Sally Hawkins to Topline Canadian Indie Film ‘Maudie’

TORONTO – Blue Jasmine’s Sally Hawkins is to star in Maudie, a Canada-Ireland co-production to be directed by Aisling Walsh.

The romancer features a curmudgeonly miser who hires a tiny disfigured woman, played by Hawkins, to be his housekeeper and ends up managing her artistic career as she becomes a well-loved folk artist.

The film is based on the true story of Nova Scotia artist Maud Lewis, and will be shot in Newfoundland in August.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to play such an extraordinary and inspiring artist. It is a beautiful script,” said Hawkins in a statement about the screenplay by Sherry White.

“I have been desperate to work with Aisling Walsh again since Fingersmith. She is quite brilliant and perfect to bring Maudie’s story to life,” she added.

Maudie is produced by Bob Cooper of Los Angeles-based Landscape (John Tucker Must Die), Mary Young Leckie of Solo Productions and Susan Mullen from Dublin-based Parallel.

The executive producer credits are shared by Heather Haldane of H Is4 Productions, Mary Sexton of Rink Rat Productions, Landscape’s Tyler Mitchell and Parallel’s Alan Moloney and Johanna Hogan.

Mongrel International, the newly launched global distribution arm of Canada’s Mongrel Media, has picked up the worldwide rights to Maudie, and will start shopping the picture in Cannes.

Mongrel Media also took the Canadian rights to the picture.