BFI Distribution has acquired Berlinale Panorama title Silver Haze from New Europe Film Sales for theatrical release in the UK and Ireland.
The film reunites its Dutch writer/director Sacha Polak with British actor Vicky Knight who previously worked together on Dirty God in 2019.
Knight’s performance won the Teddy Jury Award in the Panorama strand at Berlin. Earlier this week the film had its North American premiere in competition at the Tribeca Festival.
The film has also sold to Dark Star for the US, Caramel Films for Spain, Lucky Red for Italy, Tongariro for Poland and TLV Fest for Israel.
Silver Haze is loosely based on Vicky Knight’s own experiences as a child (she survived an arson attack). She plays a nurse who lives with her large family in an East London borough. Obsessed with a thirst for revenge for a traumatic event that happened 15 years before, she is unable to build any meaningful relationship until she falls in love with one of her patients – Florence, played by Esmé Creed-Miles.
Sacha Polak’s first feature Hemel (2012) won the Fipresci Prize at Berlin in the Forum section and her next, Zurich (2015), won the C.I.C.A.E Award for Best Film at Berlin, again in Forum. Dirty God (2019), about a young mother who is the victim of an acid attack, premiered at Sundance 2019. Polak went on to direct episodes of season two of Hanna (2021) for Amazon and most recently shot four episodes of The Doll Factory (2023) for Paramount+.
Silver Haze is produced by Viking Film and EMU Films with support from Netherlands Filmfund, Netherlands Production Incentive, BBC Film, The Jokers (French distribution), Cinéart (Benelux distribution) and the UK tax credit.
Julie Pearce, head of BFI Distribution said: “BFI Distribution is proud to add Sacha Polak’s richly realised and intimate family drama to our stable of titles that include Lynn + Lucy and County Lines; films by exciting young directors who unflinchingly explore slices of British working-class life.”
Marleen Slot, producer at Viking Film said: “We are very much looking forward to sharing Silver Haze with a UK and Irish audience and are delighted that BFI Distribution will take the lead to bring the film to the cinemas.”
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