Memento International Scores Major European Deals on Polish Trans Drama ‘Woman Of…’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

“Woman Of…,” Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s pioneering trans drama, has been sold by Memento International across Europe.

Set against the landscape of the Polish transformation from communism to capitalism, “Woman Of” stars Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik as Aniela Wesoły. “Woman Of…” spans 45 years of Aniela’s life as she aspires to find personal liberty as a trans woman and faces hardships in marriage and parenthood, strained family relations and complicated attitudes in her environment.

More from Variety

The movie has been acquired for Italy (I Wonder), France (UFO), Germany (Salzgeber), Austria (Filmladen), Spain (Karma), Benelux and Israel (Cinemien), Switzerland (Xenix), Sweden (Lucky Dogs), Greece (Cinobo), Ukraine (Arthouse Traffic) and Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe).

Discussions are ongoing in other territories including the U.K. and Scandinavia. North American sales are handled by Anonymous Content and Memento International. The film will be released in Poland by Next Films (“Loving Vincent,” “The Peasants”) and is set for March 2024.

“This is the first Polish film to feature so many trans and non-binary people cast in trans and cis roles alike, we are so grateful for their participation,” said Szumowska and Englert, who added that it was important for them to “give emerging transgender actors and performers space not just to represent themselves but also to develop various characters.”

“Woman Of…” world premiered at Venice Film Festival in competition, followed by a strong festival run including Busan, Thessaloniki and Sao Paulo.

The movie is also part of the European Film Awards feature film selection 2023. It was produced by Nomad, a collaboration of Madants and Nowhere, and Plio Ltd. It is co-produced by Film i Väst in Sweden and Common Ground Pictures, and co-financed by Polish Film Institute.

Memento International’s slate also includes Bruno Dumont’s upcoming French science-fiction comedy “The Empire” and Alexandra Pechman’s U.S. project “The Murderous Miss Highsmith.”

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.