Operation Napoleon

Source: (c)Sagafilm - Juliette Rowland

‘Operation Napoleon’

Germany’s Beta Cinema has agreed a raft of major territory deals for its Cannes slate.

Icelandic thriller Operation Napoleon, starring Iain Glen and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, has sold to Magnolia for North America and Signature Entertainment for UK/Ireland. It has also added Portugal (Pris) and Czech Republic (Bonton Films) to its list of sold territories which already included key territories like France (Mediawan), Spain (Twelve Oaks) and Japan (Tohokushinsha).

The English-language film is about a lawyer drawn into an international conspiracy when falsely accused of a murder. Her only hope for survival lies in unraveling the secret of a World War II airplane found on Iceland’s largest glacier. Operation Napoleon is directed by Oskar Thor Axelsson and produced by Sagafilm and Splendid Entertainment.

The Fox, the story of a friendship between a young man and a wounded fox cub, has sold to Greenwich Entertainment in the US, Jaye Entertainment (South Korea), Proview Ent. (Taiwan), Lev Cinemas (Israel), Karma Films (Spain), Mediaset (Italy) and Juno11 (Hungary).

A hit in Austria, the film directed by Adrian Goiginger (The Best Of All Worlds) is also nominated for five national film awards. It is produced by Geissendörfer Pictures with Lotus Film, Giganten Film, 2010 Entertainment in co-production with Film AG in collaboration with SWR, ARTE, BR and ORF.

Norwegian drama Let The River Flow, about Europe’s last indigenous people’s fight for recognition and basic rights, has sold to Australia and New Zealand (Palace), Spain (Filmin) and former Yugoslavia (Discovery). Directed by Ole Giaever, it won Audience Awards at the Tromsø and Göteborg festivals.

Metropolitan Films (France), Flins & Piniculas (Spain), Plaion Pictures (German speaking territories) and Discovery Film (former Yugoslavia) have picked up comic book adaptations Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! and upcoming Diabolik, Who Are You?, starring Giacomo Gianniotti and Monica Bellucci. The films are directed by Antonio and Marco Manetti and produced by Mompracem in co-production with Rai Cinema and Astorina. Kino Lorber had picked up US rights for all three installments during EFM.