Locarno, Sarajevo Prize Winner ‘Safe Place’ Picked Up for Sales by Dubai’s Cercamon (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comChristopher Vourlias Dubai-based sales agent Cercamon has acquired world sales rights for Juraj Lerotić’s “Safe Place,” which won three awards after its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival and was named best film at Sarajevo.
The Croatian director’s feature debut is the emotional story of a family reeling in the wake of a suicide attempt that centers on a man’s struggle to save his younger brother, creating a rift in the family’s everyday life. “Safe Place” plays on Lerotić’s own pained family history, with the Croatian multihyphenate taking on the lead role in his deeply personal story – a performance that also earned him the award for best actor in Sarajevo. “The film is reduced to the most acute, to a short time span and a clear situation that can be put in a nutshell: save the loved one,” the filmmaker said in a statement.
Cercamon head Sebastien Chesneau said: “We were overwhelmed by the sincerity and the realism of the film. Juraj Lerotić touched us intensively with his autobiographical drama, in which we felt immediately connected. ‘Safe Place’ stays in your mind.” Producer Miljenka Čogelja added: “I believe that Cercamon is the best choice for ‘Safe Place’ and I hope for the continuation of the film’s successful journey.
When, already in the first conversations, the collaborators get into the deepest core of the film and when it corresponds with how you see it, you know that the film is in good hands.” “Safe Place” won awards for best first feature film, best emerging director and best actor in Locarno.
Read more on variety.com
