London-based sales outfit picks up Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love (Io Sono L’Amore) about a Milanese family dynasty.

The film was one of the most talked about films at the Venice Film Festival where it played in the Orizzonti section.

The acquisition was made in conjunction with James Atherton’s Quickfire Films; ICM’s Jeff Berg is co-representing North American rights.

Carl Clifton of The Works International says “this film restores ones faith in the power of cinema and of images to tell a great story.”

Swinton, who speaks Russian-accented Italian in the lead role, is at the centre of the drama about a rich Milanese family dynasty.

Producing partners are Francesco Melzi d’Eril and Alessandro Usai of Mikado Film with First Sun’s Marco Morabito, Massimiliano Violante as well as Candice Zaccagnino and Swinton. Rai Cinema collaborates on the project which Mikado will release in Italy.

Besides Swinton, principal cast includes Flavio Parenti, Alba Rohrwacher and Edoardo Gabbriellini.

Guadagnino said the film was conceived seven years ago. “It took so long because it was about understanding very very, well what we wanted to do. We wrote a lot, we thought a lot, we studied a lot, we financed a lot,” he laughs.