MADRID — Propelled by Paris sales company Rezo, Russian epic “The Admiral” sailed to multiple major territories at the Berlin Film Festival.
Deals suggest that international sales waters can still remain buoyant for hulking foreign-language flagships.
A forbidden love story plus a reputation restoring portrait of anti-Bolshevik hardman, Admiral Alexander Kolchak, “Admiral” was sold at Berlin to Japan (Transformer), Spain (Flins & Piniculas), South Korea (Mirovision) and Scandinavia (Non Stop Ent.).
Colombia, Poland, the Middle East, Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand and most of Eastern Europe were also sold, among 15 territory deals struck during Rezo’s first sales push for “Admiral.”
CGI-heavy, and bustling with characters, “Admiral” grossed a standout $38 million in Russia and Ukraine.
“Admiral’s” star cast of Konstantin Khabensky, Elizaveta Boyarskaya and Sergei Bezrukov also toplined Russian all-time record breaker, “Irony of Fate 2.”
Its international sales trawl suggests an new appetite among foreign buyers for films that might once have been regarded as just local blockbusters.
“The film is very well done. Although in Russian, it will be dubbed, so it will come across abroad as a big-budget actioner,” said Sebastien Chesneau, Rezo head of international sales.
“Also, with the Internet, films are crossing borders, making audiences curious, even before distributors get on board,” Chesneau said, adding that the U.S., U.K, Germany, Italy and China are under negotiation.
In further deals on an eclectic slate, Rezo has initiated sales on Isabelle Adjani starrer “Skirt Day” and “The Yes Men Fix the World.”
A well-reviewed high-school drama, “Skirt Day” has closed Poland, Austria, Portugal and the Middle East, among seven territories sealed.
Berlin’s Panorama audience award winner, anti-capitalist prankster docu “Yes Men,” has sold to South Korea, Greece, Poland and Taiwan.
Rezo is also cleaning up major territories on Sundance 2008 grand jury prize winner “Frozen River,” which has now closed Italy (Archibald) and Germany (Wild Bunch Germany).
For more info on Berlin sales, click here.
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