Copyright The Hollywood Reporter
Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to the Ellie Bamber-starring period romance drama Ambleside from Vaneast Pictures. Directed by Mitch Jenkins (A Million Days, The Snow), who co-wrote the script with Jason Wingard and Alan Govinden, the feature is based on Romesh Gunsekara’s novel Prisoner of Paradise. Ambleside is a love story, boasting a cast that includes British talent Bamber (Moss and Freud, William Tell), Rhona Mitra (Hollow Man, Red Sonja), Rupert Penry-Jones (Match Point, Spooks) and Medhi Dehbi, best known for his leading role in Netflix’s Messiah. The 1925-set movie follows Lucy (Bamber), who moves to Mauritius to live with her wealthy British aunt and uncle (played by Mitra and Penry-Jones, respectively). When she falls for a local, Krishna (Dehbi), “colonial attitudes threaten not only their relationship,” a plot synopsis reads, “but also their lives.” Ambleside is produced by Alan Govinden (Sulphur and White), Paula Crickard (Winter & My House) and Maria Govinden. The deal was negotiated between Signature’s acquisitions & development executive Max Hart and Vaneast Pictures founder Danielle Gasher. Hart said: “Ambleside impressed us with its sweep and scale, from its idyllic island setting to the tender forbidden love story at its heart. It’s a timeless, beautifully crafted romance that we know audiences will fall for.” Gasher added that the film is “a rare gem… A love story that’s as sweeping and cinematic as it is intimate and human. We couldn’t be happier to partner with Signature, whose care and enthusiasm for the film mirror our own.”
