Cate Shortland’s Lore bound for US
A forthcoming film by an Australian director, set in the aftermath of World War Two Germany, has sold its US rights.
Lore is directed by Cate Shortland, who previously directed Somersault, and is written by Shortland and Robin Mukherjee.
The film has been picked up by Music Box through French-based international sales agent Memento Films.
Lore is a co-production between Australia, Germany and the UK, produced by the Australian Porchlight Film’s Liz Watts as well as British producer Paul Welsh and German producers Karsten Stoter and Benny Drechsel.
Watts told Encore: “I’ve not worked with Music Box before, but we’re keen to be in their catalogue. They’ve done a lot of foreign films, they did the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films release. They’re very good at the boutique handling of foreign films in the US.”
The film, an adaptation of Rachel Seiffert’s The Dark Room is the story of Lore, a young German girl who must get her four younger siblings to her grandmother on the other side of the country after her Nazi parents are arrested by Allied Forces.
Watts said the size of the release in the US would depend on the launch of the film internationally. “We will work with Memento in regards to presenting it. It is German language film in a US market. It will be a an appropriate release.
Internationally, the film has also sold into Benelux to ABC, Brazil to Mares Filmes, to South Korea’s Linetree, Isreal’s Lev and to Colombia/Central America’s Cineplex.
Watts said: “It’s had very nice pre-sales. We’ll be going into full swing at Cannes Market.”
As for selling to the rest of the world, Watts said: “Every film is different with a different marketing and selling strategy but as a foreign language film, the fact it secured a credible US distributor, hopefully it will play well off that.”
The film will be distributed locally through Transmission Films. Watts said to expect a trailer in May.
It was developed with assistance from Screen Australia and Scottish Screen.
This is very cheery news, I am happy for all concerned and the story sounds interesting, I have not seen the film.
I am a little cross however and I intend to tell you why. It came upon me as I read the Film Australia / Scottish Screen and other cross frontier collaborations; don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely in favour of collaboration, especially international collaboration, so long as there is an equality and a benefit to both or all parties, as with any good deal or arrangement. However, I tried, not long ago to interest the BBC in a few television script ideas and formats, and was informed in very plain English, that I had to be a resident of the UK in order to submit, and if I was born in the UK, then they would consider my proposals once I had returned home and taken up residence, otherwise don’t bother to apply. I came (rather I was brought) to Australia in 1957, I think I am too well rooted in the soil of Terra Australis to be transplanted in the native variety.
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