Deadline is reporting that Gunpowder & Sky has acquired the U.S. rights to Neasa Hardiman’s Irish sci-fi thriller Sea Fever. The film premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival in September where it was met with a strong reception.
Sea Fever, which is also written by Hardiman (Jessica Jones, Happy Valley), sees a marine biology student find herself isolated from her superstitious trawler crew as they struggle to overcome a deadly parasite in their water supply. Connie Nielsen plays the Captain, with Hermione Corfied (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) as the student. Ardalan Esmaili, Jack Hickey, Olwen Fouéré, and newcomer Elie Bouakaze also feature.
Hardiman has described the film as “a dreamlike and devastating parable, where a neurodivergent heroine struggles with individual responsibility and threat in our increasingly fragile world.”
DoP on Sea Fever is Ruairí O’Brien, best known for Line of Duty, Humans, and The Fall. Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnell of Dublin-based Fantastic Films produce, with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Sweden’s Bright Pictures. Epic Pictures Group executive produce and co-finance, with financial support also coming from Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Wallimage, and Film i Väst, as well as from the Creative Europe MEDIA programme.
Sea Fever will get a U.S. release in early 2020 via G&S’ multiplatform sci-fi label Dust.