The game plan of most indie filmmakers is to get their film in a festival and acquire distribution and it looks like the things have worked out well for young filmmakers Stephen Elliott and Jon Kasdan (son of Lawrence) on their latest efforts behind the camera.
Firstly, IFC Films has acquired distribution rights to "Cherry," the writing and directorial debut of Elliott which stars Ashley Hinshaw, Dev Patel, Heather Graham, Lily Taylor and James Franco. The story follows an 18-year-old high schooler (Hinshaw) who explores the world of strip clubs and porn after running off to San Francisco with her best friend (Patel).
The film should bring some insight into the industry with Elliott co-wroting the script with pornstar/NYU-student Lorelei Lee, who also directs for Kink.com — coincidentally, co-star Franco himself is making a documentary about the famed adult site. Our Berlin review of the film noted that while the "cast works hard at being winning in often unsympathetic roles," the story's "flaws run so deep and the writing is so pedestrian that it's really difficult to find much to cheer about."
Jonathan Kasdan's "The First Time," meanwhile, has been picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide. The story is set over the course of a weekend and follows the romance between a senior, Dave, and a junior, Aubrey, which begins as a casual conversation before turning into "something more intimate, more romantic, and more complicated than either of them is ready for."
Dylan O'Brien and Britt Robertson star opposite Craig Roberts ("Submarine"), James Frecheville ("Animal Kingdom"), Christine Taylor (Mrs. Ben Stiller), Victoria Justice, LaMarcus Tucker and Maggie Elizabeth Jones. The film turned heads at Park City and featured in our 10 Breakout Filmmakers & Performers piece earlier this year. [Deadline/Deadline]