“The Leisure Seeker,” starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland as a runaway couple on a last cross-country adventure, has struck a chord among film distributors. Since Cannes, Paris-based Bac Films has scored a flurry of pre-sales on the film based solely on the script, package and Italian director Paolo Virzi’s reputation as one of Italy’s top directors. Deals were signed for Australia and Canada (eOne), Germany (Concorde), Spain (Karma), Scandinavia (Scanbox), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Greece (Strada) and Israel (Lev). Bac, which co-represents the U.S. with CAA, is expecting to close more deals at Toronto, where the first footage of the film will be shown to buyers, said Bac Films’ topper Gilles Sousa. The deal could include multiple territories. The Leisure Seeker combines the best of Europe and American filmmaking and storytelling. It’s a love story that has a true universal appeal carried out by a pair of actors who are on top of their games,” said Sousa. The movie is currently in its last stretch of shooting in the States on the East Coast. Inspired by Michael Zadoorian’s eponymous novel and billed as a sort of “Easy Rider” meets “The Notebook,” “Seeker” turns on a couple embarking on a twilight-years road trip from Boston to Florida in a vintage Winnebago. The screenplay was penned by Italy’s Francesca Archibugi (“Like Crazy”) and Francesco Piccolo (“Human Capital”) in collaboration with Amidon and Virzì.
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