Ketchup Entertainment Takes North America On Animated Feature ‘Ozi, Voice Of The Forest’ Starring Amandla Stenberg
EXCLUSIVE: Ketchup Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Ozi, Voice of the Forest, an animated feature produced by Appian Way Productions, Mike Medavoy and GCI Film, which features a voice cast led by Amandla Stenberg.
World premiering at last year’s Annecy Animation Film Festival, the film is slated for a wide theatrical rollout later this year.
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The film, directed by Tim Harper, follows Ozi (Stenberg), an orphan orangutan who uses her influencer skills to save her forest and home from deforestation.
Intended to raise awareness around the issues our planet’s rainforests face due to growing levels of deforestation, and how this affects ecosystems and climate change, the film also features the voices of Dean Charles Chapman, Djimon Hounsou, Donald Sutherland, Laura Dern, RuPaul Charles, and Urzila Carlson. Intended as the first film in a climate-themed franchise, to be followed by Ocean — a film now in development — it features a title song penned by Honorary Oscar winner Diane Warren.
“OZI, VOICE OF THE FOREST is a film the whole family can enjoy,” stated Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West. “We are thrilled to be working with Appian Way, GCI and Mike Medavoy and sharing this timely story with audiences in North America.”
Added Adam Stanhope, Director of GCI Film, “Ketchup are an exciting distributor; their ambitious commitment to theatrical is key step in introducing Ozi and the Voices Franchise to US audiences.”
Recently distributing Michel Franco’s Memory, starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, which brought Sarsgaard the Venice Film Festival’s Volpi Cup for Best Actor and Chastain, an Independent Spirit Award nomination, Ketchup Entertainment’s other notable recent projects include Michael Mann’s Ferrari (distributed alongside Neon) and the Ben Affleck starrer Hypnotic. Up next, the company will release films including Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s comedy Goodrich, starring Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis; Brian Taylor’s Hellboy: The Crooked Man starring Jack Kesy; and George Huang’s Weekend in Taipei, starring Luke Evans and Gwei Lun-mei.
The deal was brokered by Fred Hedman at GFM.
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