Paris-based Indie Sales has closed a raft of deals for “Last Swim,” Sasha Nathwani’s debut which won the Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, including in the U.S. and the U.K.
Vertigo, whose track record include “Sound of Metal” and “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” has picked up the film and will set a theatrical release for it on April 4th in the U.K. and in the summer in the U.S. “Last Swim” had its U.K. premiere at BFI London Film Festival last October.
Set over a hot summer day in London, the film follows British-Iranian teen Ziba as she leads her friends on an eventful journey across the city, culminating in a once in a lifetime astronomical event. The high-school year is ending, but despite the celebratory atmosphere, “Ziba struggles to retain her characteristic optimism as she finds herself battling the intrusive fears and secrets she’s been hiding from her friends. As day turns to night, Ziba has no choice but to confront the irreversible event she has planned for the end of this last day of untainted adolescence,” reads the synopsis.
The cast is led by up-and-comers, including Deba Hekmat (“Hoard”) and also includes Narges Rashidi (“Gangs of London”), Solly McLeod (“Tom Jones”), Jay Lycurgo (“Titans”), Denzel Baidoo (“Consent”) and Lydia Fleming (“In from the Cold”).
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Besides the U.S. and the U.K., the movie has been sold to Spain (Yoda Films), Baltics (Garsas), CIS (Exponenta), Indonesia (Falcon), India (Big Tree Entertainment) and Spain (Yoda Films) as well as HBO Europe and Airlines (Aardworf Films).
“Last Swim” is produced by Pablo & Zeus and Caviar, and was part of the BIFA longlist for The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director, Breakthrough performance for Hekmat, and Breakthrough Producer for Mullea.
Nathwani, who is of Iranian and Indian heritage, is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts. He previously directed several shorts and has extensive commercials and music video credits. He co-wrote the film with Helen Simmons, who produced Venice 2023 title “Hoard” and “Bonus Track.”
Indie Sales’s slate also includes “It Takes Two to Tango” by Jean-Pierre Améris; Berlinale’s Generation selection Michel Gondry’s “Maya, Give Me a Title;” and Laura Wandel’s upcoming “L’intérêt d’Adam” starring Léa Drucker and Anamaria Vartolomei. The banner’s fall slate included Venice and Marrakech award-winner “Happy Holidays” by Scandar Copti.