''Drift'' is a 2023

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Anthony Chen Anthony Chen (born 18 April 1984) is a Singaporean film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is known for directing the feature films ''Ilo Ilo'' (2013) and ''Wet Season'' (2019). His debut feature film, ''Ilo Ilo,'' won the Camera d ...

from a screenplay by Susanne Farrell and Alexander Maksik. It is based on the novel ''A Marker to Measure Drift'' by Maksik. A French, British and Greek co-production, it is Chen's first English-language feature. The film stars

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress and singer. Known for her work on both stage and screen, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Cynt ...

Alia Shawkat Alia Martine Shawkat ( ; born April 18, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her performances as Maeby Fünke in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/Netflix television sitcom ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2006; 2013–2019), Dory Sief ...

, Ibrahima Ba, Honor Swinton Byrne, Zainab Jah and Suzy Bemba. ''Drift'' had its world premiere at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

on 22 January 2023. It was featured at the 54th IFFI 2023, where it won the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal-Special Mention for Best Film on peace and inter-cultural dialogue.

Plot summary

The film follows Jacqueline, a Liberian refugee, who flees to a Greek island and develops a friendship with an American tour guide while coping with her past.

Cast

Production

''Drift'' is a co-production between France's Paradise City Films, Greece's Heretic and the United Kingdom's Fortyninesixty, in association with Cor Cordium, Edith's Daughter and Giraffe Pictures, and is financed by Sunac Culture and Aim Media, Lauran Bromley's Ages LLC, the UK Global Screen Fund, and the Greek Film Center, with additional support from the Creative Europe Media European Program.

United Talent Agency United Talent Agency (UTA) is a global talent agency based in Beverly Hills, California. Established in 1991, it represents artists and other professionals across the entertainment industry. , the company has more than 1,400 global employees. ...

handles North American rights on the film.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

in Greece concluded in May 2022.

Release

''Drift'' had its world premiere at the

2023 Sundance Film Festival The 2023 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 to 29, 2023. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 7, 2022. Films U.S. Dramatic Competition * '' The Accidental Getaway Driver'', directed by Sing J. Lee ...

in the Premieres section on 22 January 2023. In April 2023,

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.

Reception

References

External links

* * * {{IFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal, state=collapsed 2023 films Films based on American novels Films set in Greece Films shot in Greece 2020s English-language films 2020s Greek-language films 2020s French films 2020s British films 2023 drama films 2023 independent films English-language independent films