Roadside Attractions to Distribute Sundance Audience Award Winner 'Circumstance'

Brian Rigney Hubbard

Roadside Attractions has come aboard to handle the U.S. distribution of Maryam Keshavarz's Iranian drama Circumstance. Participant Media had acquired North American rights to the film when it had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Roadside plans a summer release.

The film, about an upper-class Iranian family's struggle with their daughter's blooming sexual rebellion, won the dramatic audience award in Park City.

"Sundance audiences clearly loved this gorgeous, cool, thought-provoking film as much as we did," says Roadside co-president Eric d'Arbeloff. "We think it has enormous potential for many different types of audiences, and we're thrilled to be working with our friends at Participant on it."

Roadside execs Howard Cohen and d'Arbeloff negotiated the deal with Participant COO Jeff Ivers. Roadside and Participant also partnered on the release of the documentary The Cove.