Juno Films has acquired US and multiple territory rights to Aleksander Sokurov’s Fairytale following its world premiere in Locarno Film Festival last summer.
The distributor plans a late autumn release in the US after a festival run, and will also distribute the feature theatrically in the UK.
Additionally Juno has acquired rights in Australia and New Zealand, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands and will handle festival releases in those territories.
Fairytale was blocked by Russian censors and situates 20th century leaders Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Winston Churchill in Purgatory, where they are joined by Jesus Christ as they amble around, muttering in their mother tongues about their mundane preoccupations.
Sokurov, who directed the 2002 international arthouse hit Russian Ark and won the Venice Golden Lion with Faust in 2011, brought the characters to life through animated archival footage.
Producer Nikolay Yankin negotiated the deal with Juno Films CEO Vondah Elizabeth Sheldon, who said: “The film succeeds on a formal level by using animation to resurrect the dead from the archives, creating an uncanny viewing experience that is also darkly humorous. The film is also a palimpsest with multiple references to Dante’s Inferno, allowing abundant space for the viewer to interpret the director’s intent.”
Yankin added, “It is the last film that Sokurov will make in Russia and we are pleased that Western audiences will be able to assess the film on its merits.”
Juno Films’ recent releases include Lasse Hallstrom’s Hilma and the upcoming Sundance Audience Award winner Girls Will Be Girls.
No comments yet