Sundance 2013: IFC Nabs North American Rights to Michael Cera Starrer 'Crystal Fairy'

IFC Films has acquired North American rights to writer-director Sebastian Silva's Crystal Fairy, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

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The film stars Michael Cera, Gaby Hoffmann, Juan Andres Silva, Jose Miguel Silva and Agustin Silva and was produced by Juan de Dios Larrain and Pablo Larrain.

Crystal Fairy marks the fifth festival pickup for Sundance Selects/IFC Films. IFC Films nabbed Michael Winterbottom’s The Look of Love and David Lowery’s Ain't Them Bodies Saints. Sister label Sundance Selects acquired rights to two docs in competition at the festival: Nick Ryan’s The Summit and Richard Rowley’s Dirty Wars.

The story centers on Jamie (Cera), a boorish, insensitive twentysomething American traveling in Chile who plans on taking a road trip to experience a legendary shamanistic hallucinogen called the San Pedro cactus. In a moment of drunkenness, he invites an eccentric woman — a radical spirit named Crystal Fairy (Hoffmann) — to come along. What is meant to be a devil-may-care journey becomes a battle of wills as Jamie finds himself locking horns with his new traveling companion. But on a remote, pristine beach at the edge of the desert, the magic brew is finally imbibed, and the true adventure begins.

Crystal Fairy took home the best director award in World Cinema at the festival.

"Crystal Fairy charmed our entire company as one of the most original and charming films of the festival," Sundance Selects/IFC Films president Jonathan Sehring said. "We've been fans of Sebastian Silva's The Maid and Old Cats and are thrilled to finally be working with him on what we hope will be a great success."

Email: Tatiana.Siegel@THR.com, Twitter: @TatianaSiegel27