The Orchard picked up North American distribution rights to the drama Miss Stevens. The film stars Lily Rabe, most well-known for her various roles throughout the FX anthology series American Horror Story, and marks the directorial debut of Julia Hart. Hart co-wrote the screenplay with Jordan Horowitz (who makes his credited screenwriting debut; he previously helped produce such movies as the Oscar nominated The Kids Are All Right and the upcoming Ryan Gosling-Emma Stone starrer La La Land).

Miss Stevens focuses on Rabe’s titular character – a teacher who finds herself at crossroads while chaperoning a small group of students at a state drama competition. Timotheé Chalamet (Interstellar), Lili Reinhart (The Kings of Summer), Anthony Quintal, Oscar Nuñez (The Office) and Rob Huebel (Transparent) co-star in the film. Miss Stevens made its world premiere at the 2016 South By Southwest Film Festival where Rabe took the Best Actress in a Narrative Feature prize. A fall release is expected for the title though exact dates have not yet been confirmed.

The Orchard also recently acquired the drama The Dinner, an adaptation of Herman Koch’s novel from Oscar nominated filmmaker Oren Moverman (The Messenger). The Dinner, which centers around two families at odds all during a particularly tense meal, features a sterling ensemble cast that includes Richard Gere (Chicago), Rebecca Hall (The Town), Chloë Sevigny (Love & Friendship), Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) and Laura Linney (The Savages). Moverman also wrote the screenplay.