Warsaw-based New Europe Film Sales has closed a raft of deals on Polish rap drama Other People with UK-based distributor Magnetes Pictures.

Screen can exclusively reveal the first international trailer for the film, above.

Magnetes, which is registered in Stockport in the UK and distributes Polish-language content in several European territories, has acquired rights for the UK and Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Benelux, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, with theatrical releases planned in all territories. A mid-April release in the UK and Ireland is planned.

The film comes out in Poland today through Warner Bros in 300 locations – a large release for a country with around 500 venues in total. It is the studio’s first Polish release in the territory for 11 years.

Marking the feature directorial debut of Aleksandra Terpinska, Other People centres a wannabe rapper who begins an affair with a bored, rich housewife and stars Jacek Beler and Sonia Bohosiewicz. It is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Polish author Dorota Maslowska.

“[Maslowska]’s books are satires on Polish society,” said Jan Naszweski, CEO of New Europe Film Sales. “They sell really well; but they also have very specific language, which is often quite difficult to translate.

“It made a lot of sense to make a deal with [Magnetes] – they are the ones that really get it. The translation issues and subtitles and the context of the movie was hard for us to explain to local distributors in different countries.

”[Magnetes] cater to the Polish diaspora in different countries - they have a network to promote these things. They usually use promotion that has been done in Poland, and translate it over to what they can do [internationally].”

The film debuted at Poland’s Gdynia Film Festival last September, where it won six awards including best debut director for Terpinska, discovery of the festival and best actor for Beler. It went on to play in the first feature competition at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it won the Fipresci prize.

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