Wellspring Picks Up Vinterberg's Dear Wendy.

Here's one for Crazybee, just because I know how much he loves his Danish film ...

Wellspring has just picked up all North American rights to Dear Wendy, the anti-gun collaboration from Dogme 95 co-founders Thomas Vinterberg and Lars Von Trier. Directed by Vinterberg and scripted by Von Trier (in English, by the way) Dear Wendy raised more than a few eyebrows at this year's Sundance Festival with people once again challenging Von Trier's right and ability to criticize US culture considering that he has never once set foot on American soil and never will given his extreme phobia of flying.

You can check the official website here and read on for the full press release.

Press release: February 25, 2005

NEW YORK, NY --- February 23, 2005 --- Dear Wendy, the artistic collaboration between Dogme '95 brothers Thomas Vinterberg and Lars Von Trier, an acerbic commentary on American gun culture that created a sensation at this year's Sundance Film Festival, has been acquired by Wellspring, a division of American Vantage Media Corporation which has become known for its bold choices and support of important auteurs. The film stars Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, The Chumscrubber, Peter Jackson's King Kong), Bill Pullman (Independence Day, Lost Highway) and Mark Webber (Storytelling, Winter Solstice). The film was produced by Nimbus Film and Zentropa. Directed by Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration, It's All About Love) and written by Lars Von Trier (Dogville, Breaking the Waves), Dear Wendy immediately establishes itself as a major work through its audacious and stylish exploration of guns and violence in American youth culture. It tells the story of a young loner named Dick who discovers a handgun and finds himself strangely drawn to it despite his pacifist views. Soon he forms a secret club with other misfits in his town who collect and revere antique guns and call themselves the Dandies. But despite their film belief in the most important Dandy rule of all - "never draw your weapons" - they eventually discover that some rules are meant to be broken. Beautifully shot by Anthony Dod Mantle (28 Days Later, Dogville) and featuring a soundtrack of songs by the '60s band The Zombies, Dear Wendy is an instant classic of the youth film genre along the lines of Trainspotting and A Clockwork Orange. Marie Therese Guirgis, Wellspring's Head of Acquisitions negotiated the deal with Peter Aalbæk Jensen of Trust Film Sales.

Thomas Vinterberg commented, "It is uplifting for me to hear that Wellspring is now handling the North American distribution of Dear Wendy. They have already proved to be very smart, courageous and modern in their way of handling other films of this kind, and I expect a lot of great ideas coming from them."

He continues, "The North American territory is important for this film. I know that this film is more than just a satire about American gun culture, but there is a vital debate about these matters in America nowadays, and hopefully this film will invite many more interesting conversations about the human attraction to firearms."

Marie Therese Guirgis said, "Thomas Vinterberg has made a bold, entertaining one-of-a-kind movie that will make a big splash upon its release. The combination of Vinterberg and Von Trier will attract a lot of attention and will not disappoint. It's an honor for us to work with two of the most exciting talents in the world."