Scripted

Ahead of the film’s world-premiere in the prestigious Cannes Premiere section this Thursday, Beta Cinema can reveal first deals for Amrum, the new film by Fatih Akin: The poignant drama was sold to France (Dulac Distribution), Spain (A Contracorriente), Japan (Bitters End), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Cinemart), Former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria (MCF) and Brasil (Imovision). Warner Bros. Pictures Germany will release Amrum to the German-speaking territories on October 9 while Dulac Distribution is eyeing a release on December 24.

Based on true events, the childhood memories of renowned German director and screenwriter Hark Bohm, the film is set in the final weeks of World War II on the secluded island Amrum: 12-year-old Nanning braves the treacherous sea to hunt seals, goes fishing at night, and works the nearby farm to help his mother feed the family. Despite the hardship, life on the beautiful, windswept island almost feels like paradise. But when peace finally comes, it reveals a deeper threat: the enemy is far closer than he imagined.

12-year-old discovery Jasper Billerbeck was cast in the leading role and he is supported by Laura Tonke (AEIOU, The People vs. Fritz Bauer), Lisa Hagmeister (System Crasher), Kian Köppke, Matthias Schweighöfer (Army of the Dead) and Diane Kruger (In The Fade, Inglourious Basterds).

“An invitation to Cannes is the greatest gift for any filmmaker.”, co-writer, director and producer Fatih Akin states. “Amrum tells of expulsion from paradise. For me, the film became a journey into the depths of my ‘German soul.’ Perhaps it was the last lesson Master Hark Bohm taught me: cinema remains an eternal mystery.”

Fatih Akin is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker. His breakthrough came in 2004 with Head-On, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. He also directed The Edge of Heaven (2007), winner of the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the European Film Award, Soul Kitchen (2009), which won the Special Jury Prize in competition at the Venice Film Festival and In the Fade (2016), which won the Golden Palm for the Best Actress (Diane Kruger) in Cannes and the Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Language Film.

Amrum was written by Hark Bohm and Fatih Akin, lensed by Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Independence Day) and edited by Andrew Bird (The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Head-On, In the Fade). The film was produced by bombero international, Warner Bros. Film Productions Germany in co-production with Rialto Film. The production was supported by FFA, DFFF, Moin Film Förderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, BKM, MBB, MFG and Bayerischer Filmpreis.

Beta Cinema’s Cannes slate also includes several English-language upcoming movies like the Bill Nighy-led road movie 500 MILES and market premieres of the Italian hit comedy U.S.Palmese by acclaimed directors Antonio and Marco Manetti and the award-winning Spanish debut THE REMNANTS OF YOU by Gala Gracia.

Beta Cinema’s sales team can be found at the right hand side of the Mondrian Hotel (The Grand Hotel), 45 Bd de la Croissette.