‘To Leslie,’ Which Landed Andrea Riseborough an Oscar Nom, Sells Internationally (Exclusive)

To Leslie, the acclaimed low-budget drama that landed star Andrea Riseborough a surprise Oscar nomination for best actress (one that sparked no shortage of debate across the industry), has scored multiple international sales for Mister Smith Entertainment.

Having already been given a limited release in the U.S. in October last year with Momentum and a smaller bow in the U.K. in November with eOne, the film — in which Riseborough plays a single mother and alcoholic who squanders all the prize money she received after winning the lottery — has now landed deals for Australia and New Zealand (Kismet Movies), Spain (A Contracorriente Films), Japan (Kadokawa), Latin America (Cine Video y TV), Benelux (Paradiso Filmed Entertainment), Italy (Minerva Pictures), Greece/Cyprus (Femeway), Iceland (Samfilm), Israel (United King Films), the Middle East (Front Row Filmed Entertainment), Poland (M2 Films), Portugal (NOS Lusomundo Audiovisuais), Scandinavia (Nonstop Entertainment), Switzerland (Praesens-Film), Turkey (Filmarti Film), Singapore (Shaw Renters), Ex-Yugo (Blitz Film & Video Distribution), Hungary (Cinetel), India (PVR Pictures), South Korea (JinJin Pictures), Taiwan (Light Year Images) and worldwide airlines (Ricochet Digital Media). Deals in France and China are currently being negotiated. 

Also starring Oscar winner Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Marc Maron (Joker), Andre Royo (The Wire), Owen Teague (You Hurt My Feelings) and Stephen Root (Barry), To Leslie was directed by Michael Morris (Extrapolations, Better Call Saul) and written by Ryan Binaco (3022). The producers are Claude Dal Farra, Brian Keady, Kelsey Law, Ceci Cleary, Jason Shuman, Eduardo Cisneros and Philip Waley.

In her review from the film’s world premiere in SXSW 2022, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Sheri Linden described Riseborough’s performance as “riveting perfection,” and “extraordinary in its moment-to-moment sparks of hope against hope and slow-dawning self-awareness amid the despair, dissembling and self-delusion.”