Cosimo Santoro: Last News

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentLos Angeles-based Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to Colombia-based Spanish director Ruth Caudeli’s Tribeca title “Petit Mal” from Italian sales company The Open Reel. “Petit Mal,” in which Caudeli also stars, is centered around three young women, Martina, Laia, and Anto, who are in a passionate, playful three-way relationship — the dynamic of which is reshaped when one is called away for a long-term project.The pic, which premieres in Tribeca’s Viewpoints section, is loosely based on the director’s personal life experiences.“Petit Mal” is Caudeli’s third feature segueing from her exploration of somewhat similar themes in “Eva + Candela” (2017), in which a female filmmaker falls in love with her leading lady, and “Second Star on the Right” (2019), about a 30-something bisexual woman who refuses to grow up. During Cannes, the Rome-based Open Reel, which is headed by Cosimo Santoro, also sold rights to “Petit Mal” for Germany and all German-speaking territories to Cinemien.de/Pro-Fun Media; and for Benelux to Cinemien.nl.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Leading Italian sales company The Open Reel has snagged the international sales rights to Pablo Garcia Perez de Lara’s latest doc, “Born to be Born,” ahead of its world premiere at the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin.Doc revolves around a progressive public school, the Escola Congrés-Indians, in Garcia’s native Barcelona, where preparations for an end-of-year trip of the school’s first graduating class are underway. Children learn at their own pace in the primary school which instills, above all, the values of respect and empathy for other people.“I was struck by the director’s ability to discreetly document the important educational role that the school and its educators play with these young students,” said The Open Reel founder Cosimo Santoro, adding: “They guide them through understanding and dialogue in every phase of their discussions and through any possible conflicts that may arise.” Garcia has trained his camera on children in many of his previous features and shorts.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentAt Swiss doc fest Visions du Réel with Cannes ACID premiere “Coalesce,” Torino-based The Open Reel has closed a raft of deals on its current sales titles, led by Chilean Alberto Fuguet’s “Everything at Once: Paco and Manolo’s Gaze.”“Being specific titles, and referring to a specific audience, even if in constant expansion, LGBT titles – not only feature films but also documentaries and short films – respond to the constant demand of a slice of the market that is always very receptive to fruition,” said The Open Reel founder Cosimo Santoro. “Consequently, they represent a good guarantee of promotion and sales on a large scale, even in a complicated time like this,” he added.