EXCLUSIVE: Angel Studios has acquired global distribution rights to Salt & Honey, the latest feature directed by Amy Redford, the daughter of the late actor and filmmaker Robert Redford.
Redford (What Comes Around) will direct the film, which will star Anna Camp (Scream 7), Justin Chatwin (War of the Worlds), and Jesse Garcia (Flamin’ Hot).
The screenplay was written by Skye Emerson (Little Genes), a Sundance Institute Screenwriting Fellow, and Grand Prize winner of the ISA Emerging Screenwriters Competition. Producers on the project are Lauren Call and Annie Quan. Production on the film is set to begin this month in Helper, Utah.
Salt & Honey is said to follow Riley Riggs, a spirited young girl growing up in a one-stoplight town in Utah, who yearns to make her place in the world. The synopsis reads: With big aspirations, she dreams of becoming a geoscientist working in the salt mines like her father, Garland. Together with her new best friend, Oni, they set their sights on a local baking competition, which Riley sees as the catalyst in making her dreams come true, much to the dismay of her mother, Janice. But an unexpected accident may derail her plans.
“From the first moment of our collaboration, Angel has proven to be a great partner. Not just in the creative, but in delivering on their promises,” Redford said in a statement to Deadline. “They are a positive disruptor in challenging times for storytellers, and I am very grateful for the company’s unwavering support.”
Salt & Honey will be Redford’s third feature as a director. She made her feature debut with The Guitar (2008), which debuted at Sundance. She followed that film with What Comes Around (2022), a thriller filmed in Utah that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Brandon Purdie, Executive Vice President and Head of Theatrical at Angel, said the company was “thrilled to welcome” Redford into its “community of filmmakers.”
“Amy is extraordinarily talented and brings tremendous heart, legacy, and authenticity to this film, and we’re looking forward to sharing this Utah-rooted story with audiences around the world,” Purdie said. “Salt & Honey is a powerful story about the resilience, family, and strength found in small communities.”
Angel’s upcoming theatrical releases include Andy Serkis’ adaptation of Animal Farm and Young Washington, starring Sir Ben Kingsley, Kelsey Grammer, Mary-Louise Parker, and William Franklyn-Miller. The company this week said that it had surpassed 2.2 million paying Angel Guild members. The Angel Guild is the studio’s grassroots membership program. Members pay a monthly fee and serve as virtual co-producers on every project. They are also given a say on which projects the studio pursues.
