BETA CINEMA ANNOUNCES RAFT OF SALES ON CURRENT SLATE HALFWAY INTO CANNES MARKET & FESTIVAL

Halfway into the Cannes Film Festival and Market, Beta Cinema announces sales to major territories for its busy current slate: Icelandic thriller Operation Napoleon, starring Iain Glen (Resident Evil, Game of Thrones) and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Trapped, The Minister) sold to Magnolia for North America, Signature Entertainment for UK/Ireland and also added Portugal (Pris) and Czech Republic (Bonton Films) to the list of sold territories that already included further key territories like France (Mediawan), Spain (Twelve Oaks) and Japan (Tohokushinsha). Operation Napoleon is a gripping English-language thriller about a lawyer (Icelandic newcomer Vivian Olafsdottir) being drawn into an international conspiracy when falsely accused of a murder. Her only hope for survival lies in unraveling the secret of a World War II airplane found on Iceland's largest glacier. Operation Napoleon is directed by Oskar Thor Axelsson (Black’s Game, I Remember You) and produced by Sagafilm and Splendid Entertainment.

The Fox, the moving true story about the extraordinary friendship between a young man and a wounded fox cub sold to Greenwich Entertainment in the US, to Jaye Entertainment for South Korea, Proview Ent. for Taiwan, to Lev Cinemas for Israel, to Karma Films for Spain, to Mediaset for Italy and to Juno11 for Hungary. A breakout hit in Austria, the film directed by Adrian Goiginger (The Best Of All Worlds) is also nominated for 5 national film awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor, honoring Simon Morzé’s (The Tobacconist, Berlinale entry One Of Us) outstanding performance that included a yearlong preparation. The Fox also stars Adriane Gradziel and Karl Markovics (The Counterfeiters) and is produced by Geissendörfer Pictures with Lotus Film, Giganten Film, 2010 Entertainment in co-production with Film AG in collaboration with SWR, ARTE, BR and ORF.

Norwegian drama Let The River Flow about Europe’s last indigenous people’s fight for recognition and basic rights sold to Australia and New Zealand (Palace), Spain (Filmin) and former Yugoslavia (Discovery). The film tells the story of young substitute school teacher Ester (played by real-life Sámi activist Elle Marie Hætta Isaksen), who at first unintentionally becomes part of the protests but then begins participating in increasingly daring acts of civil disobedience, eventually leading to human blockades and riots. The gipping drama directed by Ole Giaever (Out of Nature, The Mountain) took Audience Awards at both the festivals in Tromsø and Göteborg and was a breakout hit at the Norwegian box office. It is based on real events and produced by Mer Film in co-production with Bufo, Zentropa Sweden, Helmet and Knudsen Pictures.

Metropolitain Film (France), Flins & Piniculas (Spain), Plaion Pictures (German speaking territories) and Discovery Film (former Yugoslavia) picked up Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! and upcoming Diabolik, Who Are You?, starring Grey’s Anatomy and Marvel’s Avengers’ Giacomo Gianniotti and Monica Bellucci (Matrix, The Apartment) in the lead roles. Based on the Italian comic book series which sold over 150 million copies, Diabolik delivers suspenseful crime action set in the fictional city of Clerville in the 1960s. Diabolik is an infallible gentleman gangster, whose real identity is unknown and who in every installment engages in a thrilling chance with the savvy local police inspector, who is obsessed with the arrest of the notorious thief. The films are directed by Antonio and Marco Manetti and produced by Mompracem in co-production with Rai Cinema and Astorina. Kino Lorber had picked up US rights for all three installments during EFM.

Beta Cinema’s Cannes slate also includes highly successful German dramedies Simply Complicated, and Oskar’s Dress and German Kral’s (Our Last Tango) social comedy Adiós Buenos Aires. Pre-sales have kicked off for political thriller Hammarskjöld (WT) with iconic actor Mikael Persbrandt in the lead, The Offing, starring Helen Bonham Carter, Gold Berlin Bear winning director Călin Peter Netzer’s Familiar and Andreas Dresen’s From Hilde With Love. Beta Cinema’s sales team can be found at the right hand side of the Mondrian Hotel (formerly Grand Hotel), 45 Bd de la Croissette.