Cinema Guild picks up 'Unforeseen'

Unit grabs U.S. distrib rights to documentary

By DADE HAYES

'The Unforeseen,' picked up for the U.S. by the Cinema Guild, tells of unintended devastation.

The Cinema Guild has grabbed U.S. distribution rights to "The Unforeseen," an environmental doc exec produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford.

Directed by Laura Dunn, the film assesses the environmental sustainability of the American dream. The film will open in New York and L.A. in fall, followed by a national rollout.

Pic, which preemed at Sundance, tells the story of a Texas farm boy who becomes a developer and transforms pristine hill country into large-scale subdivisions, threatening a fragile limestone aquifer. An environmental movement arises to fight back and the film considers the changes to the American landscape in the name of progress and convenience.

"Without a single shot of a polar ice cap, 'The Unforeseen' offers a frank, clear-eyed, and nuanced assessment of man's impact on the environment," said Ryan Krivoshey, distrib chief at Cinema Guild.

The Cinema Guild's upcoming releases include Berlin prize-winner "Yella" from German director Christian Petzold. It has recently handled such titles as "Primo Levi's Journey," Stefan Krohmer's "Summer '04," "Le Petit Lieutenant," and "La Moustache."