suncatcher theatrical deal
Suncatcher Productions has picked up theatrical rights to Tessa Blake’s family drama, which is due in cinemas in August.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
Suncatcher Productions has taken theatrical distribution rights to If I Tell You, the Tessa Blake-directed family drama led by Carol Kane, Variety reported.
The film is scheduled for an August theatrical release. It is based on Lisa O’Donnell’s novel Closed Doors and centers on a 12-year-old boy trying to crack a mystery while dealing with the fallout from secrets held by the adults around him.
Kane, known for Annie Hall, appears alongside Etienne Kellici of Ready or Not, Allison Miller of 13 Reasons Why, Bill Heck of The Leftovers, Christopher Jackson of Hamilton and Carmela Zumbado of You. The cast also includes Kennedi Butler, McKenzie Hays, Tiegen Fryberger and Zelalem Oestreich.
The project marks Blake’s first feature as director. Variety reported that the movie was previously called Boundary Waters and was adapted for the screen by Blake and Jennifer Manocherian.
Erin Mae Miller of Ignite Studio is producing with Manocherian of Dog Lives Productions.
In a statement reported by Variety, Blake said making the film was about bringing “the beauty, suspense and emotional depth” of O’Donnell’s book to the screen. She said the story, seen through a boy nearing adolescence, looks at “the fragile space between certainty and mystery” and asks viewers to face what she called “the complicated truth.”
Manocherian said in a statement that she saw the book as a film from the moment she read it. She said the novel deals with themes often shown onscreen, but that its point of view, through a young boy trying to understand an adult world, made it stand out.
She added that she and Blake wanted to keep the novel’s “emotional honesty, suspense and humanity” in the adaptation. Manocherian also praised the cast and crew and said the team was excited to work with Suncatcher Productions to bring the film to audiences nationwide.
The acquisition gives If I Tell You a theatrical path after its title change and puts Blake’s debut feature on the release calendar with a veteran cast spanning film, television and Broadway.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.