EXCLUSIVE: Italy’s Minerva Pictures and TVCO have co-acquired international sales rights to Second World War resistance drama Mila/Marija by Austrian director Andrina Mracnikar, which is set to play in main competition later this month at the Zurich Film Festival.
Set in southern Austria in 1943, the film is about 19-year-old Mila who joins a partisan resistance group fighting the Nazis from the cover of the forests. Before long she is in command of her own unit, making decisions about life and death – and dealing with the fallout when she tries to start a new life after her country has been liberated.
The film is produced by Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu and Bady Minck of Austria’s Amour Fou, and co-produced by Danijel Hocevar and Katja Lenarcic of Slovenia’s Vertigo, and Ionna Davi of Greece’s Indogoview.
Polyfilm is distributing the film in Austria.
The cast of the Austria-Slovenia-Greece co-production includes Doroteja Nadrah, whose credits include Class Enemy and History Of Love, Marko Mandic (The Hitman’s Bodyguard), Edita Malovcic, Leon Lucev, Jurij Devensek and Petja Labovic.
Mracnikar’s credits include 2015’s Ma Folie and 2022’s Verschwinden.
Amour Fou’s Dumreicher-Ivanceanu and Bady Minck said:“Mila/Marija is a film about multiple blind spots: it tells the story of the Austro-Slovene partisans and the strongest armed resistance on the territory of Nazi Germany. It is the story of Austria’s Slovenian-speaking minority, whose rights continue to be marginalised. And it is the story of the central role women play in the resistance against totalitarian regimes. It is precisely this kind of political cinema, with the artistic ambition of a filmmaker like Andrina Mračnikar, that European cinema needs—and that we want to produce. We are fortunate to share this vision with our fellow producers Danijel Hocevar, Katja Lenarcic, Ioanna David, Ruth Beckermann and Martin Repka, as well as with Minerva Pictures and TVCO, who are the ideal partners to strengthen the international visibility for Mila/Marija.”
Monica Ciarli, head of international at Minerva, said: “Mila/Marjia captures a crucial yet overlooked piece of European history with incredible resonance. It is a privilege to partner with Amour Fou on this project. Their dedication to impactful storytelling aligns perfectly with our vision, and we look forward to bringing this film to audiences.”
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