Orphan c Courtesy of Charades and New Europe Film Sales

László Nemes’ post-World War II Hungarian family drama Orphan has sold to Portugal’s Midas Filmes, Italy’s Movies Inspired, Greece’s Spentzos Film SA, Baltic’s Kino Pavasaris and ex-Yugoslavia’s MCF MegaCom Film for Charades and New Europe Film Sales.

The film has already sold to Mubi for a multi-territory deal in the UK and Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Latin America and Turkey. Le Pacte will release the film in France.

Set in 1957 Budapest after the uprising against the Communist regime, Orphan is about a young boy’s journey when a man appears from his mother’s past and he discovers the true story of her survival during World War II. Bojtorján Barabas, Gregory Gadebois and Andrea Waskovics star in what is Nemes’ third film after Son Of Saul and Sunset.

The Hungary-UK-France-Germany co-production shot for 10 weeks in Budapest in summer 2024. The producers are Ildiko Kemeny and Ferenc Szale for Hungary’s Pioneer Pictures and Mike Goodridge for the UK’s Good Chaos, alongside Alexander Rodnyansky of AR Content and Gregory Jankilevitsch of Mid March Media. Co-producers are Juliette Schrameck of France’s Lumen and Thanassis Karathanos and Martin Hampel of Germany’s Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion. Nemes co-penned the script with his Son of Saul and Sunset co-writer Clara Royer.