WELL GO USA ACQUIRES SXSW SCI-FI THRILLER “MONOLITH” FOR NORTH AMERICA
Well Go USA has acquired all North American distribution rights to the Australian sci-fi thriller MONOLITH starring Lily Sullivan (Evil Dead Rise, I Met a Girl, Picnic at Hanging Rock), which had its international premiere as part of SXSW’s Midnighters section after having screened at Adelaide Film Festival in 2022.
The deal was brokered by Pip Ngo and Peter Van Steemburg of XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers and by Brennan Lane on behalf of Well Go USA. Blue Finch Films will continue international sales, with Bonsai Films handling Australian distribution.
In this taut, contained mystery, a disgraced journalist attempts to salvage her career by turning to investigative podcasting. While trying to uncover the secrets behind a strange artifact with links to an alien conspiracy theory, the journalist soon finds that the story has moved uncomfortably close to home, leaving her to grapple with the lies at the heart of her own story.
MONOLITH was developed and produced through the FilmLab: New Voices program, an initiative run by the South Australian Film Corporation and the Adelaide Film Festival, with support from Screen Australia, designed to develop and elevate first-time South Australian feature filmmakers. MONOLITH was directed by Matt Vesely, written by Lucy Campbell and produced by Bettina Hamilton and was filmed across a three-week period in one location in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills. Completed at the end of 2022, Monolith is the first film to come out of the FilmLab: New Voices program, with the second round currently in development.
“MONOLITH brilliantly leverages its breathtaking sole location to construct a captivating and immersive world that draws viewers in from the very beginning,” said Brennan Lane, director of acquisitions and production at Well Go USA. “Built on a foundation of masterful writing alongside visual and audio storytelling approaches that sustain suspense throughout, MONOLITH is a gripping, well-executed and original genre film.”
“We are delighted to be working with Well Go USA on bringing our sci-fi thriller Monolith to North American audiences. In Well Go we feel we have continued to find partners who really believe in the film, as XYZ Films did when they came onboard for sales. Monolith has had a great festival response from audiences and we can’t wait to share it further,“ said Bettina Hamilton, Producer, Black Cat White Rabbit Productions.
About Well Go USA Entertainment:
Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is an Oscar®-nominated theatrical and home entertainment distribution label that specializes in bringing the best in action, genre and independent films from the U.S. and around the world to North America. Well Go titles can be seen across a variety of platforms, including in theaters, on-demand, via DVD and Blu-ray and on television, as well as on mobile and connected devices through martial arts action channel Hi-YAH! (www.hiyahtv.com). Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters is in Plano, Texas, with an additional office in Taiwan.
About XYZ Films:
XYZ Films is an independent studio whose mission is to empower visionary storytellers from every corner of the planet. As a producer, financier and distributor, the company is uniquely suited to identify talented filmmakers and bring their stories to life. XYZ recently expanded into talent management, working with a global roster of
filmmakers. XYZ was founded in 2008 by Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer, and Aram Tertzakian. The company’s classic titles include THE RAID franchise, 2017 Sundance winner I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE, and Panos Cosmatos’ psychedelic revenge thriller MANDY.
XYZ’s current slate include Berlin competition title BLACKBERRY from director Matt Johnson which stars Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel, ASH starring Eiza González and Aaron Paul and to be directed by Flying Lotus, SEVEN VEILS starring Amanda Seyfried and directed by Atom Egoyan, Sundance selection RUN RABBIT RUN directed by Dana Reid and starring Sarah Snook, and DANIELA FOREVER to be directed by Nacho Vigalondo and starring Henry Golding. XYZ is in post-production on the Netflix Original HAVOC, directed by Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker.
