Paladin Takes in New Zealand ‘Boy’ for U.S. Run

Paladin has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Taika Waititi‘s Boy, which had its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The indie outfit plans a limited end-of-year release to qualify for awards.

Developed at the Sundance Institute writers lab from Waititi’s Oscar-nominated short Two Cars, One Night, Boy follows a daydreaming 11-year-old Maori boy obsessed with American pop culture as he is reunited with his ex-con father. Waititi stars with James Rolleston as the boy. Since playing at the Sundance, Berlin and AFI fests, the film has won several awards and become New Zealand’s biggest box office success.

Mark Urman’s Paladin will release the film along with Unison Films and in association with Radius Films. Emanuel Michael of Unison produced the film along with Ainsley Gardiner and Cliff Curtis.

“The film is a perfect blend of the exotic and the universal, the timeless and the new, and there is no question that critics and audiences alike will recognize Taika as an exciting new voice in international cinema,” said Urman.

Repped by CAA and Manage-Ment, Waititi wrote and directed Eagle Vs. Shark, as well as several episodes of the television series The Flight of the Conchords.

Paladin has recently released I Am and Love Etc. Forthcoming are the features One Fall, The Whale, Connected and A Bird of the Air.