EXCLUSIVE: New Europe Film Sales has acquired international sales rights to Faraz Shariat’s Prosecution, which is set to premiere in the Berlinale’s 2026 Panorama section.
Prosecution is the second feature by German-Iranian filmmaker Faraz Shariat, whose debut film No Hard Feelings (Futur Drei) won the Teddy Award at the Berlinale in 2020.
Prosecution tells the story of a state prosecutor Seyo Kim, who, after surviving a racist attack, takes her own case to court - confronting both the perpetrators and the justice system that turns a blind eye to right-wing extremism.
Shariat is one of Germany’s leading young directors. After No Hard Feelings he directed episodes for the German series adaptation Druck as well as for the British high-end horror comedy The Baby (HBO/Sky), and executive produced Schwarze Früchte (ARD), a comedy drama that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024. He is currently developing his English-language debut The Beach Boy, together with Ottessa Moshfegh, the auther of hit novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
Prosecution was produced by Paulina Lorenz, Jorgo Narjes and Faraz Shariat for Berlin-based Jünglinge Film. It was supported by Film- und Medienstiftung, NRW, Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (BKM), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Hessen Film und Medien, Nordmedia, DFFF, ZDF and ARTE. The film will be released by Plaion Pictures in Germany.
Shariat said: ”Prosecution is heading to Berlinale 2026! We are super excited to introduce audiences to our heroine Seyo Kim, a state prosecutor who takes on the German justice system and not only holds up a mirror to the German state and its legal system, but also confronts the global shift to the right. We are proud to be partnering with New Europe, one of Europe’s most exciting sales, on this political thriller that is based on the gripping script of Claudia Schaefer.
New Europe’s CEO Jan Naszewski said: “We were taken by the film’s energy and its strong political message. Faraz manages to take a strong personal stand and deliver an artistically and visually interesting work in a unique way.”
New Europe’s EFM slate also includes Sundance-selected How To Divorce During The War by Andrius Blaževičius, Dara van Dusen’s upcoming A Prayer for the Dying starring Johnny Flynn and John C. Reilly, Jeremiah Zagar’s The Painted Bride starring Jeremy Allen White.
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