Indie distributor Film Movement has snapped up North American rights to Swiss director Ramon Zürcher’s “The Sparrow in the Chimney” following its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival.
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Described by Variety ’s Guy Lodge as a “darkly engrossing psychodrama of pent-up domestic tensions,” the film explores the tumultuous relationship between two sisters, Karen and Jule, whose reunion at a family gathering reignites old conflicts and deep-seated emotional turmoil.
Zürcher, thrilled by its pending North American release, explained: “This film is an exploration of the invisible forces that shape us, particularly within the family structure.”
Sold worldwide by Cercamon, the family drama “should be an arthouse breakthrough” per Variety ‘s review.
“This film offers a beautifully crafted, intimate story that will resonate with audiences who appreciate cinema that is both emotionally authentic and visually captivating,” said Sebastien Chesneau of Cercamon, who negotiated the deal with Film Movement.
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“What drew us to ‘The Sparrow in the Chimney’ was its deeply personal yet universally relatable depiction of family conflict,” said Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg, adding: “Ramon Zürcher’s filmmaking transports you into a world where every glance, every silence, is charged with unspoken tension.”
“The Sparrow and the Chimney” is the third of the “animal trilogy” by Ramon Zürcher and his brother Silvan, who served as producer. They co-directed their previous feature, the 2021 “The Girl and the Spider,” while their 2013 debut feature, “The Strange Little Cat,” is directed solely by Ramon while his brother produced. In all three, “the natural world encroaches on human life in ways that don’t feel invasive so much as equalizing, as social conventions and restraints are gradually shed in favor of brute base instincts,” said Lodge.
On a worldwide shopping spree, Film Movement has also recently acquired Lou Ye’s pandemic-set docu-drama “An Unfinished Film,” which has its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. The company also recently acquired the 4K restoration of cult classic “Candy Mountain” from filmmakers Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer; Sundance Grand Jury-nominated documentary “Agent of Happiness”; Robin Campillo’s “Red Island”; legendary Spanish filmmaker Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes”; “Eureka.” from Argentina’s Lisandro Alonso and “Green Night,” a Chinese noir thriller featuring Fan Bingbing.
Cercamon’s lineup includes Toronto official selection title “Crocodile Tears” by Tumpal Tampubolon, set in a crocodile farm in West Java.
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