Berlin-based sales agent Films Boutique has picked up international distribution rights to the Great Britain-France-Germany co-production She, a Chinese, the feature film debut of novelist and documentary maker Xiaolu Guo.

The film, shot in China and UK, will be shown in Locarno as a world premiere. 

Film Boutique’s president Jean-Christophe Simon said: “Xiaolu Guo reaches something very rare with She, a Chinese. Combining the conventions of a European indie film with modern Chinese Cinema, the story of Mei is moving and powerful as Mei always faces life with courage and will.”

Guo is also presenting the project of her new film Ufo In Her Eyes in the Open Doors Section of the Locarno Film Festival.

Meanwhile, Bavaria Film International has picked up international rights to Nothing Personal, the English-language feature film debut by Urszula Antoniak. The film will also have its world premiere at Locarno, screening in the International Competition selection.

The film is a Dutch-Irish co-production led by Amsterdam-based Rinkel Film & TV in cooperation with VPRO, Fastnet Films and Family Affair Films and was shot in Ireland, Holland and Spain.

Nothing Personal represents a classical arthouse film in the best sense. It features a unique director’s signature in its storytelling, the camerawork, and in creating a particular atmosphere, but at the same time it is accessible and inviting for a broader arthouse audience”, said Thorsten Ritter, head of Bavaria Film International.

The film will also compete for the First Feature Award of the 62nd edition of the Locarno Film Festival.