World premiering at TIFF, where it was named one of Canada's Top 10 films of the 2024 festival, 40 Acres is set in a world where a plague has eradicated all animal life and famine has spread across the globe, leaving society at war and in ruins, but the Freemans are surviving -- even thriving -- on their ancestral farm, so long as they dispatch the occasional raiding party. But what good is surviving the end of the world if it means snuffing out your own humanity? Former soldier Hailey (Deadwyler) made that choice years ago, believing that isolation was the only way to protect her family. She and her partner Galen (Greyeyes) fled the collapse along with their children, fenced them off from the world and trained them to fight (and, yes, kill). But now Hailey's eldest, Emanuel (Kataem O'Connor), is a young man, and when he meets a young woman (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) in the forest beyond the fence, his need for human contact could place the whole family in jeopardy.

In a statement to Deadline on the acquisition, Magnolia Pictures co-CEOs Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley called the film "an incredible, intense vision of a world on edge," saluting Deadwyleer's "towering performance as a total badass," which they feel is "one for the ages."

Commented Thorne: "40 ACRES is the type of edge-of-your-seat thriller I used to sneak into theatres to watch when I was growing up, with unforgettable characters and tension-filled action. There's no greater universal stakes than a family fighting to survive together, and It's a dream to be working with Magnolia to bring the wild ride of this unique family's survival story to theatrical audiences everywhere."

Set to make its U.S. premiere next month at SXSW, 40 Acres also stars Leenah Robinson, Jaeda LeBlanc, Haile Amare, Elizabeth Saunders, and Tyrone Benskin. A Hungry Eyes Media Production with 4T Productions Inc. in association with Fela and Backhome, the film is produced by Jennifer Holness. Exec producers included Taj Critchlow, Thorne, Deadwyler, Sudz Sutherland, John Lang, Mark Gingras, and Andrew Frank.

SVP of Acquisitions John Von Thaden negotiated the deal for Magnolia, with Visit Films President Ryan Kampe negotiating on behalf of the filmmakers.