Toronto Film Festival Dailies

Arclight Films’ chairman Gary Hamilton announced today the company has locked distribution deals in key international territories in all media for the comedy-drama Queen Bees, starring Ellen Burstyn, Jane Curtin, Loretta Devine, Ann-Margret and James Caan.     

Directed by Michael Lembeck and written by Donald Martin, Arclight Films has sold the rights to Queen Bees to MGM for the territories of Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Iceland, UK, Middle East, Greece, Portugal/Portuguese-speaking Africa, CIS/Russia, India, South Africa, Pan Asia Pay TV, Caribbean Basin and Latin America. Additional international distribution deals have also been signed with Kismet for Australia and New Zealand, Cannonball Films for Spain and Monolith for Poland.

Arclight Films previously sold the North American rights to Gravitas Ventures, who released Queen Bees in theatres and at home on demand on June 11, 2021 in the U.S. and Canada.

“We are thrilled to have MGM, Kismet, Cannonball Films and Monolith come on board to distribute this one-of-a-kind, talent-filled classic! Thanks to our international partners and their amazing marketing and distribution teams, the film will reach audiences around the world who can enjoy the magical collaboration of these performers,” said Hamilton.

Queen Bees, previously known as At Last, is an Astute Films production with Harrison Powell, Dominique Telson and Fred Bernstein producing. Executive producers are Richard L. Jackson and Claudine Marrotte.  

While her house undergoes repairs, fiercely independent senior Helen (Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn) moves into a nearby retirement community ― just temporarily. Once behind the doors of Pine Grove Senior Community, she encounters lusty widows, cutthroat bridge tournaments and a hotbed of bullying “mean girls” the likes of which she hasn’t encountered since high school, all of which leaves her yearning for the solitude of home. But somewhere between flower arranging and water aerobics Helen discovers that it’s never too late to make new friends and perhaps even find a new love.

Arclight Films’ current sales slate of films also includes The Portable Door starring Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz and Sam Neill; Twist starring Michael Caine, Lena Heady and Rita Ora; Venice Film Festival Official Selection The Furnace and Sundance’s critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Possessor starring Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Sean Bean and Jennifer Jason Leigh, directed by Brandon Cronenberg and released in the U.S. by NEON.

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About Metro Goldwyn Mayer 

Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world's deepest libraries of premium film and television content as well as the premium pay television network EPIX, which is available throughout the U.S. via cable, satellite, telco, and digital distributors.  In addition, MGM has investments in numerous other television channels, digital platforms, interactive ventures, and is producing premium short-form content for distribution. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

About Arclight Films

For more information about Arclight Films, please visit: www.arclightfilms.com

Arclight Films QUEEN BEES - photo courtesy of Arclight Films