As she explained to us in an interview of the Deep Focus podcast, Rebecca Hall has been working a long time bringing her directorial debut, “Passing,” to life. Even though the debut was delayed due to the pandemic, the period drama finally premiered as part of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. And after receiving great reviews, it appears Hall has found a distributor for her black and white feature.
The announcement comes from Netflix itself, with the streaming giant taking to their Twitter account to share the news. Previously, Variety had reported that the streaming service had picked up the distribution rights to Rebecca Hall’s “Passing,” in an agreement that could be worth $16 million. As mentioned, Hall wrote and directed this new film, which is based on the 1929 novella by Nella Larsen. The film tells the story of two biracial women in the ‘20s that are both “white-passing.” However, the friends go two separate routes with their racial identity, with one embracing the “passing,” while the other embraces her Black heritage.
“Passing” stars Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson in the starring roles. In our review of the film from this year’s Sundance, we said, “With an incredible ensemble and an elegant eye, Hall’s “Passing” is a high-wire act of a debut that tackles its several thorny issues with nary a scratch.”
Netflix is no stranger to making waves at a film festival. The streaming service has regularly become a part of Sundance and other events, spending large amounts of money on exclusive distribution rights to some of the biggest titles. Of course, over the past couple of years, we’ve seen competitors like Apple and Amazon step up their acquisitions, as well.
Obviously, it’s unclear when we might see “Passing” debut on Netflix, however, with the strong buzz coming from Sundance, we could see Netflix release this film in prime awards season, later this year.
