Corinth Films has acquired North American rights from Copenhagen-based LevelK to Kurdish-Iranian filmmaker Arsalan Amiri’s Venice and Fantastic Fest award winner Zalava.
LevelK continues talks with EFM buyers this week on the film set in 1978 at the onset of the Iranian Revolution as a young military officer investigates reports of demonic possession in a remote Kurdish village.
When the officer arrests a local shaman it incenses the villagers, who trap him and his lover in a cursed home. Amiri directed his feature debut from his screenplay and previously wrote Titi and Nahid. Navid Pourfaraj and Pouria Rahimi Sam star.
Corinth plans a theatrical release this year followed by home entertainment and digital roll-out. EVP John Poole, Jr. brokered the deal with LevelK head of sales Debra Liang.
“Zalava is such a refreshing take on the horror genre creating hysteria, fear and paranoia at a time where we as a population of the world are feeling the same,” said Liang.
The genre title received post-production support from Gothenburg Film Fund last year and won the FIPRESCI prize at Venice last year as well as the grand prize for best film at Venice Critics’ Week, best film in Fantastic Fest’s New Wave, and best film in the new directors competition at Sao Paulo International Film Festival. Among many festival appearances it also played Toronto Midnight Madness.
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