Spain's Sogepaq has sold allrights for the US to Picture This! Entertainment on Alberto Rodriguez's coming-of-age drama 7Virgins (7 Virgenes).
The announcement comes onthe same day the film turned heads with six nominations for the Spanish FilmAcademy's Goya Awards including in the best film, director and original scriptcategories.
7 Virgins, a Tesela production, premiered at the TorontoInternational Film Festival then went on to compete at the Donostia-SanSebastian International Film Festival, where lead actor Juan Jose Ballesta tookhome the best actor award.
The popular 17 year-oldreceived a best actor Goya nomination Thursday for his role as a good-heartedyet troubled teen on a 48 hour leave from a juvenile reform center. Co-starsJesus Carroza and Alba Rodriguez both earned best new actor nominations, acategory Ballesta won in 2001 for his career-making turn in Pellet (El Bola).
7 Virgins has also been a surprise hit for distributor AltaFilms at the local box office, shooting to the top of the charts on its secondweekend out, a rare occurence, and reaching nearly a million admissions todate.
The US deal was negotiatedfor a 2006 release under the "coming-of-age" label of the distributor byPicture This! president Douglas Witkins and Sogepaq head of international salesSophie de Mac Mahon.
Sogepaq additionally soldthe film at the AFM to Audiovisual for Greece & Cyprus, Lev Cinemas forIsrael and Cinema for Ukraine. The company also handles international sales onFernando Leon's Princesses (Princesas), which earned nine Goya nominations this year aheadof its international premiere in the World Cinema competition at Sundance.
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