IFC Films announced today that it is acquiring U.S. rights to FALLING FOR FIGARO from acclaimed director Ben Lewin (The Catcher Was A Spy, Please Stand By, The Sessions). FALLING FOR FIGARO is a romantic comedy set in the fierce world of opera-singing competitions, starring BAFTA-winner Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous, Me Before You, The Wolf of Wall Street) and rising star Danielle Macdonald (Dumplin’, Patti Cake$, Skin).

The film is an official Australian and UK co-production written by Ben Lewin and Allen Palmer, and produced by Philip Wade (I Am Mother), Judi Levine (The Sessions) and Arabella Page Croft (Sunshine on Leith). It is executive produced by Timothy White and John Wade. In association with Wade Brothers Films, the film received principal production funding from Screen Australia and Screen Scotland, and was financed with support from Film Victoria. IFC Films will release the film in 2021.

The film also stars Hugh Skinner (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again; TV’s Fleabag and W1A), Gary Lewis (Filth; TV’s His Dark Materials and Outlander), Shazad Latif (TV’s Star Trek: Discovery) and Rebecca Benson (TV’s Flack).

Millie (Macdonald) is a brilliant young fund manager, who decides to leave her unfulfilling job and longterm boyfriend behind to chase her lifelong dream of becoming an opera singer – in the Scottish Highlands! She begins intense vocal training lessons with renowned but fearsome singing teacher and former opera diva Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Lumley). It is there she meets Max, another of Meghan’s students who is also training for the upcoming “Singer of Renown” contest. What begins as a brutal competition between Millie and Max slowly turns into something more…

Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Films said, “We’re thrilled to work with Ben again after the success of THE CATCHER WAS A SPY. We see the same clear path to audiences with yet another heartfelt and supremely entertaining film in FALLING FOR FIGARO.”

Director Ben Lewin added, “I associate IFC Films with classy and exciting products. I am very proud to be working with them again, particularly on such a different and delightfully fun movie.”

The deal for the film was negotiated by President of IFC Films Arianna Bocco with WestEnd Films’ managing director Maya Amsellem, acting on behalf of the filmmakers.

WestEnd Films, who is handling worldwide sales, has previously announced deals in other key territories including the UK (Entertainment Film Distributors), Spain (Twelve Oaks), Benelux (Splendid), China (Huanxi Media Group), Israel (United King), former Yugoslavia (Investacommerce) and Umbrella Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand.