Project Detail

American Animals

Synopsis

The unbelievable but mostly true story of four young men who mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious art heists in US history.
Taking the thrill of the heist genre and turning it inside out, this film blurs the line between truth and fiction in a wild story of money, movies and the search for meaning.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2018 - US Dramatic Competition - World premiere

Details

Year
2018
Type of project
Features
Running time
116 mins
Director
Bart Layton
Producer
Derrin Schlesinger, Katherine Butler, Dimitri Doganis, Mary Jane Skalski
Executive Producer
Daniel Battsek, David Kosse, Sam Lavender, Len Blavatnik, Aviv Giladi, Toby Hill, Piers Vellacott, Tory Metzger, Darren Demetre
Editor
Nick Fenton, Chris Gill, Julian Hart, Luke Dunkley
Screenwriter
Bart Layton
Director of Photography
Ole Bratt Birkeland
Production Designer
Scott Dougan
Sound
Andrew Stirk
Composer
Anne Nikitin
Principal cast
Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd, Udo Kier

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

US, UK coproduction

Raw

Third Floor
13-21 Curtain Road
London
EC2A 3LT

Sales Company

Sierra/Affinity

9378 Wilshire Blvd. #210 Suite 210
Beverly Hills
CA 90212
USA

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

The Imposter The Imposter

Director: Bart Layton

Year: 2012

In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappeared without a trace from his home in San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later he is found alive thousands of miles away in a village in southern Spain with a horrifying story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home. But all is not quite as it seems. The boy bears many of the same distinguishing marks he always did, but why does he now have a strange accent? Why does he look so different? And why doesn't the family seem to notice these glaring inconsistencies? It's only when an investigator starts asking questions that this strange tale takes an even stranger turn. Documentary meets Film Noir in this astonishing true story which has all the twists and turns of a great thriller. Just as the truth begins to dawn on you, another truth begins to emerge leaving you even more on edge.

Brown-haired, blue-eyed man in his thirties gazes to the left of frame with tears in his eyes as he is moved by positive emotion Lemonade

Director: Kim Bartley

Year: 2026

A tender, uplifting story about first loves, second chances and the power of human connection. When teenager Danny makes a mistake that could derail his future, he unexpectedly reconnects with Josh, the social worker who once tried to help him but whose own mistakes drove them apart. When their paths cross again, Josh becomes both mentor and mirror, guiding Danny on his journey to manhood. Along the way Danny discovers that family is not always the one you are born into, but the one that believes in you when no one else will.

Savage House Savage House

Director: Peter Glanz

Year: 2026

England, 18th Century. The Savages are at their lowest: they despise each other, their house is falling apart, and they are disliked in polite society - sleeping with their servants, and selling off jewellery to keep their gambling and drinking going. Oh, and Chauncey Savage’s foot might be rotting off. This is until they are set to be visited by higher ranking nobleman. The honour gives them a renewed energy to get new outfits, polish their silver, and hire new help to make sure the House of Savage is looking as impressive as possible. Official Selection SXSW London 2026