Apple Acquires Lily Gladstone’s Fancy Dance

Apple Original Films recently acquired worldwide rights to “Fancy Dance,” a touching drama that premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The film, Erica Tremblay’s directorial debut starring Lily Gladstone, will hit theaters and Apple TV+ later this year.

The announcement follows Lily Gladstone’s Oscar nomination for her role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” another Apple’s production. Erica Tremblay, who co-wrote and produced “Fancy Dance,” expressed her excitement saying, “As a Native American filmmaker, seeing my community included in the rich tapestry of cinema is a dream come true.”

Created by Tremblay and Misiana Ellis, the story centers on Jax (played by Lily Gladstone) on the Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma. After her sister goes missing, Jax takes care of her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson), and together they embark on a journey to find Roki’s missing mother and explore a deep and true story about the treatment of indigenous women in the world of the colonized.

The cast includes Ryan Begay, Shea Wigham, Crystle Lightning and Audrey Wasilewski. Financial details of the deal are still unknown, but it was negotiated by WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers. Dubai-based sales agency, Cercamon, secured the film’s international sales rights in February 2023 following its Sundance premiere.

“Fancy Dance” is a Confluential Films and Significant Productions/AUM Group production, with Tremblay, Deidre Backs, Heather Rae, Nina Yang Bongiovi, and Tommy Oliver serving as producers. Lily Gladstone, Bird Runningwater, Charlotte Koh, and Forest Whitaker are credited as executive producers.