EXCLUSIVE: The distributor is understood to have picked up North American rights to Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó’s Un Certain Regard winner.

Magnolia is believed to have struck the deal with Match Factory and had not returned calls to confirm the acquisition at time of writing.

White God (Feher Isten) won top prize in Un Certain Regard and charts the exploits of a 13-year-old girl who runs away from home in search of her pet.

The Hungary-Germany-Sweden co-production features Body (pronounced “Bodie”), the Palm Dog winner who portrays Hagen in the film. The dog famously became the first canine to be invited on stage with Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux at the film’s premiere last week [17].

White God, which features a sequence where 200 dogs escape from a kennel and run down a street in rebellion against their human captors, stars Zsofia Psotta, Sandor Zsoter, Szabolcs Thuroczy, Lili Monori, Laszlo Galffi and Lili Horvath.

Mundruczó won the FIPRESCI prize for competition entry Delta in 2008. His Tender Son: The Frankenstein Project played in competition in 2010 and Johanna screened in UCR in 2005.