Bloody Disgusting learned that Saban Films and DIRECTV have acquired the North American rights to Small Town Crime, financed and developed by Avva pictures, which was written and directed by Eshom and Ian Nelms (Waffle Street, Night of the Dog, Lost on Purpose).

Small Town Crime follows ex-cop Mike Kendall (John Hawkes) who discovers the body of a young woman and, in an act of self-redemption, becomes hellbent on finding the killer. While his un-couth and quirky detective style helps break open the case, his dogged determination unwittingly puts his sister (Octavia Spencer) and best friend (Anthony Anderson) in danger.

The film, which just premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, stars Academy Award Nominee John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone, American Gangster, The Sessions), Golden Globe Nominee Anthony Anderson (“black-ish,” The Departed), Academy Award Nominee Robert Forster (Jackie Brown, The Descendants), and Academy Award Winner Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures, The Help).

The cast also includes Robert Forster, Clifton Collins, Jr., Michael Vartan, James Lafferty, Daniel Sunjata, Caity Lotz, Jeremy Ratchford, Don Harvey, Stefanie Scott and Dale Dickey.

Since the company’s launch in 2014, Saban Films has released 21 films including: The Homesman starring Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank; Tracers starring Taylor Lautner; Philip Martin’s The Forger starring John Travolta; Man Up starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell; Tom Tykwer’s A Hologram for the King starring Tom Hanks; sci-fi horror film Cell starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson; I Am Wrath with John Travolta; Renny Harlin’s action comedy Skiptrace, starring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville; Rob Zombie’s 31; and Zack Whedon’s feature debut Come and Find Me starring Emmy Award Winner Aaron Paul and Annabelle Wallis.