[Annecy 2018] UTA Picks Up NA Sales Rights For 'Chuck Steel: Night Of The Trampires'

Annecy International Animation Festival is in full swing, and many exciting screenings and events have already taken place. Among them was the world premiere screening of Chuck Steel: Night Of The Trampires. The stop-motion feature has been on our radar since we first discovered the short that preceded it, Raging Balls Of Steel Justice.

Created entirely at Animortal Studios, a 23,000-square-foot stop-motion and VFX facility in Bridgend, Wales, the film is a tribute to 1980's American live-action cinema. It follows Chuck Steel (a cop on the edge, who doesn't play by the rules) who has to deal with a sudden and inexplicable rise in high profile assaults in Los Angeles after the Governor decides to reduce the licensing hours for clubs and bars. It is the feature directorial debut of Animortal founder Mike Mort.

Like Cannes and other festivals, Annecy is as much a business occasion as it is anything else. Distributors from around the world attend looking for new films or series to acquire, and production companies attend looking to find distributors for their work. Animortal has announced that UTA Independent Film Group will be handling North American film sales for the title. This means that they will be seeking a distributor (or distributors) for the film, with sales starting during the festival.

Mike Mort, Randhir Singh Heer, producer and Animortal Studio’s CEO and co-Founder, and Rupert Lywood, Oscar-winning executive producer and Animortal Studios Co-Founder said of the deal "We are very excited to partner with UTA Independent Film Group on the sale of the film in the US. The group has packaged and represented some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed features and we are thrilled to be working with them on this project."

Jon Levy, an Agent at UTA focused on independent animation added, "Chuck Steel is a visually stunning stop-motion film that reflects UTA’s commitment to supporting features across every genre. We look forward to sharing Animortal’s compelling animation with audiences at Annecy this week."

Based on the footage we've seen, we can't imagine that they will have any trouble finding distribution partners. This should be particularly true in the US, as while it is a British production, it's a tribute to Hollywood style filmmaking.




Image copyright: Trampires Limited 2018