EXCLUSIVE: IFC Midnight has acquired U.S. rights to 78/52, the Alexandre O. Philippe-directed Sundance documentary that deconstructs the infamous shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The film features interviews with Guillermo del Toro, Bret Easton Ellis, Karyn Kusama, Eli Roth, Walter Murch and Peter Bogdanovich. Philippe, who wrote the script, broke down in great detail a scene that became a template for how to terrorize a movie audience with a combination of imagery and suggestion. The title refers to the number of setups (78) and the number of cuts (52) in the shower scene, which took one quarter of the film’s four week shooting schedule. The film is an Exhibit A Pictures production, produced by Kerry Deignan Roy; and co-produced by Oliver Schwehm of ARTE G.E.I.E., Chad Herschberger of Milkhaus, Annick Mahnert of Screen Division, and Robert Muratore of EXA. Felix Gill of Sensorshot Productions, Joey Porcelli, and Randy Pharo served as executive producers.
“It’s a great honor to be partnering with IFC Films and working closely with them to bring 78/52 to horror and documentary fans across the U.S,” said Philippe, who’s managed by Brillstein Entertainment and is being hotly pursued by the agencies. “Their love of smart genre cinema shines through in everything they do, and 78/52 will undoubtedly flourish with their savvy, forward-thinking support. Our team is very excited about this partnership.”
IFC co-presidents Jonathan Sehring and Lisa Schwartz called the docu “a thrilling piece of work about one of the greatest films ever made. Alexandre Philippe has made a film that captures why all of us have become obsessed not only with Psycho but cinema itself. We are excited to work with the entire team to get this film out to the world.” Arianna Bocco from Sundance Selects/IFC Films and Preferred Content’s Kevin Iwashina and Zac Bright brokered the deal.
