Locarno Prizewinner ‘Excursion’ Sells to International Distributors (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy
·3 min read

Salaud Morisset, the Paris- and Berlin-based sales and production outfit, has closed deals on “Excursion,” Una Gunjak’s feature debut which won the Jury Special Mention at the Locarno Film Festival.

Salaud Morisset, which also co-produced “Excursion,” has closed sales deals with Angel Films (Denmark), Filmin (Spain), Zero em Comportamento (Portugal), Access Cinema (Ireland), JUNO11 Distribution (Hungary), Hakka Distribution (Tunisia), Fivia (Slovenia), MCF MegaCom (Montenegro & North Macedonia), No Blink Film (Bulgaria) and Silver Screen (Romania).

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The banner will pursue sales on the film at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous showcase this week and is already in advanced negotiations to secure deals for the U.K., Germany and Benelux.

Zagreb Film Festival will release the film in Croatia, and Obala Art Centar will distribute in Bosnia. Previously announced deals include France (JHR Films) and Sweden (BUFF Distribution), as well as a multi-territory, SVOD/Pay-TV deal with HBO Europe for Central and Eastern Europe.

Founded by Francois Morisset, the company is an Oscar-winning producer and distributor of short films with credits including “Bonobo,” which won the Gold Medal at the 2019 Student Academy Awards; “Sacrilege,” which was acquired by Criterion; and Ali Asgari’s “Witness,” which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. The company has also handled sales on Guy Nattiv’s “Skin,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ Nimic” and the Jonathan Glazer films “Strasbourg 1518” and “The Fall.”

Salaud Morisset is now expanding into feature films with “Excursion,” which has played at more than 40 international film festivals including Sarajevo, Thessaloniki, Alice Nella Citta, Tallinn, Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo, Zagreb Film Festival and Les Arcs. The movie also won best actress for Asja Zara Lagumdzija at Marrakech.

Set in Sarajevo, “Excursion” tells the story of a teenager seeking to validate claims that she had sex for the first time during a game of “truth or dare” among middle schoolers. Trapped in her own lie, she invents a pregnancy and becomes the center of a controversy that spirals out of control.

“Excursion” represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Oscars’ international feature film category. Upcoming festivals include Trieste Film Festival and Premiers Plans d’Angers in France.

“We are extremely excited that ‘Excursion’ has met with such a strong response from international distributors who have seen the potential and universal resonance in this contemporary story of teenage girlhood,” said Paul Julien, Salaud Morisset’s sales executive. “The film will now be released across Europe and in over 15 territories between 2024 and 2025, with more to come.” The executive said the company was already on board to co-produce Gunjak’s second feature.

Gunjak’s track record include the short film “The Chicken,” which premiered at Critics’ Week in 2014 and won the European Film Award as well as played at festivals such as Sundance, Palm Springs and New York’s New Directors/New Films.

“Excursion” was produced by Amra Bakšić Čamo and Adis Djapo SCCA/pro.ba, Jelena Mitrović at Baš Čelik, Siniša Juričić at Nukleus Film, Gary Cranner at Mer Film, the Doha Film Institute and Morisset.

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