By Kate Erbland
September 28, 2016

Cinelicious Pics has acquired all North American rights to Tim Sutton’s critically acclaimed “Dark Night.” Billed as “an artfully understated critique of American gun culture,” the film is “loosely based around the 2012 massacre that took place during a multiplex screening of ‘The Dark Knight’ in Aurora, Colorado.” Sutton’s feature uses pseudo-documentary technique and a cast of non-professional actors to chart the course of six strangers — including the eventual shooter — over one fateful day. The film was shot in Sarasota, Florida, and lensed by veteran French DP Helene Louvart and boasts an original score by Montreal-based Maica Armata.

The film debuted at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was later selected as Closing Night Film at BAM CinemaFest. In recent weeks, the film played out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, where it took home the Lanterna Magica Award.

Our own Eric Kohn wrote of the film, “at every turn, the movie casts a haunting spell…’Dark Night’ plays more like a plea for scrutinizing people rather than the reductive tales of their fates…Despite its real world inspiration, ‘Dark Night’ creates the impression that exclusively focusing on the horrific events — and not the people impacted by them — buries the lede.”

“I am so proud of how this film was made and equally proud of the people who made it,” commented Sutton. “Now I get to take pride in how it will meet American audiences because Cinelicious Pics — a tasteful, intelligent and thoughtful team — will lead Dark Night into theaters with as much passion as we put into making it.”

“We’re incredibly proud and excited to be working alongside Tim,” added Cinelicious Pics’s Vice-President of Acquisitions and Distribution, David Marriott. “His is a singular and much-needed voice in American Independent cinema. DARK NIGHT is not only an important addition to the conversation surrounding gun culture in this country, but a visionary work of art in its own right.”

Cinelicious Pics is planning an early 2017 theatrical and VOD release for the film.