EXCLUSIVE: The Bureau Sales inks deal with fledgling French distributor Mag Distribution.

Daphne-5

French outfit The Bureau Sales has closed deals on Daphne at this week’s European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin.

The film has sold for France to Mag Distribution, the newly-launched distribution company set up by Richard Magnien, Emmanuel Agneray and Yann Gilbert.

The acquisition is part of the company’s debut slate which also includes Radu Jude’s 2016 Locarno premiere Scarred Hearts and Miwa Nishikawa’s Long Excuses, which premiered at TIFF last year.

Daphne has also sold to China with Bilibili. Previous deals closed on the title include Altitude for the UK and Cinemien for Benelux.

The film stars Emily Beecham as a 30-something woman living in London whose life enters a downward spiral after she witnesses a violent attack.

It marks the feature debut of director Peter Mackie Burns, who won a Berlin Golden Bear in 2005 for his short film Milk. Valentina Brazzini and Tristan Goligher of The Bureau’s (45 Years) production arm produced, Nico Mensinga wrote the screenplay. The BFI’s Lizzie Francke and Creative Scotland’s Robbie Allen were exec producers.

The film premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) last month – Screen’s review called it “a compelling watch” – and will next play at SXSW next month.