Samuel Goldwyn Films has picked up North American rights to “Sobibor,” Russia’s entry for the foreign-language film Oscar, about a real-life revolt in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.
The rebellion and mass escape, led by a Soviet officer, Alexander Pechersky, took place in Sobibor in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1943. There have been several treatments of the story for both the big and small screens.
The new film from Russia is the feature-directing debut of actor Konstantin Khabensky (“Wanted,” “Night Watch,” “Day Watch,” “Trotsky”), who also plays the lead role. Christopher Lambert plays the head of the Nazi camp.
Khabensky told Variety earlier this year that “Sobibor,” which screened at the Cannes market, “speaks best to audiences who are open to emotionally accept things that are not easy to accept.” Though set in the past, the film is relevant today, because “humanity hasn’t learned its lessons yet,” Khabensky said.
The script is based on the book by Ilya Vasilyev, “Alexander Pechersky: Breakthrough Into Immortality.” Produced by Cinema Production and Fetisoff Illusion with the support of the Alexander Pechersky Foundation, the movie is distributed by All Media Company.
It was previously sold to France and Switzerland (First International Production), U.K. (4 Digital Media), Spain (Flins & Piniculas), Benelux (DFW), Poland (Nova Films), Bulgaria (Beatum), Japan (Fine Films), South Korea (Media Soft), Australia (Jewish Intl. Film Festival), Israel (KinoRai) and Germany (Kartina.TV for theatrical release and KSM company for other rights).