FOCUS FEATURES ACQUIRES EDGAR WRIGHT’S HIT SUNDANCE DOCUMENTARY THE SPARKS BROTHERS FROM MRC NON-FICTION

Wright’s Documentary Debut Follows The Five-Decade Career of Influential Rock Pop Duo Sparks

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LOS ANGELES, CA FEBRUARY 23, 2021 – Focus Features has acquired the worldwide rights to Edgar Wright’s first documentary feature, THE SPARKS BROTHERS, from MRC Non-Fiction following a widely acclaimed debut at the Sundance film festival this year. Currently with a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film chronicles the decades-long career and influence of the enigmatic rock pop duo Sparks. In his second film with Focus Features this year, director Edgar Wright (upcoming Last Night in Soho, Baby Driver), also produced the documentary with his producing partner Nira Park, though their company Complete Fiction Pictures, along with producers George Hencken, and Complete Fiction’s Laura Richardson. The film was financed by MRC Non-Fiction and will be distributed domestically by Focus Features with Universal Pictures distributing internationally.

How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? THE SPARKS BROTHERS, which features commentary from celebrity fans Flea, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of your favorite band’s favorite band. 

Says Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski, "It's hard to imagine a better pairing of subjects and filmmaker than Ron and Russell and Edgar.  For the past five decades, Sparks have been pushing the bounds of pop music with iconoclastic style and a perpetual mission to try something new rather than relying on the tried-and-true.  It's that perseverance that has made them among the most influential bands in history.  In telling their story, Edgar has crafted an absolute joy bomb that will literally have you dancing in the aisles whether you grew up following them or are just now realizing how much their sound already shaped your life."

“I’ve had the privilege of seeing Focus Features do what they do best, and they are the perfect team to bring Edgar’s love letter to Ron & Russell to audiences around the world – we are truly envious of everyone who will get to experience Sparks for the first time,” said Amit Dey, Head of MRC Non-Fiction

Wright is represented by CAA and Nelson Davis. 

About Focus Features
Focus Features acquires and produces specialty films for the global market and holds a library of iconic movies, with 129 Academy Award Nominations and 25 wins from fearless filmmakers. Upcoming and current releases from Focus include Promising Young Woman produced by LuckyChap Entertainment; Robin Wright’s feature directorial debut Land starring Wright and co-star Demián Bichir; acclaimed filmmaker Morgan Neville’s upcoming documentary on Anthony Bourdain; Edgar Wright’s supernatural thriller Last Night in Soho from Working Title; Eddie Huang’s directorial debut Boogie; Justin Chon’s powerful drama Blue Bayou; . Universal Pictures International has led distribution in select markets for titles including Last Night in Soho; Land; Untitled Anthony Bourdain documentary; Boogie; Blue Bayou; Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater starring Matt Damon; Paul Schrader’s thriller The Card Counter starring Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe; Wolf starring George MacKay and Lily-Rose Depp; James Gray’s Armageddon Time starring Robert De Niro, Oscar Isaac, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, and Donald Sutherland; the supernatural horror You Won’t Be Alone; and Kenneth Branagh’s humorous, tender and intensely personal Belfast starring Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds and Jude Hill.

Focus is part of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (UFEG), which produces, acquires, markets and distributes filmed entertainment worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television and other distribution platforms. UFEG’s global division also includes Universal Pictures, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, and DreamWorks Animation. UFEG is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

For more information please visit www.focusfeatures.com.

About MRC Non-Fiction
MRC Non-Fiction works with a diverse group of artists to develop, finance and produce feature documentaries and docuseries for global audiences who seek enduring and definitive storytelling. The slate includes: “The Sparks Brothers,” the critically acclaimed debut documentary from filmmaker Edgar Wright (“Baby Driver”), chronicling the 50-year career of influential American duo Sparks, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival; and “The Last Rider,” which tells the story of legendary cyclist Greg LeMond, from acclaimed director Alex Holmes. For more information, please visit www.mrcentertainment.com.