EXCLUSIVE: MoreThan Films has acquired world sales rights to Masc, the directorial debut of Screen Star of Tomorrow Bertil Nilsson.
UK feature Masc had its world premiere earlier this month in the Platform competition at Toronto International Film Festival.
It follows Robin, a queer, autistic, biracial man caught between different ideas of masculinity.
The film will compete for the Sutherland award in the First Feature Competition at BFI London Film Festival next month, as well as playing at NewFest New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival. It participated in the BFI and British Council’s Great 8 Cannes showcase in May.
Masc stars Joshua Griffin, who wrote the story with Nilsson. Tega Alexander, Recce King and Ed White round out the cast; Nilsson produced the film for his company Duktiga, with Joanne Michael as executive producer.
“We fell in love with Masc and Robin,” said MoreThan co-founder Queralt Pons Serra. “There is something unique and tender in the way Bertil explores masculinity as something fluid that we observe, perform and constantly renegotiate. Joshua Griffin’s performance is extraordinarily vulnerable and magnetic, and the film manages to be intimate and precise at the same time that raises universal questions about identity and belonging.”
“I’m excited to have found the perfect partner in MoreThan Films who believes in Masc and its potential to connect with audiences through cinema,” said Nilsson, who was selected as a Star of Tomorrow this morning. “We’ve seen from the incredibly moving reception at TIFF that there’s an unserved audience for this film.”
“What makes Masc special is the nuance with which Bertil Nilsson portrays Robin’s journey,” said MoreThan co-founder Lidia Damatto. “This is a film about becoming oneself and finding the confidence to exist beyond the expectations imposed by others. Bertil’s portrayal of an autistic protagonist avoids clichés, portraying him as a complex young man navigating identity, desire, connection and self-acceptance.”
MoreThan Films is based between Barcelona and Sao Paulo.
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