Set against the backdrop of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings, Washington Post journalist, Langston Whitfield (Samuel L. Jackson) meets Anna Malan (Juliette Binoche) an Afrikaans poet covering the hearings for South African state media. His horror at the revelations at the truth commission leads to instant animosity between Langston and Anna, but as he becomes increasingly drawn into her world and her passion for the country of her birth, he softens his stance and, against his will and principles, falls in love with the white African.
"This is a film that we, at the Works, have felt passionately about from the day the script came to us," says Aline Perry, CEO, The Works. "We feel that our colleagues at Sony Pictures Classics and their colleagues at Columbia TriStar International (Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Latin America and Germany) share the same passion for what we feel is an important film."
"This is a powerful film about reconciliation, " notes Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics. "It is one of the great John Boorman films and features spectacular performances by Juliette Binoche, Samuel Jackson, and Brendan Gleeson. It is an extreme pleasure to be back in business with John and Aline Perry from The Works."
"Country of My Skull" is directed by John Boorman, produced by Robert Chartoff, Mike Medavoy, Boorman, Kieran Corrigan and Lynn Hendee, produced in South Africa by David Wicht, executive produced by Chris Auty, Neil Peplow, Mfundi Vundla, Duncan Reid, Sam Bhembe and Jamie Brown, written by Ann Peacock from Antjie Krog's novel "Country of My Skull," with Seamus Deasy serving as director of cinematography and Ron Davis as editor.
Co-President's Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Dylan Leiner, SVP of Acquisition and Productions, negotiated the deal for Sony Pictures Classics, and CEO Aline Perry, and Joy Wong, Head of Sales for The Works.
