IFC Films announced today that the company is acquiring North American rights to Peter Sattler’s directorial debut film Camp X-Ray. The film, with a screenplay by Sattler, stars Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi and Lane Garrison, and was produced by Gina Kwon, and executive produced by Emmy Ellison, Lindsay Williams, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, David Gordon Green and Sophia Lin. The film made its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section.
In the film, a young woman (Stewart) joins the military to be part of something bigger than herself and her small town roots, but ends up as a rookie guard at Guantanamo Bay. Her mission is far from black and white, as she is surrounded by hostile jihadists and aggressive male squadmates. When she strikes up an unusual friendship with one of the detainees (A Separation‘s Maadi), both of their worlds are forever shifted. Written and directed by Peter Sattler, Camp X-Ray is a deeply human story of two people, on opposite sides of a war, trapped and struggling to find a way to live together.
“Peter Sattler has made a stirring, sensitive and thought-provoking film that features two powerhouse performances by Payman Maadi and Kristen Stewart,” says Jonathan Sehring, president of Sundance Selects/IFC Films. “Maadi proves once again that he is a force to be reckoned with and Stewart undoubtedly gives the best and most moving performance of her already remarkable career.”
