This article will be updated regularly during the Berlinale's European Film Market, taking place from 13-19 February.

M-Appeal has secured additional international distribution deals for three Berlinale titles. Dag Johan Haugerud’s Dreams (Sex, Love) [+lee también:
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entrevista: Dag Johan Haugerud
ficha de la película], premiering in competition, has been acquired by Films4You for Portugal, Swallow Wings for Taiwan (also securing all rights to Sex [+lee también:
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entrevista: Dag Johan Haugerud
ficha de la película] and Love [+lee también:
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entrevista: Dag Johan Haugerud
ficha de la película]), and Beta Films for Bulgaria. Golden Bear contender Living the Land by China's Huo Meng has found a theatrical distributor in Bulgaria with Beta Films. Meanwhile, Night Stage by Brazil's Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher, which premiered in the Panorama section, has been sold to Flash Forward for Taiwan and Outplay for France. [Variety]

Recently-launched Paris-based sales company Lucky Number has sold Frédéric Hambalek's What Marielle Knows [+lee también:
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entrevista: Frédéric Hambalek
ficha de la película] across Europe. Distribution deals have been secured with Paname Distribution in France, Cinéart in Benelux, Karma Films in Spain, Alambique in Portugal, Edge Entertainment in Scandinavia, Aurora in Poland, Film Europe for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Mozinet in Hungary, Beta Films in Bulgaria, Scanorama in the Baltics, and MCF Megacom in the former Yugoslavia. Palace Films will handle distribution in Australia and New Zealand, Bir Film in Turkey, Falcon in Indonesia, Cine Canibal in Latin America, and Nachshon in Israel. Talks are ongoing in the US, UK, Italy, Greece, Korea, and Southeast Asia. DCM will release the film in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. [Screen Daily]

Paris-based sales agency Lucky Number secured deals for Gabriel Mascaro's Golden Bear contender The Blue Trail [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] with major distributors across several territories. These include Germany (Alamode), France (Paname), Benelux (Imagine), Spain (Karma), Switzerland (Xenix), Portugal (Nitrato), Sweden (Triart), Denmark (Camera), Norway (Arthaus), the Baltics (A-One), Poland (Aurora), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe), the former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), Bulgaria (Beta Films), Hungary (Mozinet), Israel (Lev), Australia and New Zealand (Palace), and Indonesia (Falcon). [Variety]

New Europe Film Sales has sold Sarah Miro Fischer's Panorama entry The Good Sister [+lee también:
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entrevista: Sarah Miro Fischer y Marie…
ficha de la película] to Memento Distribution for France, Cherrypickers for Benelux, Cinobo for Greece, and BTeam for Spain. [Screen Daily]

True Colours is expanding its TV series line-up with the addition of Broken Spies. Produced by Portugal's Ukbar Filmes in collaboration with RTP and Krakow Film Klaster, the series created and written by Pandora da Cunha Telles and directed by João Maia dives into the complex world of espionage. It had been selected for the Berlinale Series Market.

Minerva Pictures has closed multiple international sales for Taavi Vartia’s Finnish survival thriller Ice Skater, with the film acquired by Spain’s Inopia, CIS’s Magic Films, Latin America’s Clube Filmes and Foxx Vision for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Currently in post-production, Ice Skater features Norwegian actress Thea Sofie Loch Næss in the lead role as a woman stranded on an ice floe in the Arctic Sea. [Screen Daily]

Australia's Odin’s Eye Entertainment has announced distribution deals to the Belgian period drama The Last Front in multiple territories. Written and directed by Julien Hayet-Kerknawi, the film stars Iain Glen and Sasha Luss. It is set during World War I and follows Leonard as he is driven to spearhead a resistance and protect his community during the German invasion of Belgium. The Last Front has been acquired by Quiver Distribution for the United States, Altitude Film Distribution for the United Kingdom, Rialto Distribution for Australia and New Zealand, Falcon Films for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Tiberius Film for German-speaking Europe. The film was released in Belgium on 7 February 2024 and had limited releases in the U.S. and UK. [Deadline]

Jodie Foster and Virgine Efira in Vie privée by Rebecca Zlotowski (© Jérôme Prébois)

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American and Latin American rights for Rebecca Zlotowski’s French-language murder-mystery movie Vie Privée, starring Jodie Foster as a renowned psychiatrist who investigates the suspicious death of one of her patients. Foster is joined in the cast by Daniel Auteuil, Mathieu Amalric, Virginie Efira, Vincent Lacoste and Luàna Bajrami. Vie Privée is being produced by Les Films Velvet in co-production with France 3 Cinéma. The project’s promo was unveiled at the European Film Market by Goodfellas, which has sold out in Europe with deals to the UK (Altitude), Spain (Caramel Films), Germany (Plaion Pictures), Italy (Europictures), the Benelux (September Film), Switzerland (Frenetic Films), Portugal (Pris Audiovisuais), Bulgaria (Cinelibri), the former Yugoslavia (MCF), Hungary (Cinetel LTD), Romania (Independenta Film), Poland (Best Film), the Baltics and CIS (Pro:vzglyad), and Scandinavia (Another World Entertainment). Outside of Europe, it has been acquired for Israel (Lev Cinemas), Turkey (Yeni Bir Films), and Australia and New Zealand (Transmission). Ad Vitam pre-acquired the French rights for the film. [Variety/Deadline/The Wrap]

Best Friend Forever has secured distribution agreements for Kateryna Gornostai’s Timestamp [+lee también:
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entrevista: Kateryna Gornostai
ficha de la película], partnering with Dulac Distribution for France and Cherry Pickers for Belgium and the Netherlands. The deals come just ahead of the film’s world premiere in competition at Berlin. [Screen Daily]

Goodfellas has sold North American rights for Lucile Hadžihalilović’s The Ice Tower [+lee también:
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entrevista: Lucile Hadžihalilović
ficha de la película] to Yellow Veil Pictures, after its world premiere in competition at Berlin. [Deadline]

TrustNordisk has sold Petra Volpe’s Berlinale Special entry Late Shift [+lee también:
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entrevista: Petra Volpe
ficha de la película], starring Leonie Benesch, to Bim Distribuzione in Italy. It was produced by Zodiac Pictures, in co-production with MMC Zodiac, SRF and SRG SSR. The film previously sold to France (Wild Bunch Distribution), Spain (Karma Films), Benelux (September Film), Germany and Austria (Tobis), and Switzerland (Filmcoopi Zurich). [Screen Daily]

Fandango Sales has picked up world rights to Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t, the new comedy by Gianni Di Gregorio (Mid-August Lunch [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], recently remade in English). Fandango is launching sales at Berlin’s EFM, with the film now in post. This marks Di Gregorio’s fifth feature, starring Greta Scarano, Tom Wlaschiha, Anna Losano, Pietro Serpi and Iaia Forte. A co-production between Italy’s Bibi Film and RAI Cinema, and France’s Les Films Du Poisson, the film will be theatrically released in Italy by Fandango. [Variety]

Actress Kate Winslet (© Mingle Media TV) is working on her directorial debut, Goodbye June

Kate Winslet is in pre-production for her feature-length directorial debut, Goodbye June, which will be filmed in the UK for Netflix and Working Title Films. Written by Winslet’s son, Joe Anders, the film features a star-studded cast including Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren and Winslet herself. Winslet is also producing alongside Kate Solomon, with Working Title serving as executive producer. Described as a contemporary fictional drama, Goodbye June follows a fractured group of siblings who come together in the face of sudden and challenging circumstances. [Screen]

Films Boutique has pressed on with pre-sales and trained a fresh spotlight on Calle Malaga, the first Spanish-language film by Morocco’s Maryam Touzani (popular in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2019 and 2022 with Adam [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] and The Blue Caftan [+lee también:
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ficha de la película]) by revealing that the lead cast member is Carmen Maura, Pedro Almódovar’s erstwhile muse. Currently in post-production, the film is being produced by Ali n’ Productions (Morocco) together with Les Films du Nouveau Monde (France), Mod Producciones (Spain), One Two Films (Germany) and Velvet Films (Belgium). [Variety]

Rai Cinema International Distribution has kicked off pre-sales for Io la volevo uccidere (working title) by Leonardo Di Costanzo (who rose to fame in Venice’s Orizzonti in 2012 with The Interval [+lee también:
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entrevista: Leonardo Di Costanzo
ficha de la película], and was popular with The Intruder [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] in the 2017 Directors’ Fortnight and with The Inner Cage [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] out of competition at Venice in 2021), the shoot for which will get under way in early March. It will be toplined by France’s Roschdy Zem and Italy’s Barbara Ronchi in the roles of a criminologist and a murderer who’s spent ten years in prison. The production is being staged by Tempesta Film (Italy) together with Rai Cinema and Amka Films (Switzerland). [Variety]

Vision Distribution has closed deals for many territories on Italian director Silvio Soldini's The Taster (see the news), starring Elisa Schlott, Max Riemelt and Alma Hasun. The German-language drama has been picked up by CDI for most Latin American territories and by Pandora for Brazil, by Stars Media for all former Yugoslavian territories, by Mirror Audiovisual for Spain, by Films4You for Portugal, by Beta Films for Bulgaria, by Rosebud for Greece and by New Cinema for Israel. [Variety]

Greta Lee (© Fabrizio de Gennaro/Cineuropa) and Andrew Scott (© Paulae) are starring in Lili Horvát's My Notes on Mars

French sales agent Memento International is becoming Paradise City Sales (the name of its London-based production subsidiary Paradise City) and is launching pre-sales for My Notes on Mars, the first English-language film by Hungary’s Lili Horvát (very popular in the Giornate degli Autori in 2020 with Preparations to Be Together For an Unknown Period of Time [+lee también:
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entrevista: Lili Horvat
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ficha de la película]). The movie, which will begin shooting next summer with Greta Lee and Andrew Scott among the cast, is being produced by Poste Restante (Hungary) together with Paradise City, Amour Fou (Luxembourg) and Obala Art Center (Bosnia and Herzegovina). [Variety]

Belgium’s Virginie Efira will play a woman adopting a child in Morocco in the upcoming film by Nabil Ayouch (in competition at Cannes with Casablanca Beats [+lee también:
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ficha de la película]; also the director of Everybody Loves Touda [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] and Much Loved [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], among others), the shoot for which will take place in late 2025. The production is being staged by Moroccan outfit Ali n’ Productions together with French firm Les Films du Nouveau Monde. [Variety]

Film Constellation has presented a first teaser of the CG-animated family film The Growcodile to buyers. Belgium’s Freaks Factory and the Netherlands’ Ka-Ching Cartoons have joined as co-production partners, as the film produced by France's Fantabulous moves towards completion by the end of next year. The movie has already secured multiple pre-sales, including deals with Kino Swiat (Poland), ProRom (Eastern Europe), Volga (CIS and Baltics), Nos (Portugal), Tanweer (Greece and Israel), Italia Film (Turkey and MENA) and Lumix (Vietnam), with further negotiations under way. In France, KMBO will handle the theatrical release. [Variety]

Films Boutique has closed the first international deals for Georgi M Unkovski’s DJ Ahmet [+lee también:
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entrevista: Georgi M. Unkovski
ficha de la película] after its Sundance premiere, where it won the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision and the Audience Award. The drama has sold to Madman Entertainment (Australia/New Zealand), September Film (Benelux), Films We Like (Canada), Filmin (Spain), Lev Cinema (Israel), Leopardo Filmes (Portugal) and Discovery (former Yugoslavia), with more deals in progress. [Variety]

Filmmaker Leyla Bouzid (© Giornate degli Autori) is working on her new film In a Whisper

Playtime has announced the addition of four films in post-production to its line-up. Standing out amongst them is In a Whisper by Tunisian filmmaker Leyla Bouzid (the director of As I Open My Eyes [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] and A Tale of Love and Desire [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], popular in the 2015 Giornate degli Autori and in Cannes’ 2021 Critics’ Week, respectively) produced by Unité and starring Eya Bouteraa, Hiam Abbass and Marion Barbeau. Pre-sales have also started for C’est Si Bon! by Diane Kurys starring Roschdy Zem and Marina Foïs as Yves Montand and Simone Signoret (produced by Pan Européenne with Alexandre Films). Also in the line-up are Gorgonà, the debut feature by Greek filmmaker Evi Kalogiropoulou (produced by Greek outfit Neda Film with French companies Blue Monday Productions and Kidam) and Chopin, A Sonata in Paris by Polish director Michał Kwieciński (led by Akson Studio). Last but not least, and also in post-production, there is Eagles of the Republic by Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh, Place to Be by Italian director Paolo Virzì, The Richest Woman in the World by French filmmaker Thierry Klifa and The Rembrandt Syndrome by his compatriot Pierre Schoeller. [Screen Daily/Variety]

REInvent has boarded world sales on the third feature by Sweden's Maria Bäck (Psychosis in Stockholm [+lee también:
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entrevista: Maria Bäck
ficha de la película]), titled Brave New Love. Led by Kathrine Thorborg Johansen, Simon Sears, Anders Danielsen Lie and Angeliki Papoulia, the picture will start shooting in March 2025 on location in Denmark and Greece. The film is being staged by Denmark's Snowglobe. [Screen Daily]

Youth flick Lars Is Lol by Eirik Sæter Stordahl has secured sales to multiple European territories. TrustNordisk sold it to Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Look at That!), the Netherlands (VPRO), the former Yugoslavia (Zagreb Film Festival), Poland (Bomba Film), Estonia (Estinfilm) and Lithuania (Skalvija Cinema Centre).

Director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa (© Dario Caruso/Cineuropa) is working on her new film, Sundays

Le Pacte has kicked off pre-sales for Sundays (Los domingos) by Spanish filmmaker Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, her second feature after her Berlinale Panorama-premiered and Goya-winning Lullaby [+lee también:
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entrevista: Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
ficha de la película], and her San Sebastián-premiered series Querer [+lee también:
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entrevista: Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
ficha de la serie]. [Screen Daily]

Filmax has boarded Leo & Lou, a feel-good road movie set against the stunning, windswept landscapes of Galicia in northern Spain and staged by Zeta Studios, producer of the Netflix hit Elite. Leo & Lou is toplined by Isak Férriz, a key cast member in the Netflix global hit Burning Body, and Julia Sulleiro. Written by Carlos C Tomé and Carlos Solano, Leo & Lou marks Solano’s debut as a feature-film director after his Goya-nominated short Strangers on the Road. [Variety]

Paris-based Pulsar Content has boarded The Velazquez Mystery, narrated by Cannes and Venice Best Actor Award winner Vincent Lindon, which also marks the directorial debut by renowned French producer Stéphane Sorlat. The third part of a documentary feature trilogy, following José Luis López Linares’ Bosch: The Garden of Dreams [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] and Goya, Carriere and the Ghost of Buñuel [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], The Velazquez Mystery explores multiple questions raised by the painter. [Variety]

Film Constellation has revealed the first pre-sales on the historical epic The Captive by Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar, based on the life story of Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. The Captive has sold to France (Haut et Court), Greece and Cyprus (Filmtrade/Tanweer), Portugal (Nos Audiovisuais), Bulgaria (Pro Films), the former Yugoslavia (Discovery), and CIS (Russian World Vision), with buyers circling in North America. [Variety]

Danish sales agent TrustNordisk has inked a couple of key distribution deals for the forthcoming flick by Norwegian filmmaker Pål Øie, Kraken (see the news). The Norwegian-language action feature has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films for North America and Gussi for Latin America. [Screen Daily]

French sales outfit Salaud Morisset has sold Mahdi Fleifel’s Palestinian refugee drama To a Land Unknown [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], which originally premiered in Cannes' Directors’ Fortnight, to 40 territories. The film is released in the UK and Ireland on Friday. Salaud Morisset has signed new deals with Imovision (Brazil), Vertigo Media (Hungary/Czech Republic/Slovakia), Joint Entertainment (Taiwan), Real Fiction (Germany), Five Stars (former Yugoslavia), Filmtrade (Greece), Filmladen (Austria), Filmin (Spain), The Stone & The Plot (Portugal) and Falcon Pictures (Indonesia). Previously announced deals include those with Conic (UK), Wildcard (Ireland), Eurozoom (France), Watermelon Pictures (USA/Canada) and Film Clinic (Arab territories). [Variety]