Paris-based international sales and production house Totem Films has sold Anna Roller’s road movie Dead Girls Dancing to Mubi for Germany and Austria following the film’s parallel Tribeca and Munich premieres in June, and has boarded the German writer-director’s second feature Manatee, which they will also co-produce.
Mubi has snagged all rights for the film and will release it theatrically in those territories.
Dead Girls Dancing, Roller’s debut feature, is produced by the company’s production arm Totem Atelier alongside Germany’s Kalekone Films and WME Independent is handling North American sales. The coming-of-age story set in Italy follows a trio of high school graduates who pick up a backpacker and the foursome explore their freedom in an abandoned village, far from the constraints of their parents and teachers back home. The film stars Luna Jordan, Noemi Liv Nicolaisen, Katharina Stark and Sara Giannelli.
Totem Atelier is joining forces once again with Kalekone to co-produce Roller’s next feature Manatee and Totem Films will handle international sales. The film just received €40K in development support from the CNC and Germany’s FFA as part of their joint co-production film fund.
Roller has been gaining momentum on the indie film stage following a series of shorts she has written and directed that have landed on the festival circuit including Karlovy Vary and Les Arcs, and her short “Brat” won the German Short Film Award in 2022. She is repped by WME and Jerome Duboz in the US.
“Anna knows how to capture today’s teenage spirit. We are so happy to accompany her first steps to audiences worldwide,” Totem told Screen.
Totem Films revamped their team before Cannes with Margot Hervee appointed head of sales and acquisitions and Pablo Carrizosa hired to handle business affairs for the company’s sales and production branches.
Recent titles include 2023 Sundance-winning titles Animalia from French-Moroccan filmmaker Sofia Alaoui, Slow from Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze, and two Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selections; Elene Naveriani’s Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry and Geng Zihan’s A Song Sung Blue.
Both Slow and Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry are nominated at the upcoming European Film Awards and Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry won big at the Sarajevo film festival that wrapped on Friday (August 18).
Launched in 2020 with Jasmine Trinca’s debut feature Marcel!, the company’s Totem Atelier production arm develops, finances and produces early-stage projects with strong international potential. Their latest feature Ernst de Geer’s The Hypnosis premiered in Karlovy Vary where it won a trio of awards including best actor, and the Fipresci and Europa Cinemas Label prizes. The company is also on board as co-producer and international seller for Slovenian filmmaker Kukla’s first feature Fantasy and Vytautas Katkus’ first feature The Visitor.
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