Gunpowder & Sky acquired U.S. rights to filmmaker Neasa Hardiman’s critically-acclaimed Irish sci-fi/thriller Sea Fever following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Gunpowder & Sky will release the film theatrically in the U.S. in early 2020 through its sci-fi label, DUST.

Sea Fever stars Hermione Corfield (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) as Siobhan, a young marine biology student who boards a trawler run by a couple played by Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman 1984, Gladiator) and Dougray Scott (Batwoman, Mission: Impossible 2). When the ship hits an unseen object, a mysterious bioluminescent force infiltrates the vessel, and the crew begins a fight for survival while marooned at sea.

The feature debut from BAFTA-winning director Neasa Hardiman (Happy Valley, Jessica Jones), Sea Fever has drawn comparisons to claustrophobic classics such as Alien and The Thing, and received rave reviews out of TIFF, with RogerEbert.com declaring it, “One of those out-of-nowhere stunners” and “a masterful genre film.” Collider hails the films as, “A nightmare you can’t take your eyes off of, and can’t stop thinking about after it wraps up.”

“I’m thrilled Gunpowder & Sky’s DUST will bring Sea Fever to a U.S. audience,” said Hardiman. The film is a dreamlike and devastating parable, where a neurodivergent heroine struggles with individual responsibility and threat in our increasingly fragile world.”