Zeitgeist's dramatic relations
Co. falls for French drama 'Otar'
The touching humanist drama deals with three generations of Georgian women coping with tragedy and loss. Their collective hopes to better their lives rest with Otar, the son of one of the women, who has been living and working in Paris.
The first narrative feature from documaker Bertuccelli, "Otar" was scripted by the director with Bernard Renucci. Pic is a French-Belgian co-production from Les Films du Poisson and Entre Chien et Loup, produced by Yael Fogiel.
"We fell in love with 'Since Otar Left' at the Toronto Film Festival, and we are extremely happy to have acquired it," Zeitgeist co-president Nancy Gerstman said. "Our antenna is always up for promising directors, and this is a very impressive debut by Julie Bertuccelli. We expect she'll have as brilliant a career as Francois Ozon, whose early films we also released."
"Otar" next screens at the New York Film Festival in October. Zeitgeist will release the film next year.
Gerstman and co-president Emily Russo closed the acquisition pact with Hengameh Panahi and Pierre Menahem of Celluloid Dreams, marking the third U.S. deal for the Paris-based sales company out of Toronto.
Celluloid earlier sealed a seven-figure sale with Miramax for rights in the U.S., Australia and Latin America to Japanese actor-director Takeshi Kitano's Toronto audience award winner "Zatoichi" and closed with Sony Pictures Classics for North American rights to Ferzan Ozpetek's Italian drama "Facing Window."
Zeitgeist scored a major hit earlier this year with German director Caroline Link's foreign-language Oscar winner "Nowhere in Africa," which has grossed $6.1 million.
The company's most recent acquisition was Cannes Directors Fortnight entry "James' Journey to Jerusalem," by Israeli helmer Ra'anan Alexandrowicz.
