Magnolia Pictures International Acquires Worldwide, U.S. Sales Rights To Tribeca Comedy ‘Queen Of Glory’

EXCLUSIVE: Magnolia Pictures International has acquired worldwide and U.S. sales rights to the comedic feature, Queen of Glory, which will make its world premiere at the 20th Tribeca Film Festival in June.

Marking the feature debut of writer-director-actress Nana Mensah (Farewell Amor, Netflix’s Bonding, Amanda Peet’s upcoming Netflix dramedy The Chair), the New York-set feature centers on Sarah (Mensah), a Ghanaian-American who looks to abandon her Ivy League doctoral program to follow her married lover across the country. As fate would have it, her plans fall apart, when her mother’s death leaves her the owner of a bookshop in the Bronx.

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In making the acquisition announcement, Lorna Lee Torres, Magnolia Pictures’ Head of International Sales said, ““We are over the moon to champion such a heartfelt, smart and funny film. Nana’s refreshing blend of charm and deadpan humor immediately immerses the viewer into her African immigrant experience in modern-day New York City. This impressive debut marks a promising career for Nana, as a triple threat screenwriter, director and actor.”

“I wanted to tell this story because so many depictions I’ve come across of the African immigrant or first-generation American experience are rife with trauma,” Mensah added. “That was not my experience nor the experience of my family— there was struggle, sure, but also a lot of love, community, and laughter. So I decided to showcase this in a dark comedy about a middle-class, high-achieving Bronx native (by way of Ghana, West Africa), who is grappling with her origins and figuring out what she wants from life, as we all are. I am so excited to premiere this special film at Tribeca, and in New York City! And to partner with the brilliant folks at Magnolia on sharing the film with audiences across the globe is true icing on the cake.”

Billed as “a follow-up to the classic immigrant’s tale”, which “provokes laughter and empathy, as its heroine is reborn through her inheritance,” the film also stars Meeko Gattuso, Oberon KA Adjepong and Adam Leon. Pic is produced by Jamund Washington (Ziwe, Gimme the Loot, Random Acts of Flyness), Kelley Robins Hicks (Random Acts of Flyness) and Baff Akoto (Football Fables, Leave the Edges) and adds to a strong lineup for Magnolia International, which recently acquired the Udo Kier-starring comedy Swan Song out of SXSW, 2021 Sundance doc A Glitch in the Matrix and award-winning Portuguese drama Listen.

Queen of Glory makes its debut in the US Narrative Competition Section of Tribeca, which is the first major North American film fest to mount an in-person event, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year. Following its New York premiere, the film will head to Cannes.

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