Acquisitions: 7th Art and New Video Take Rights to 'The Swell Season,' More

New Video and 7th Art Releasing have acquired The Swell Season, a documentary about Oscar-winning songwriters Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová that had its premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. The film is scheduled for a platform theatrical release in the fall through 7th Art Releasing; New Video will release it on cable VOD, digital and DVD in the U.S. through its Docurama Films brand.

Nick August-Perna, Chris Dapkins and Carlo Mirabella-Davis directed the film about Hansard and Irglová, who won the 2007 Oscar for best original song, “Falling Slowly,” from the musical romance Once, in which they also starred.

New Video exec Mark Kashden and 7th Art exec Udy Epstein negotiated the deal with Nate Bolotin and Aram Tertzakian of XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

“Equal parts love story and road show, The Swell Season seamlessly transitions from the storybook romance of Once to the real-life pressures and heartbreak that can come from sudden fame,” said Kashden. “As the film gains accolades on the festival front, we’re excited to support its release to a wider audience.”

Paladin has acquired the comic romance A Bird of the Air, the directorial debut of actress Margaret Whitton. A fall release is planned.

Rachel Nichols and Jackson Hurst star in the story of a couple who come together after finding a talking parrot with highly literary influences. Roger Towne adapted the screenplay from the 1992 Joe Coomer novel The Loop.

Steven Tabakin produced along with Whitton as the first production of their Tashtego Films. Warren Spector, also with Tashtego, is an executive producer.

“This is a truly enchanting film that took me completely by surprise," said Paladin president Mark Urman. "Not only does it introduce two enormously appealing stars who are relative newcomers to the independent film scene, it also establishes Margaret, an actor whose work I have long admired, as a highly skilled director with a point of view all her own.”

Entertainment One has acquired North American rights to The Family Tree, directed by Vivi Friedman and written by Mark Lisson. The film will open in New York City and Los Angeles theaters August 26.

Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, Brittany Robertson and Chi McBride star in a comedy about what happens to a dysfunctional family in suburban Ohio when the matriarch suffers amnesia.

Allan Jones, J. Todd Harris, Mark Lisson and Kathy Weiss produced; Robert E. Griffin, Jr. and Marc Toberoff are executive producers. E1 exec Sejin Park negotiated the deal with Jones and Harris.

“It is truly a pleasure to be releasing an independent feature like The Family Tree," said E1 U.S. president Michael E. Rosenberg. "With its smart script and incredible ensemble cast, we are confident that audiences will embrace the film and respond to its unique wit and charm.”