Manchester by the Sea is a 2016 American drama film written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan. Let’s see some amazing facts and trivia about it!
1. The plot follows a man who looks after his teenage nephew after the boy’s father dies.
2. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016 and was soon picked up by Amazon Studios for distribution. It began a limited release on November 18, 2016, before going wide on December 16, 2016.
3. Manchester by the Sea was listed by many critics as among the best films of 2016, and Casey Affleck’s performance received universal praise.
4. On September 6, 2014, it was announced that Matt Damon would re-team with filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea.
5. They had previously worked together on the 2011 film Margaret
6. Originally, the film was going to be directed by Damon, but due to scheduling complications, Lonergan was set to direct instead, while Damon would stay involved as producer and lead actor.
7. Lonergan later said that Damon and John Krasinski had brought the idea to Lonergan, and Krasinski was initially going to act in the film.
8. Gigi Pritzker was set to produce and finance the film through her company Odd Lot Entertainment.
9. In early December 2014, while filming The Finest Hours, Casey Affleck revealed to The Boston Globe that he would replace Damon in the role of Lee Chandler.
10. Affleck officially replaced Damon on January 5, 2015.
11. In March 2015, it was reported that Sierra / Affinity had come aboard to finance the film, while Kimberly Steward would produce and finance through her company K Period Media, Kevin J. Walsh through his company B Story, Chris Moore through CMP, and Damon through his company Pearl Street Films.
12. The film was executive produced by Josh Godfrey, John Krasinski, Declan Baldwin, and Bill Migliore; Pritzker was no longer attached to produce.
13. Kyle Chandler signed onto the film on February 24, 2015, cast as Affleck’s character’s older brother.
14. In April 2015, Lucas Hedges joined the cast of the film. It was later revealed Erica McDermott had also joined the cast
15. The film had its world premiere on January 23, 2016, at the Sundance Film Festival. Shortly after, Amazon Studios acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film for $10 million, beating out Sony Pictures Classics, Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, and Fox Searchlight.
16. This was the second largest disclosed purchase, behind The Birth of a Nation at $17.5 million.
17. The film was screened at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016, the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2016, the New York Film Festival on October 1, 2016, and the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2016.
18. The film was theatrically released on November 18, 2016. The film will be available to stream on Amazon in the US on February 7, 2017.
19. Manchester by the Sea received universal acclaim, with praise going to Lonergan’s direction and screenplay and the performances of Affleck, Williams and Hedges. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96%, based on 219 reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10.
20. Manchester by the Sea received six nominations at the 89th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Affleck), Best Supporting Actor (Hedges), Best Supporting Actress (Williams) and Best Original Screenplay.
21. It was the first-ever film released by a digital streaming service to be nominated for Best Picture.
22. Casey Affleck won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama; the film was nominated for four additional awards at the 74th ceremony: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (for Williams) and Best Screenplay.
23. Manchester by the Sea received six nominations at the 70th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Original Screenplay
24. Affleck won Best Actor in a Leading Role and Lonergan won Best Original Screenplay.
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