"Corpus Christi" picked up by Film Movement for North America





Jan Naszewski’s New Europe Film Sales announced that the North American rights to Jan Komasa’s Venice and TIFF drama “Corpus Christi” were sold to Film Movement. The deal was concluded with Film Movement’s President, Michael Rosenberg, at the MIA market in Rome ahead of AFM. The film will be featured at the Deadline Contenders event on Nov 2nd and it is Poland’s submission to this year’s International Oscar race.

“Corpus Christi” stars Bartosz Bielenia as a 20-year-old who experiences a spiritual transformation in a youth detention centre. Though his crime denies him the opportunity to officially learn to serve as clergy, he pursues his dream by dressing as a priest and ministering a small-town parish.

“Corpus Christi” has dominated the Polish box office in the last two weeks (488.000 admissions, ca. 2.6m USD in 10 days). It has already been sold to over 35 countries to date including France (Bodega), UK and Ireland (Vertigo), Australia and New Zealand (Palace), Spain (Surtsey), Norway (M Media), Lithuania (Kino Pavasaris), Benelux (Imagine) and Switzerland (Xenix). It’s currently rated 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film was written by Mateusz Pacewicz and produced by Leszek Bodzak and Aneta Hickinbotham at Aurum Film. WFS Walter Film Studio, Canal+ Poland, Podkarpacki Region Fund and Les Contes Modernes are the coproducers. The film was co-financed by Polish Film Institute and CNC Cinemas Du Monde – Institut Francais.

In addition to “Corpus Christi”, Film Movement has also recently acquired Hlynur Palmason’s “A White, White Day”,  a story of grief, revenge and unconditional love and Iceland’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film. The deal was also made with New Europe.

Other titles recently acquired by Film Movement include Dian Yi’nan’s Chinese gangland noir “The Wild Goose Lake”, Bertrand Bonello’s horror-fantasy mash-up “Zombi Child” (opening January 24th) and, as well as “Advocate”, an Israeli documentary  profiling controversial, crusading attorney Lea Tsemel (just short listed by DOC NYC for Best Documentary Feature), “Temblores”, the powerful second film from director Jayro Bustamante (Ixcanul) which opens on November 29th, and “Goldie”, Sam de Jong’s sophomore effort, an urban coming-of-story starring supermodel Slick Woods (opening February 21st).

New Europe’s slate currently includes “Disco” by Jorunn Myklebust Syversen starring the Skam star Josefine Frida, which has just played at TIFF and San Sebastian, Mariko Bobrik’s food drama “The Taste Of Pho” world-premiering in San Sebastian’s culinary section and the TIFF-selected “The County” by Grímur Hákonarson (“Rams”).

Press release


24.10.2019