Specialty distributor Ariztical Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to New Zealand-set wholesome gay love story‘Mysterious Ways.’ Ariztical plans a multi-platform digital release in 2024.
Written and directed by New Zealand’s Paul Oremland, the film follows a media storm that threatens the marriage between a Vicar, portrayed by Richard Short (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) and his Samoan boyfriend, portrayed by Nick Afoa (“The Lion King”), after they announce their intentions to have a traditional wedding in the church.
The film also marks one of the first on-screen representations of what is known in the Samoan community as a fa’afafine. The character Billy is played by relative newcomer Joe Malu Folau. An integral part of Samoan culture, fa’afafine are assigned male identity at birth, but explicitly embody both masculine and feminine gender traits in a way unique to Polynesia.
The film was produced in New Zealand by Short as well as Kiwis Brian Holland and Ngaire Fuata. It debuted in New Zealand via a limited critically acclaimed theatrical run and caught the attention of veteran distributors Michael Jack Shoel and Dre Sleipnes of Ariztical in the U.S.
Ariztical is known for queer content including films “Eating Out,” “Eating Out: Sloppy Seconds,” “Goodbye Seventies” and “From Zero to I Love You.” It is building its 2024 slate around “Mysterious Ways, which it regards as an elevated LGBTQIA title that it can take to mainstream audiences.
“This title is a natural fit for us. Although the family value sensibility of this film starkly contrasts our in-house produced popular raw college comedy film franchise‘Eating Out,’ it rings true to our mission to build bridges and break through barriers of gender and culture,” said Shoel. “’Mysterious Ways’ offers us an opportunity to promote solid entertainment with LGBTQ themes in a genre that contrasts our previous success. This film [has] a poignant message about gays and God and touches on broader themes that speaks to our core audience and beyond.”
The film was acquired after negotiations at the recent American Film Market in Santa Monica. “You don’t get a film like this every day,” said Shoel. “After seeing it and speaking with the team behind it, we knew we had something extraordinary on our hands that audiences, both gay and straight, love.”
