Oscar Hudson's STRAIGHT CIRCLE Acquired by Joint Venture for U.S. Release

Straight Circle, the feature debut from writer-director Oscar Hudson, has been acquired by Joint Venture for a U.S. theatrical release later this year. Starring Elliot Tittensor, Luke Tittensor, and Neil Maskell, the film premiered in September at Venice Critics’ Week, where it won the Grand Prize and the prize for Most Innovative Film.

Described as a "satire about how manmade boundaries affect our humanity," Straight Circle follows a pair of enemy soldiers stationed on a remote desert outpost who descend into a nightmare of madness, forgetting whose side of the border is whose. As they fight to cling to sanity, they are forced to grapple with their identities, their loyalties, and the PRIMAL INSTINCT to care for a fellow human being.

“Straight Circle is a very silly story about very serious stuff,” said the film’s writer/director Oscar Hudson. “It asks questions about nations and the lines we draw in the sand. It’s partly set everywhere... but it’s especially set nowhere. It features serious military men in oversized hats, teaches us the proper method for boiling an egg, and stresses the vital importance of your hairstyle. But above everything else Straight Circle is a story about our very identities, those which are passed down to us and those that we might forge for ourselves.”

Hudson first trained as a social anthropologist before swapping ethnography for the world of music videos in London. After directing videos for bands including Radiohead, Bonobo and James Blake, Hudson became an in-demand voice working in short form globally, winning 100+ major awards, including a Primetime Emmy.

“Oscar’s genius is creating a film that is simultaneously universal and painstakingly specific,” said Joint Venture's Co-Founders Vinay Singh and Jess Jacobs. “Juxtaposing striking visuals with comic absurdity while maintaining a beautiful core of humanity, this is a singular film and impressive debut that brings to mind the masterful work of Jonathan Glazer, Claire Denis, and Spike Jonze.”

Straight Circle is produced by Kevin Rowe, Thomas Benski, Rik Green, and Riaz Rizvi. Eva Yates, Robert Kapp, William Rosenfeld, Ulf Ek, Tomasine Hastings, Anthony Kingsley, Sophie Kingsley, Charlie Alderman, Christopher Dodds, Greg Field, Marisa Clifford, Davud Karbassioun, Tim O'Shea, Christine D'Souza, David Hinojosa, and Oscar Hudson, serve as Executive Producers, and Bill Reedy, Emily Reedy, Ava Chopra and Michael Hodgin as Co-Executive Producers. The deal was negotiated by Julia Nelson, Christine D'Souza and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers, and Chris Lane and Becca Leckie on behalf of Joint Venture.