Joe Swanberg's The Sun Never Sets Is Sold Out Abroad

The romantic drama The Sun Never Sets is sold out across its international market, according to its sales company, Capture. Deadline reported the claim on 30 October 2026.

Capture is a London-based sales company. It finds buyers for films in countries outside the one where they are made, and it declared the film sold out after closing its international deals. Ella Field, Capture's executive vice president of international sales, is the company's contact on the deals.

The film was written and directed by Joe Swanberg and stars Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson and Cory Michael Smith. Debby Ryan, Anna Konkle, Lamorne Morris and Karley Sciortino also appear in the ensemble. The story follows a woman who reconnects with an ex, set in Alaska. It was shot on 35mm film in Anchorage.

The biggest single deal went to Focus Features, the specialty label of Universal. Focus bought the rights for the rest of the world, apart from Italy, Scandinavia, Portugal, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Universal Pictures International will handle the film's distribution in those markets on Focus's behalf.

The other territories went to separate buyers. Minerva took Italy, NonStop took Scandinavia and NOS took Portugal. Chantier acquired Turkey, and Jucer took the former Yugoslavia. Phoenicia bought the Middle East, and Cinesky picked up worldwide airline rights, meaning the right to show the film on flights.

Swanberg's earlier path to this point was a long one. In a March 2026 interview with Deadline, the film was described as his first film as a director in nearly a decade. It was also his 10th appearance at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, where it had its world premiere in 2026.

Those festival premieres matter for the business. Festivals such as SXSW, Berlin, Cannes and Toronto are where sales companies show films to buyers, and deals struck there often decide which countries get a film, and when. A film can be sold before most audiences have heard of it.

The domestic release has already begun. IFC Films released the film theatrically in the United States, and Mongrel Media released it in Canada. Domestic means the United States and Canada, the home market for most American films.

The film's cast, Swanberg's return to directing and its festival run give it a clear public path, and the buyers now have it. What the buyers do with it, and when audiences in each country will see it, will be decided country by country as the release dates are set.