Siân Heder’s CODA, which AppleTV+ scooped up at this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival in a record $25M global deal, will debut in theaters and the streaming service on Aug. 13.
The movie, which Heder wrote and directed, was the first in Sundance history to win all the top prizes including the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, the Directing Award, the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.
The movie follows 17-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones), who is the sole hearing member of a deaf family—a CODA, child of deaf adults. Her life revolves around acting as interpreter for her parents (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur) and working on the family’s struggling fishing boat every day before school with her father and older brother (Daniel Durant). But when Ruby joins her high school’s choir club, she discovers a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). Encouraged by her enthusiastic, tough-love choirmaster (Eugenio Derbez) to apply to a prestigious music school, Ruby finds herself torn between the obligations she feels to her family and the pursuit of her own dreams. CODA also stars Amy Forsyth (Beautiful Boy) and Kevin Chapman (City on a Hill).
CODA is produced by Vendome Pictures and Pathé, with Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi, Patrick Wachsberger and Jérôme Seydoux serving as producers, and Ardavan Safaee and Sarah Borch-Jacobsen as EPs.
AppleTV+ typically releases their movies in a limited number of theaters. Currently, there are three wide releases dated for Aug. 13: 20th Century Studios’ Ryan Reynolds movie Free Guy, United Artists Releasing’s Respect and Sony/Screen Gems’ Don’t Breathe 2.