Breaking News : Variety // Reel Suspects Nabs Worldwide Sales Rights to Drama-Thriller ‘Leviano’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Rights to Drama-Thriller ‘Leviano’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Portuguese-Canadian Justin Amorim’s feature debut makes its market premiere at Cannes
Matteo Lovadina’s Paris-based Reel Suspects has acquired worldwide sales rights to Portuguese drama-thriller “Leviano,” the feature debut of Portuguese-Canadian director Justin Amorim.
The film market premieres at the Cannes Film Market in a screening on Saturday, May 20.
Set up at Portugal’s Promenade Productions, “Leviano” tells the story of three sisters whose life is turned upside down after their mother mysteriously goes missing during her 50th birthday party.
The sisters join forces with two brothers that discovered that the sisters’ brother also went missing on that same night. All they embark on a journey of self-discovery towards the unknown.
The cast includes Portuguese film and TV actors Diana Marques Guerra (“Filha do Mar”), Anabela Teixeira (“Florbela”), Ruben Rua (“A Unica Mulher”) and Joao Mota (“Coração d’Ouro”).
Film’s characters are based on women the 23-year-old writer-director Amorim has met in his own life, according to Matteo Lovadina.
“Justin captures the hidden side behind the mirror, standing out as a potential prominent portrait specialist of his generation,” added Lovaina, who considers “Leviano” “a universal story that translates effortlessly in every country.”
“Buyers and festival directors should appreciate the homage to films like Sophia Coppola’s ‘The Bling Ring’ and Harmony Korine’s ‘Spring Breakers,’ Lovaina added.
At the Cannes Film Market, Reel Suspects, one of France’s few upscale foreign-language genre specialists, is kicking off sales to psychological thriller “Firstborn,” the awaited film by Armenian helmer Aik Karapetian, who caught attention with (“The Man in the Orange Jacket”); Italian Andrea de Sica’s feature debut “Children of the Night,” a RAI Cinema co-production; and Yu-Lin Wang’s LGBT drama “Alifu, the Princess.”
Reel Suspects is also initiating pre-sales on “Malila,” a drama project by Thai director Anucha Boonyawatana (“The Blue Hour”), and Antichrist re-born film “Piargy,” by first-time helmer Ivo Trajkov.
Further titles handled by the French sales agent include Spanish director Sadrac González-Perellón’s sci-fi thriller “Black Hollow Cage” and Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s “Sexy Durga,” winner of Rotterdam’s 2017 Hivos Tiger Award.