Fox Searchlight signs first look deal with Martha Marcy May Marlene filmmakers

Fox Searchlight’s Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley announced that Borderline Films, the creative team behind the critically acclaimed psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Fox Searchlight Pictures have signed a two-year, first-look deal. Borderline Films is the partnership of Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Josh Mond. Currently in theatres, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Durkin’s feature debut, was picked up by Fox Searchlight at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was the winner of the Dramatic Feature Directing Award. The film went on to screen at Festival de Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, among others.

A New York-based feature film production company, Borderline Films was formed in 2003 by Tisch film school alums Campos, Durkin and Mond. Rotating the roles of writer, director and producer, the three filmmakers have earned acclaim around the world for their stylized and original films.

Borderline’s first feature film, Afterschool, a riveting look at the dark side of youth in the media age written and directed by Antonio Campos and produced by Mond and Durkin, premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard. The film went on to screen at numerous other festivals around the world including New York, London, and Berlin. Afterschool was released theatrically by IFC Films and was nominated for Best First Feature by the Independent Spirit Awards and Breakthrough Director for Campos by the Gotham Awards.

Borderline’s latest film, the critically acclaimed psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, was recently nominated for three Gotham Awards: Sean Durkin for Breakthrough Director, Elizabeth Olsen for Breakthrough Performance and Best Ensemble.

Other acclaimed Borderline projects include: Buy It Now, Borderline’s first short film directed by Campos which won the Cinefondation prize at Cannes in 2005; writer-director Alistair Banks Griffin’s lyrical feature film Two Gates of Sleep which premiered at Cannes Directors Fortnight in 2010; Mary Last Seen, Sean Durkin’s short film which won Best Short at Cannes Directors Fortnight in 2010; and Josh Mond’s highly praised music video for the hit Mayday Parade song Kids in Love which was shown at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival.