Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based sales company has boarded Finnish-Iranian Hamy Ramezan’s debut feature “Any Day Now,” to be shown as a work in progress at Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market, WHICH RUNS Jan 30.-Feb 2.
Ramezan’s drama, produced by Aamu Film Company (“The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki”), already enjoys a strong buzz from earlier industry pitch events such as Helsinki’s Finnish Film Affair where the film was handed the Best Project Award.
The realistic drama is inspired by the director’s own experience as a refugee who fled the Iran-Iraq conflict with his family and landed in Finland in 1990.
Co-written by Ramezan and Antti Rautava, the story follows 13-year-old Ramin Mehdipour, of Iranian origin, who is enjoying a perfect summer in a small Finnish town. A few weeks before the new school year, his family gets the news that the Finnish Immigration Service has turned down their application for asylum. While preparing for an appeal, the Mehdipours get on with their lives, fueled by their exceptionally positive outlook and attitude.
“The film is set in Finland today,” said the director. “It paints a picture of a family that unfair and faceless forces fail to crush. The Mehdipouri’s journey continues, their dignity cannot be deprived,” stressed Ramezan whose wish is, “to remind the audience that refugee is not an identity.”
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Toplining the cast as the father of the family is Iranian star Shahab Hosseini (“A Separation”, “The Salesman”). Rising talent Shabnam Ghorbani plays the mother and Finnish actress Laura Birn (“Foundation”) is Ramin’s teacher.
Naszewski said: “We have worked with Hamy on his short films and he’s a talent we’ve been following. ‘Any Day Now’ is a moving story and very relevant today. We think it will melt many hearts.”
Delivery is scheduled around Cannes in May.
New Europe Film Sales’ Göteborg line-up includes two other works in progress:
*Valdimar Jóhannsson’s hotly anticipated Icelandic supernatural drama “Lamb” starring Noomi Rapace is now in post. “We’re working hard on the edit, VFX [from “Border” s Peter Hjorth] and final bits of additional financing to secure the highest quality for the film,” noted Naszewski.
*Also in the editing room is “The Here After”’s Magnus von Horn sophomore pic “Sweat,” co-produced by Lava Films in Poland and Zentropa Sweden.
The drama follows fitness motivator and social media celebrity Sylwia Zając during three full days as she is looking for true intimacy.
Three Nordic films vying for the Dragon Award-Best Nordic Film Prize at the Göteborg Film Festival complete New Europe Film Sales’ slate: Grímur Hakonarson’s “The County” and Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco” which premiered at Toronto, as well as Malou Reymann’s “A Perfectly Normal Family”, selected for Rotterdam’s Big Screen Competition.
Recent deals closed on “Disco” include Lithuania (Kino Pacasaris), New Zealand (Palace Australia), Czech /Sovak Republics (Artcam), Iceland (Bioparadis) and Canada (Bell Media), while “A Perfectly Normal Family” has been acquired by Haut et Court for France.
New Europe Film Sales represents Poland’s Academy Awards entry “Corpus Christi” by Jan Komasa.