Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s next, Funny Boy, has been acquired by Hollywood filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing, reported Variety.
The film, which is an adaptation of Sri Lankan-Canadian author Shyam Selvadurai’s 1994 novel of the same name, will see a theatrical release in selected cities and will also debut on Netflix India on December 10, the Variety report stated.
Sharing the article on her social media page, Ava DuVernay wrote that Deepa Mehta is one of her cinematic heroes and it is an honour to produce Funny Boy.
When you get to distribute the latest feature film from one of your cinematic heroes, it is a good day. @ARRAYNow will release FUNNY BOY directed by the indomitable @IamDeepaMehta on @Netflix and with select theaters on December 10. Wow. An honor. A dream. https://t.co/RNusTprLAu
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 15, 2020
Mehta, too, took to Twitter and shared her excitement about being a part of the venture.
I am SO excited, so thrilled forProducer #David Hamilton who makes the impossible possible, for our formidable cast and crew to be a part of @ARRAYNow . Queen @Ava you are a force of nature https://t.co/4h0ip2jgDV
— Deepa Mehta (@IamDeepaMehta) October 16, 2020
The coming-of-age novel explores the journey of a gay Tamil child who is struggling to embrace his sexuality in the background of Sri Lanka’s civil war. The novel explores racial hostilities, labour discrimination, and also Black July, the 1983 Anti-Tamil pogrom that killed up to 3,000 people.
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Funny Boy has a stellar cast including, Ingram, Nimmi Harasgama, Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi, Seema Biswas, Rehan Mudannayake, and Shivantha Wijesinha. The film is produced by David Hamilton, and the music composed by Oscar winner Howard Shore. While the editing is handled by Teresa Font, Douglas Koch is the cinematographer.
“Deepa Mehta’s Funny Boy builds upon the iconic filmmaker’s provocative canon of work as a film that is beautiful to the eye and emotional for the heart,” said DuVernay and Jones in a joint statement. “Her singular vision for adapting this best-selling novel invites film lovers to delve deep into themes of identity, acceptance, and family, while she shares the majesty and turmoil of Sri Lanka during this particular time in history,” they said.
According to Variety, the film will debut on Netflix in the US, UK, New Zealand, and Australia on December 10.
Mehta is best known for her element trilogy films Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and, Water (2005).
Picture credit – Wikipedia