‘Black Tea,’ Abderrahmane Sissako‘s African-Chinese Romance From Gaumont, Sells Wide Ahead of Berlinale Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

“Black Tea,” Abderrahmane Sissako‘s lushly lensed romance drama set in China, has been bought by major distributors in key territories ahead of its world premiere in competition at the Berlin Film Festival.

Gaumont, which co-produced the film, has sold it to Caramel (Spain), Academy two (Italy), Pandora Films (Germany, Austria), Cineart (Benelux), Films4you (Portugal), Provzglyad (CIS), Mozinet (Hungary), Another World Entertainment (Norway), Film Bazar (Denmark), MCF Megacom (Former Yugoslavia, Albania), Filmstop (Latvia, Estonia), MB Taip Toliau (Lithuania), Imovision (Brazil), AV Jet (Taiwan), Falcon (Indonesia), Pathé BC (Sub-Saharan Africa, Maghreb) and New Cinema (Israel).

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The movie was also previously acquired by Cohen Media Group for distribution in the U.S. “Black Tea” marks Sissako’s follow up to his 2015 Oscar-nominated film “Timbuktu.”

“Black Tea” tells the story of Aya, who leaves the Ivory Coast after walking out on her wedding day and sets off to start a new life in Guangzhou, China. In this district where the African diaspora meets Chinese culture, she gets hired in a tea boutique owned by Cai, a Chinese man. In the secrecy of the back shop, Cai decides to initiate Aya to the tea ceremony and their relationship slowly turns to love. It stars Nina Mélo, Chang Han and Wu Ke-Xi.

Gaumont, which will also distribute “Black Tea” in France, has described it as “a timeless, universal love story between two opposite characters” and a “sensory journey” set across China, the Ivory Coast and Cape Verde. The blossoming romance between the two protagonists also gives some insight on the complex Chinese-African relationship. Producers are Cinefrance Studios, Archipel 35 and Dune Vision.

Sissako, who penned the screenplay, previous said he was inspired to tell this story after discovering a restaurant called La Colline Parfumée (“The Perfumed Hill”) that was run by an Afro-Chinese couple. He said that the city of Guangzhou, which is known as “Chocolate City,” “encourages human encounters through its countless stores of every kind.”

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