August 19, 2014 - 14:59 AMT
Gravitas Ventures nabs “Appropriate Behavior” Sundance comedy

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American distribution rights to “Appropriate Behavior” the Sundance comedy directed by and starring Desiree Akhavan, Variety has learned.

The film, produced by Cecilia Frugiuele at Parkville Pictures, will open in theaters and on VOD in early 2015.

Akhavan, 29, was one of the big discoveries out of Park City this year. Her debut feature, about a bisexual Iranian-American Brooklynite named Shirin, drew comparisons to “Girls,” and Lena Dunham was impressed enough when she saw the indie to write a part for Akhavan on the next season of the show. In January, she will take on a recurring role as a student at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in the HBO series, as Akhavan previewed in a recent New York Times profile.

Since Sundance, “Appropriate Behavior” has been playing on the festival circuit, and it won the screenwriting Grand Jury Award for a U.S. dramatic feature at Outfest.