Noomi Rapace to Star in "Traction," Westend to Launch Worldwide Sales In EFM
- Details
- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Friday, 14 February 2025 10:30
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
WestEnd Films has boarded worldwide sales for Traction, a female led, high-stakes action thriller written and directed by Lorraine Darrow (Pas Sage) and starring Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows).
The film is produced for Elizabeth Bay Productions by industry veterans Janette Day (Close, Ghost World), Dennis Davidson and Simon Moseley (Dalíland, The Man Who Knew Infinity). Jon Gosier and Chandler Heinz Laun of FilmHedge serve as Executive Producers, as do Elizabeth Bay's Grant Hill (The Matrix, Sense 8, Cloud Atlas, Tree of Life), Eugin Koh and Clayton Heinz. WestEnd Films will introduce the project to buyers at EFM.
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Production is set to begin in August 2025 on Traction which marks WestEnd's first collaboration with Dennis Davidson's Elizabeth Bay Productions and Atlanta-based FilmHedge, after first partnering last year. FilmHedge will finance alongside Elizabeth Bay. Shakyra Dowling is the Casting Director.
Blending pulse-pounding action with a gripping character-driven narrative, Traction follows Kate (Rapace), a former U.S. soldier leading a humanitarian mission through war-torn Chechnya. Accompanied by her trusted Chechen ally Magomed, Kate's mission takes a perilous turn when they unwittingly harbor a young rebel, Larissa, and her mysterious package. Forced to take on a cynical American war photographer, a schoolteacher, and her injured student, the group must navigate treacherous terrain and evade both Russian forces and guerrilla fighters. In a land where alliances shift as quickly as the shadows, survival demands courage, resilience, and an unbreakable will.
Darrow, who honed her craft as a first assistant director, wrote and developed the screenplay under the mentoring of the Wachowskis (Bound, The Matrix series, Sense 8, Cloud Atlas), bringing an acute sense of tension and authenticity to the project. Traction also features meticulously designed action sequences, storyboarded by The Matrix artist Steve Skroce.
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Director Lorraine Darrow said, "Meeting Noomi has been such a treat! She brings so much to Kate's character: strength, vulnerability, and subtlety. I'm so impatient to work with her."
WestEnd Films' Maya Amsellem said: "Following the success of our previous collaboration on CLOSE, and with our shared commitment to telling powerful female stories, Westend is thrilled to be working again with Lorraine & Noomi on this exciting, action-packed film"
Elizabeth Bay Productions' Dennis Davidson said "I am delighted that the first film from our collaboration with WestEnd and FilmHedge is Traction. We all fell in love with Lorraine's work and having Noomi playing Kate will do the story justice."
FilmHedge's Jon Gosier, said: "We are excited to have Traction as the first film from our pact with Elizabeth Bay, and we are looking forward to backing the rest of Dennis' slate.
Noomi Rapace is represented by Stella Härnström at Luz Eterna, Gersh, Tapestry and Narrative. The deal was negotiated by Kurt Selling at Behind The Scene.
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About WestEnd Films
WestEnd Films is a dynamic London-based production, financing and international sales company for feature films and TV. It offers filmmakers finance, production and sales expertise as well as an extensive network of contacts across all sectors of the industry.
In addition to TRACTION, WestEnd's current line-up includes, ZEALOT starring Academy Award Nominee and Golden Globe Winner Kodi Smit-McPhee and Academy Award Nominee Djimon Hounsou, BREAKING COVER starring Scott Adkins, Virginia Woolf's NIGHT AND DAY starring Hailey Bennett and Timothy Spall, THE TEMPTATION OF GRACIE starring Celia Imrie, Isla Fisher and Andie MacDowell, READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN starring Zar Amir and Golshifteh Farahani, MARIANA'S ROOM starring Melanie Thierry.
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About Elizabeth Bay Productions
Under the guidance of Dennis Davidson, the founder of one of the most prolific Film & TV publicity agencies in the world, and Grant Hill, acclaimed producer and frequent collaborator of the Wachowski's and Terrence Malick, EBP is well positioned for a creative direction like no other.
Together, Davidson and Hill meticulously curated EBP's diverse slate of projects. With the goal to deliver stories that are not only distinctive and commercial but also intellectually stimulating. In this voyage, the pair has cultivated a slate that is unique, commercial, and new. The company's portfolio spans genres and budget levels, ensuring a broad appeal while maintaining high standards of quality all backed by a creator-first mentality that showcases much of the growing international landscape to new and interested audiences. EBP is committed to expanding the world of filmmaking far beyond its own boarders/shorelines all the while infusing their narratives with themes that resonate with contemporary audiences at home and abroad.
For more information about Elizabeth Bay Productions visit: ElizabethBayProductions.com
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About FilmHedge
Founded in 2020, FilmHedge is one of the fastest growing lenders in media finance. As a senior lender, FilmHedge provides private credit and financing solutions to qualified TV and Film producers, offering up to $20 million per production. In addition to financing, the company collects financial data that helps other financiers (hedge funds, family offices, banks etc) determine the credit worthiness of producers and production companies. To date the team behind FilmHedge has underwritten more than 40 feature films.
