With the Locarno film festival kicking off last night, Media Luna Entertainment has picked international distribution rights for Turkish director Özcam Alper's feature debut Autumn (Sonbahar) which has its international premiere in Locarno's International Competition on Thursday.

Onur Saylak, Megi Koboladze, R. Gulefer Yenigul and Serkan Keskin are the cast in this poetical film documenting and criticising a slice of recent Turkish history as a man returns to his native village after ten years in prison.

A Turkish-German co-production between Kusey Film Production and producer-director Kadir Sözen's Cologne-based Film Fabrik Spiel- und Dokumentarfilmproduktion, Autumn was first shown at the Golden Boll International Film Festival in Adana, Turkey, in June and is the first Turkish film in Locarno's official competition for nine years.

In addition, Media Luna is handling sales for Swiss director Dominique de Rivaz's Life For Sale (Luftbusiness), starring Joel Basman and Noi Albinoi lead actor Tomas Lemarquis, which will have its world premiere in the Here & Elsewhere sidebar on August 12.

Moreover, another Media Luna title - Brazilian film-maker Claudio Assis's 2006 award-winning film Bog Of Beasts (Baixio Das Bestas) - will be shown as part of the programme of public screenings to accompany the Open Doors focus on Latin America this year.

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