What Is CODA?
CODA is a film written and directed by Sian Heder, and is an English-language remake of a French film, with a cast including Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin.
Heder is known for her work on Orange Is the New Black and Tallulah, both of which are Netflix Originals.
The film CODA (an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults) centers around a young hearing girl who has to decide whether to stay and support her deaf family, or set out and pursue her dreams.
It debuted at 2021’s virtual Sundance Film Festival and received rave reviews, with many distributors keen to snap it up.
Apple Pays $25 Million for CODA
As first reported by Deadline, Apple has paid $25 million for the exclusive rights to stream CODA on Apple TV+.
It marks the largest acquisition deal ever at Sundance, which was previously set by the $22.5 million paid last year for Palm Springs by Hulu.
According to Deadline, many offers were placed to buy CODA, with buyers expressing disappointment when it became clear that this was going to be an expensive worldwide rights deal.
Apple has acquired the worldwide rights for CODA and is now making deals with the territories that financed production.
In a statement, writer and director Heder said:
Apple TV+ launched in November 2019 and is a relatively young player in the streaming space. While there are many great reasons to subscribe to Apple TV+, it’s fair to say that the content on the platform is slim.
Acquisitions like CODA are designed to make Apple TV+ a stronger contender—not only for consumers, but also for Apple when it comes to winning thus-far overlooked awards.
