Film Movement Brings ‘A White, White Day’ to the U.S. (EXCLUSIVE)

Annika Pham

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OSLO — New-York based distributor Film Movement has acquired U.S. rights to critically-lauded Icelandic drama “A White, White Day,” today’s opening film at New Nordic Films in Haugesund.

In a separate deal, sales agent New Europe Film Sales has closed French-speaking Canada with Funfilm and English-speaking Canada with Game Theory.

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Hlynur Pálmason’s sophomore pic, “A White, White Day” bowed at the Critics’ Week in Cannes where Icelandic heavyweight thesp Ingvar Sigurðsson won an acting prize for his solid performance as an off-duty police officer on an obsessive quest. The picture’s winning festival streak continued at the Transilvania and Motovun fests. After this week’s market screening at Haugesund confab New Nordic Films, the drama will have its North American premiere in the Toronto Festival’s Contemporary World Cinema program.

Film Movement’s president Michael Rosenberg said: “Hlynur put the international filmmaking community on notice with his feature film debut, 2017’s ‘Winter Brothers.’ With his fresh storytelling skills on display in his sophomore effort ‘A White, White Day,’ he solidifies himself as one of world cinema’s truly exciting new talents. “ He went on: “We’re excited to share this stark and powerful film with US audiences.”

Jan Naszewski, CEO at Warsaw-based New Europe Film Sales added: “We’re very happy that the film is in good hands and that the audiences in the U.S. will be able to experience the film on the big screen.”

Earlier deals closed on “A White, White Day” include France (Urban Distribution), Switzerland (Xenix), the U.K. (Peccadillo), Benelux (Imagine), Spain (L’Aventura), Poland (New Horizons), Australia/NZ (Palace), Hungary (Cirko Film), Germany/Austria (Arsenal) and China (Hugoeast). Other territories licensed took in Greece (Weird Wave), Czech Rep/Slovakia (Aero), the Baltics (Kino Pavasaris), Ireland (Wildcard), Russia (Inoe kino), Iceland (Sena), Sweden (Folkets Bio), Denmark (Øst for Paradis) and Norway (Merfilm).

The film was produced by Iceland’s Join Motion Pictures, in co-production with Snowglobe (Denmark) and Film i Väst and Hob AB (Sweden), in association with RÚV, Sena, Kukl, DR, and support from the Icelandic Film Centre, the Danish Film Institute, the Icelandic Ministry of Industries and Innovation, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, the Swedish Film Institute and Creative Europe Media.

New Europe Film Sales’ Toronto lineup also includes the world premieres of Grímur Hákonarson’s “Rams” follow-up “The County”; Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco,” toplining “SKAM”’s Josefine Frida; Polish/French Venice Days’ entry “Corpus Christi”; and the Noomi Rapace vehicle “Lamb” available for pre-sales.

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