By Dave McNary

Magnolia Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to the Shailene Woodley-starrer “White Bird in a Blizzard” and plans a theatrical release for later this year.

Gregg Araki directed from his own script, based on Laura Kasischke’s novel. The drama also stars Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Shiloh Fernandez, Gabourey Sidibe, Thomas Jane and Angela Bassett.

The film was produced by Pascal Caucheteux, Sebastien K. Lemercier, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Pavlina Hatoupis and Gregg Araki. Why Not Productions, Desperate Pictures, Orange Studio and Wild Bunch are the production companies on board.

Woodley stars as a college-bound teenager who is just discovering her sexuality when her mother (Green) disappears — an event that barely registers with Woodley’s character. But as time passes, she begins to come to grips with how deeply the disappearance has affected her life.

“White Bird” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in late January. Variety‘s Peter Debruge gave the film a mixed review, calling it “naughty, campy and wildly uneven.”

The deal was negotiated for Magnolia by Dori Begley and Peter Van Steemburg with CAA and Wild Bunch on behalf of the filmmakers.

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