Producer Dale Johnson ("Lost City of Z," "Pawn Sacrifice") Acquires Rights to Anna Hozian's "Anchor Baby," one of the few scripts chosen for the inaugural year of Meryl Streep's Screenwriting Lab

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to expand its focus on authentic storytelling, Lynmar Entertainment, a premier Production and Financing company, has acquired the rights to "Anchor Baby," it was announced today by Lynmar's CEO Dale Johnson.

The Company is currently packaging the film for production with Danny Mooney ("Love and Honor") attached to direct. Anna Hozian's screenplay centers on the world of 13-year-old Isaiah Jennings, his friends, his mother and, most of all, his father Pershing Jennings, a leader in the local border militia. After witnessing his father nearly beat a Mexican immigrant to death while patrolling the desert border, a 13-year-old boy growing up in the Arizona Border Militia finds solace in the last place he ever thought he would -- the arms of the new migrant girl in town.

"What really drew me to this story is the unyielding honesty in the beautiful crafting of these characters," said director Danny Mooney. "Nothing helps a discussion more than putting faces to those directly affected and by giving a voice to those less often heard or more often marginalized. In this story, through the open lens of a 13-year-old, Anna lets us experience things as wonderful as love, loyalty and learning – as well as see the inner workings of things as vile as hate, racism and violence."

"Dale has a great reputation for working closely with directors and talent, he really constructs an amazing space for creative collaboration to flourish," Danny continues. "I'm thrilled to bring this story to life with Dale and his team." 

"I'm so grateful to Meryl Streep and The Writers Lab for providing a forum for talented writers like Anna to showcase their work," said Dale Johnson. "Anna's story artfully shines a light on such a critical human challenge that divides so many in today's world. I hope that this film will serve to encourage all of us to look beyond our own circumstances and see beauty in the diversity of our neighbors."

"Anna's script paired with Danny's sensitivity to characters and fantastic eye couldn't be a better combination," Dale went on to say. "We've always been a fan of Danny's work, we couldn't be more excited to embark on this journey with him."

The Writers Lab, which is fully funded by Streep, provides script development for female writers over the age of 40. Streep, NYWIFT and IRIS launched The Writers Lab in direct response to the age and gender bias that female screenwriters face.

"Winning Meryl Streep's Writers Lab has elevated my work and my career. Without it, my script would certainly not be in Lynmar's hands right now," said Anna. "I am elated to be working with Dale and Danny on this project, seeing the script finally begin to come to life."  

ABOUT LYNMAR ENTERTAINMENT
Dale Johnson's production company, Lynmar Entertainment, has a slate of feature length films in development, focusing on his commitment to filmmaking excellence with storytelling that inspires and empowers the audience. Dale's recent credits include "Lost City of Z," produced with Plan B Entertainment; "Pawn Sacrifice," directed by Academy Award winner Ed Zwick; "Stuck in Love" starring Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Lily Collins and Logan Lerman; "Mojave," written and directed by Oscar-winning writer Bill Monahan, starring Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund; Mike Flanagan's thriller "Oculus;" and "Before I Wake" starring Kate Bosworth and Jacob Tremblay.

SOURCE Lynmar Entertainment