Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to Boorman and the Devil, the documentary from filmmaker David Kittredge exploring the troubled production and lasting legacy of Exorcist II: The Heretic and its effect on director John Boorman’s career.

Directed by Kittredge, and produced by himself, Travis Stevens (Jodorowsky’s Dune) and Jim Fall, Boorman and the Devil revisits the making of Boorman’s ambitious 1977 sequel to The Exorcist, long considered one of Hollywood’s most infamous follow-ups. Through interviews and archival material, the documentary reexamines the film’s reputation and the risk and importance of taking big creative swings.

The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in the Venice Classics program, and features appearances from John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, and Karyn Kusama. In addition to other filmmakers and film critics, they discuss the sequel’s enduring cult legacy and how the Hollywood era in which it was made, changed forever after its release.

“I am beyond thrilled that Yellow Veil has come on board to help us share this story with a larger audience,” said Director David Kittredge. “Like myself and the rest of our team, they’re huge cinema-lovers. It’s so exciting that a film which is not only a love letter to John Boorman, but also to ambitious filmmaking, will be handled by people who share the same passions that our team shares. I miss big, ambitious filmmaking that takes huge risks. In 1977, John Boorman took an enormous creative and commercial swing with THE HERETIC which didn’t connect with almost anybody at the time—but now we can look back and appreciate how big creative swings are what going to the movies is all about. Boorman is one of the greatest filmmakers that has ever stepped behind a camera, and I’m so happy to be telling the story of the one film that not only nearly destroyed him, but forever changed the way he made films.”

The acquisition was negotiated between Gregory Chambet on behalf of WTFilms and Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms, and Joe Yanick on behalf of Yellow Veil Pictures.

“I first saw the film at an early festival screening and the post-screening buzz was just electric. Everyone was loving Boorman and the Devil” says Yellow Veil Pictures Co-Founder Justin Timms. “To be able to team up with David and the filmmaking team on this release is incredibly exciting and we can’t wait to spread that post-screening electricity with audiences across the country.”

Boorman and the Devil will open in New York City at the Quad Cinema on August 28, before opening in Los Angeles and nationwide on September 4.