Roadside Attractions and Vertical have acquired the North American rights to Sophie Barthes’ futuristic fable, The Pod Generation. Starring Emmy-nominated Emilia Clarke, Academy Award-nominated Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rosalie Craig, Vinette Robinson, and Jean-Marc Barr, the film won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance 2023. The film is set for exclusive theatrical release in Summer 2023.

In a world where AI has taken over, The Pod Generation is a story about Rachel (Clarke) and Alvy (Ejiofor), a New York couple who are eager to start a family. Rachel lands a spot at the Womb Center, which offers couples the chance to share pregnancy using mobile artificial wombs, known as pods. Alvy, a botanist and nature enthusiast, has doubts, but his love for Rachel convinces him to try it out. The film follows their journey to parenthood and how technology affects it.

Roadside Attractions’ Co-Presidents, Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff, praised Barthes’ ability to create alternate realities that mirror the way we live today. They also commended Clarke and Ejiofor for their incredible performances, which balance humor and heart while portraying a couple at odds with the path Big Tech Overlords have set for them.

Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey commented on how AI is still a great unknown but has woven into our daily lives at a rapid pace. He believes that Barthes’ story could become a reality sooner than we think, and that audiences will love and talk about it long after they leave the theater.

Sophie Barthes expressed her excitement about having a theatrical release and working with Roadside Attractions and Vertical. She’s thrilled to start this adventure with a team that’s truly in love with cinema and share the playful and puzzling futuristic world she created with audiences on the big screen.

The film is produced by Geneviève Lemal, Yann Zenou, Nadia Kamlichi, and Martin Metz. The executive producers are Clarke, Barthes, David Bensadoun, Paul Nelson, Adrian Politowski, Nessa McGill, Sierra Garcia, Nathanaël Karmitz, and Beniamin Mincu. The below-the-line production team includes cinematographer Andrij Parekh, production designer Clement Price-Thomas, editors Ron Patane and Olivier Bugge-Coutté, with costumes by Emmanuelle Youchnovski and music by Sacha Galperine and Evgueni Galperine. The casting is by Dixie Chassay, Mathias Sourbon, and Nicolas Ronchi.

MK2 Films is handling international sales.