From writer/director Henry Dunham and produced by Jay Van Hoy (Beginners, The Witch)
Mister Smith Entertainment to launch sales in Berlin
Phoebe Dynevor (Fair Play, “Bridgerton”) will star in Wichita Libra, writer/director Henry Dunham’s (The Standoff at Sparrow Creek) sophomore feature. The gripping thriller is produced by Jay Van Hoy (The Lighthouse, The Witch, American Honey, Hell of a Summer). Currently in pre-production, the film begins shooting this year. Mister Smith Entertainment will launch international sales at the upcoming 2023 European Film Market in Berlin later this month. UTA is handling North American rights.
In the aftermath of a triple murder in her hometown, Frannie Jacobs (Phoebe Dynevor) fled rural Kansas for Chicago and started a new life. A decade on, she is drawn back home after her brother’s death to decode a cryptic letter he left behind, suggesting that the wrong man was charged with the crime that tore her community and family apart all those years ago, and that an anonymous missing woman could clear his name.
Phoebe Dynevor’s latest film, the psychological thriller Fair Play, premiered at Sundance Film Festival to great acclaim, prompting a $20 million global acquisition deal by Netflix – one of the biggest sales in Sundance history. The film and Phoebe’s performance have already garnered early awards buzz.
Mister Smith Entertainment’s Founder and CEO David Garrett stated: “We were immediately hooked by Henry Dunham’s atmospheric, completely immersive storytelling and are thrilled to be working with such a strong creative team on Wichita Libra. We are so excited to see what Phoebe Dynevor brings to the complex, conflicted and compelling role of Frannie.”
Phoebe Dynevor, best known for her starring role as Daphne in Netflix hit series “Bridgerton,” currently stars in Fair Play, directed by Chloe Domont. The psychological thriller premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, to high acclaim, resulting in one of the largest acquisition deals in the festival’s history, with Netflix purchasing the global rights. Phoebe recently wrapped Miramax’s new thriller Inheritance for director Neil Burger opposite Rhys Ifans. Phoebe starred as Clarice Cliff in Sky Cinema’s The Colour Room and featured in Ten Percent for Amazon Prime. In addition to her on screen work, Dynevor serves as an ambassador for Action Aid UK, for whom she campaigns to raise awareness for their work to support women and girls living in poverty. Phoebe Dynevor is represented by The Gersh Agency, United Agents, and Luber Roklin Entertainment.
Auteur writer/director Henry Dunham’s 2019 debut feature, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, received strong critical acclaim heralding him as a talent to watch for his sharp storytelling and thrilling dramatic tension. Dunham is currently in development to write and direct Division By Zero based on a Ted Chiang short story with Eric Heisserer producing, and Luma producing and financing. Henry Dunham is represented by UTA, Anonymous Content, and attorney Stephen Clark of Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, Feldman, & Clark.
Producer Jay Van Hoy’s pedigree of critically acclaimed arthouse and commercial features includes Mike Mills’ Beginners, which garnered an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Plummer; A24’s The Witch, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, and The Lighthouse, starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, both written and directed by Robert Eggers; and David Lowey’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck. Van Hoy also produced Andrea Arnold’s Cannes Jury Prize winner, American Honey. In 2020 he produced Uncle Frank, starring Paul Bettany, winner of the Audience Award at the Deauville Film Festival and nominated for a Prime Time Emmy Award. Jay recently produced Hell of A Summer, the directorial debut of Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk.
About Mister Smith Entertainment
Mister Smith Entertainment (MSE) is involved in the financing, co-financing, and licensing of high-quality mainstream feature films and filmmaker-driven movies for the global market. MSE’s current sales slate includes New Zealand-set family adventure comedy Bookworm, directed by Ant Timpson and starring Elijah Wood; Māori historical epic The Convert, written and directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Guy Pearce; comic drama Inappropriate Behavior, directed by Tony Goldwyn and starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and Robert De Niro; true crime thriller He Went That Way, starring Jacob Elordi and Zachary Quinto; Brian Epstein biopic Midas Man, starring Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Emily Watson, and Eddie Marsan, and directed by Sara Sugarman; and Michael Morris’ To Leslie, starring Andrea Riseborough in an Oscar nominated performance. MSE has a fruitful collaboration with BCDF Pictures and is representing several features on their slate, including Which Brings Me to You, starring Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff; The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, starring Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks; and the recent hit romantic comedy The Hating Game, starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell.
For further information, please visit MSE’s website: https://mistersmithent.com/
Phoebe Dynevor
Photo credit: Greg Williams
