Vertical has picked up US rights to Brother

Vertical has acquired US rights to Clement Virgo’s (Rude, The Wire) critically-acclaimed, heartfelt feature film, Brother following its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Virgo wrote the screenplay adapted from David Chariandy’s novel of the same name which follows two brothers facing questions of masculinity, family, race and identity. The film stars Lamar Johnson (The Hate U Give, The Last of Us), Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad, Foe), Kiana Madeira (Fear Street franchise), and Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us).

The film is slated for a day-and-date release in Summer 2023.

Propelled by the pulsing beats of Toronto’s early hip hop scene, Brother is the story of Francis (Pierre) and Michael (Johnson), sons of Caribbean immigrants maturing into young men. A mystery unfolds during the sweltering summer of 1991, and escalating tensions set off a series of events that change the course of the brothers’ lives forever. Brother crafts a timely story about the profound bond between siblings, the resilience of community and the irrepressible power of music.

Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey commented, “Clement has created one of the very best coming of age films in recent memory masterfully capturing two brothers’ complicated journey over the course of three time periods. The film is textured and seamless, with powerful performances from the actors that produce a provocative portrait of love, loss, regret and grief that is mesmerizing.”

The filmmakers added, “We’re excited to work with Vertical on the US release of Brother. They have a proven track record of connecting innovative films with audiences who crave original, thought-provoking stories. We can’t wait to share Brother with the US this summer through Vertical’s expert curation and marketing.”

The film is produced by Damon D’Oliveira, Sonya Di Rienzo, Clement Virgo, and Aeschylus Poulos. Executive Producers include Aaron L. Gilbert, Laurie May, Noah Segal, and Steven Thibault.

Clement Virgo is repped by WME, Fourth Wall and Paul Hastings; Pierre is repped by WME, Anonymous Content, Hamilton Hodell, Sloane Offer Weber & Dern and Narrative; Johnson is repped by WME, Entertainment 360, Jackoway Austen Tyerman and The Initiative Group; Marsha Stephanie Blake is repped by Anonymous Content, Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher and Narrative; and Kiana Madeira is repped by Verve, Ambition Talent, and The Forward Group.

Senior Vice President of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical; WME Independent and Linda Jin of BRON negotiated the deal on behalf of the production.