Loco Films, the Paris-based world sales and production company, has unveiled the trailer for Yulia Trofimova’s feature debut “The Land of Sasha” which is premiering today at the Berlinale, in the Generation 14plus strand.
“The Land of Sahsa” tells the story of an indecisive 18-year-old struggling to pursue his desire to become a painter as his mother urges him to choose a safer career path. The sudden appearance of the boy’s estranged father complicates things further. But when Sasha has an unexpected encounter with an unusual girl called Zhenia, he realizes he has no choice but to finally grow up.
“The Land of Sasha” was produced by Katerina Mikhaylova and Konstantin Fam for Moscow-based Vega Film. The young director said she has always been inspired by Paul Thomas Anderson and Noah Baumbach, and watched “Francis Ha” many times while writing the script.
Trofimova said the film was a coming of age for both a son and his mother. “For Sasha it means taking responsibility for the first time, and for his mother, it’s letting her son go. And it’s definitely a movie about love,” she said.
Loco Films has also sold “The Champion of Auschwitz,” Maciej Barczzewski’s compelling drama about a boxer who fought for survival inside a Nazi death camp during the Second World War, to a flurry of territories.
The movie was picked up for the U.S. (Adapt Entertainment), Japan (Medallion Media Co.), Spain (Caramel Films), Taiwan (Swallow Wings), Russia (Vesta Films), China (Domo Media) and Brazil (Mares Filmes). Parkland previously acquired U.K. rights.
“The Champion of Auschwitz” tells the true story of Tadeusz “Teddy” Pietrzykowski, a champion boxer who was transported to the concentration camp and had to fight for his life.
Leszek Starzynski and Krzysztof Szpetmanski produced the film which stars Piotr Glowacki, Jan Szydlowski and Grzegorz Malecki.