24/01/2013 - Documentary snapped up for US distribution

Sundance Selects, a new theatrical and video-on-demand film label that provides a national platform in the US for independent films and documentaries, has secured the US distribution rights of director Nick Ryan’s documentary The Summit. The film details a deadly day in modern mountain climbing history when 11 climbers died in a K2 mountain expedition in 2008. The film has been nominated for the world cinema documentary award at the ongoing Sundance Film Festival.

The Summit was produced by Image Now Films and Pat Falvey Productions, in association with Passion Pictures, Diamond Docs and Fantastic Films and is funded by the Irish Film Board (IFB), RTE, BAI and BBC. The Summit benefited from EFP Sales Support funding to attend the Sundance Film Festival.

“The Summit is a thrilling, beautiful documentary that kept us on the edge of our seats. We’re thrilled to work with Nick Ryan and producers John Battsek, Pat Falvey, Darrell Kavanagh, and John McDonnell,” said Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects.

IFB Chief Executive James Hickey said, “I’m delighted to see such a positive reaction to The Summit this weekend. Irish film has had a successful run at Sundance for the last number of years. The Guard [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: John Michael McDonagh
film profile] had its world premiere at Sundance in 2011 and went on to have a successful cinema outing in North America as a result. The Summit is the third Irish documentary in the past four years to be selected for the World Cinema Documentary Competition following His and Hers directed by Ken Wardrop in 2010 and Ian Palmer’s Knuckle in 2011.”