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Sony Pictures Classics Acquires 'The Julia Set' Following TIFF Premiere
· Confirmed
In Short: Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the rights to 'The Julia Set,' a coming-of-age drama starring Chase Infiniti, following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Byrne said, 'Growing up, I didn’t understand that people made movies. I thought they were the purview of the gods, that they fell out of the sky, and if we were lucky, we caught them. For 35 years, my entire lifetime, Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and their team at Sony Pictures Classics have made sure audiences catch the movies worth catching. I couldn’t be prouder to add The Julia Set to their extraordinary library, and to know it will be seen the way movies are meant to be seen: in a darkened theater, together.'
The Julia Set, directed by Niki Byrne, follows math prodigy Julia Fischer, played by Chase Infiniti, as she navigates the world of competitive mathematics and academia. The film also stars Gillian Anderson, Christopher Briney, and Jason Isaacs.
The movie received a 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising Infiniti's performance and the film's exploration of themes such as feminism, romantic infatuation, and familial conflict.
The Julia Set is produced by Potato Salad Cosmic Domination, Shaun Sanghani, in association with several production companies, including SSS Entertainment, G Nus Media, IF/THEN, Grapevine Films, Cinetrain SA, Melegrano Films, Hanway Films, Gotham Group, Good Future Films, and Vacancy Film Fund.
The film's distribution deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics and Gersh. It will be released in the U.S., Benelux, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, the UK, Eastern Europe (excluding Poland), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, and Asia (excluding Singapore).
The Julia Set premiered at TIFF and follows Julia Fischer, a math prodigy recruited into an elite prep course culminating in the Putnam Competition, the most punishing exam in mathematics.
The film explores Julia's emotional journey as she faces the pressures of her overbearing father and the support of her mother, played by Gillian Anderson.
Critics have noted that the film's portrayal of Julia's character is both intriguing and challenging. While Infiniti's performance is praised, some critics find it difficult to fully invest in Julia's character due to her emotional immaturity and tendency to make poor decisions.
The film's cinematography by Antonio Calvache highlights Julia's isolation as one of the few girls in a male-dominated academic environment, adding depth to her character's struggle.
Infiniti's next project is the mysterious horror feature 'Portrait of God,' directed by Dylan Clark, who co-wrote the script with Joe Russo.
The Julia Set's success at TIFF and its acquisition by Sony Pictures Classics suggest a promising theatrical release, with the film set to be seen in theaters across multiple territories.
The Julia Set's critical reception and distribution deal indicate a strong future for the film, with Sony Pictures Classics ensuring it reaches audiences in theaters.
What this adds
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the rights to 'The Julia Set,' a coming-of-age drama starring Chase Infiniti, following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Julia Set received a 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising Infiniti's performance and the film's exploration of themes such as feminism, romantic infatuation, and familial conflict.
The film's distribution deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics and Gersh, and it will be released in multiple territories including the U.S., Benelux, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, the UK, Eastern Europe (excluding Poland), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, and Asia (excluding Singapore).
Background
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the rights to 'The Julia Set,' a coming-of-age drama starring Chase Infiniti, following the film's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Julia Set is a 2026 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Niki Byrne, starring Chase Infiniti, Gillian Anderson, Christopher Briney, Jason Isaacs, Nina Hoss, Chloe Bailey, Carmen Ejogo, Nico Hiraga, Liz Lin and Alex Dillard.
What's confirmed
- Sony Pictures Classics has taken The Julia Set taking place in the world of competitive mathematics and academia for the U.S., Benelux, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, the UK, Eastern Europe (excluding Poland), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel and Asia (excluding Singapore).
- The distribution deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics and Gersh.
What's still developing
- As Pascal crumbles under the weight of his overbearing father Aleksander’s (Jason Isaacs) suffocating expectations, it is Pascal’s mother, Anne (Gillian Anderson), who helps Julia recognize and seize a moment of opportunity that will help to define her future.
- The movie, directed by Niki Byrne, drew headlines at the Toronto Film Festival as it repped Infiniti’s next feature outing following the multi-Oscar winning One Battle After Another.
- Distributor: Strand Releasing Director: Hanaël El Yousfi Festival: TIFF Discovery Buzz: This directorial debut follows two friends, one Muslim and one Jewish, spending a carefree summer in Marseille, only to see the expectations and tensions between their traditional families start to get in the way of their friendship and leads them to take hold of their own destinies.
- But Strand, a Culver City-based distributor behind recent releases like Mexico’s Oscar submission “On the Road,” “In a Whisper,” and the 4K restoration of Gregg Araki’s “Mysterious Skin,” will release it in North America in 2027.
- Blending what the release describes as both the “cosmic and the mundane,” the film follows a 15-year-old girl who meets a new classmate named Phaedra but also begins to notice signs and symbols from a dream world surfacing around her, ultimately leading her to an ethereal transformation.
- “The Daughters of Abraham” first opens in France on December 30.
- This is Lentzou’s second feature after 2021’s “Moon, 66 Questions.” 1-2 Special is planning a theatrical release for 2027.
- It had its international premiere at TIFF, but it actually had a small bow at a French festival called the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival, where it won an Audience Award and a Special Prize for its cast.
- The distributors are planning for a release in early 2027.
- “Babies” is described as heartfelt and poignant in what is shaping up to be a strong year for Seth Rogen.
- When Pascal turns his attentions to Julia (swiftly, suspiciously), he grants her entry into a rarefied space: a study group led by the fierce Dr. Zatlan (Julia Hoss), who is preparing a cadre of math geniuses for the Putnam Competition, where they will take arguably the hardest test in the world (and, no, not just in the math world).
- That Julia is young and emotionally immature becomes a spectacular crutch for the film, which pummels its ostensible protagonist with enough bad decisions and worse instincts that rooting for her becomes a mere plea for survival.