Kristen Stewart’s passion project has found a home.
Following a premiere at Cannes Film Festival, The Forge has acquired North American rights to Stewart’s moving feature directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water.”
The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes, where it emerged as one of the most praised titles of the festival, with critics lauding Stewart’s bold vision. The Forge will release the film to theaters in December for an awards-qualifying run, followed by a wider rollout in January. The company is positioning the project as the centerpiece of its awards season campaign.
Adapted by Stewart from Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, “The Chronology of Water” tells the story of a woman who survives an abusive childhood before channeling her experiences into competitive swimming, sexual exploration, toxic relationships and addiction, eventually discovering her voice as a writer.
Imogen Poots stars as Yuknavitch in a revelatory performance, along with an ensemble cast also includes Jim Belushi, Thora Birch, Charlie Carrick, Susannah Flood, Kim Gordon and Tom Sturridge.
The film is produced by Charles Gillibert of CG Cinema International; Yulia Zayceva, Max Poklov and Svetlana Punte of Forma Pro Films; Michael Pruss and Rebecca Feuer of Scott Free; Stewart, Maggie McLean and Dylan Meyer of Nevermind Pictures; and Andy Mingo in association with Scott Aharoni, Alihan Yalcindag and Sinan Eczacibasi for Curious Gremlin. Additional producers include Christian Vesper for Fremantle; Yan Vizinberg, Abigail Honor and Chris Cooper for Lorem Ipsum Entertainment; and Mélanie Biessy for Scala Films.
“Kristen [Stewart] hasn’t just directed a film, she’s carved out a world with unmistakable vision: one that pulses with pain, desire and defiance,” said Mark Mathias Sayre, CEO of The Forge. “‘The Chronology of Water’ is unlike anything we’ve ever released: visceral, expansive, and anchored by a performance from Imogen Poots that wrecks and rebuilds you. The film is a major achievement on every level, and we’re honored to bring it to North American audiences.”
Stewart, who spent eight years developing the project, says she is grateful the film will be released theatrically with full awards support: “Films like ours should be birthed onto the screen and I am grateful we found a team as committed to supporting independent filmmakers as they are.”
“The Chronology of Water” currently holds a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety praised it as “the beauty of what movies can do.”
The North American deal was negotiated by Sayre, Steven Michael Swadling and Decker Sadowski of The Forge, with WME Independent representing the filmmakers. Les Films du Losange is handling international sales and French distribution.