SXSW Contender ‘Americana’ Picked Up By Lionsgate

Lionsgate has picked up Western dramedy Americana for wider distribution. Starring Sydney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser, the film made an impressive critical splash at last year’s SXSW festival with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

After waitress Penny Jo Poplin (Sweeney) and Lefty Ledbetter (Hauser) catch wind of a heist to steal and sell a ghost shirt, the duo make a plan to steal and sell it themselves. Ghost shirts are sacred to Indigenous communities due to their legend that they can protect the wearer from bullets. Soon, they are caught up in a web involving a white kid obsessed with Indigenous culture, the rebellious daughter seeking to make a life of her own, and Native American Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon) looking to return the shirt to his community.

Thanks to the original financier Bron Studios going bankrupt, the film remained in the festival circles without getting picked up for about a year. Lionsgate has now picked it up for worldwide release, much to the excitement of most of the company. Acquisitions SVP Lauren Bixby called Americana a fun Western that offers “plenty of visceral action” while also being smart, charming, and at times laugh-out-loud funny.“

The film currently does not have an official release date, though many critics are certainly excited to see this story shared with the rest of the world.