Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing has acquired the highly-anticipated dramatic feature Funny Boy directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta. The film is based on the best-selling Canadian novel by Shyam Selvadurai and will open theatrically in select cities and debut on Netflix on December 10.
The film Funny Boy, co-written by Deepa Mehta and Selvaduri, was shot on location and set in Sri Lanka in the ’70s and ’80s and explores the awakening of sexual identity by a young boy named Arjie (portrayed by Arush Nand and Brandon Ingram). As political tensions escalate to a boiling point between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalese, a young boy comes of age in a society and family that doesn’t embrace difference outside of societal norms. The film centres on Arjie’s struggle to find balance and self-love despite the absence of empathy and understanding.
Mehta is best known for her trilogy element-title trilogy Fire (1996), Earth (1998) and Water (2005).
