Michael Winterbottom Drama ‘Shoshana’ Lands U.S. Deal

EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment picked up U.S. distribution rights to the Tel Aviv-set political thriller Shoshana from BAFTA-winning filmmaker Michael Winterbottom (The Trip, A Mighty Heart).

The pic, which debuted at TIFF before playing the London Film Festival, was written by Laurence Coriat, Paul Viragh, and Winterbottom. Cast includes Irina Starshenbaum (Leto), Douglas Booth (That Dirty Black Bag), and Harry Melling (The Pale Blue Eye). Greenwich will release the film next year.

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Inspired by real events, Shoshana is a political thriller set in 1930s Tel Aviv. Thomas Wilkin, who works in the anti-terrorist squad of the British Palestine Police Force, is in love with Shoshana Borochov. Through their relationship the film explores the way extremism and violence drive a wedge between people, forcing them to choose sides.

Shoshana is an Italian-UK coproduction between Vision Distribution, Revolution Films, and Bartlebyfilm. Producers on the film include Melissa Parmenter, Massimo Di Rocco, Josh Hyams, Luigi Napoleone, and Winterbottom. Greenwich’s Andy Bohn negotiated the acquisition with UTA on behalf of the filmmakers. Vision Distribution handles sales in the rest of the world.

“The idea for the film came from reading about the time after the First World War when Britain had the mandate to govern Palestine,” Winterbottom said of the pic.

“This is part of our colonial history that has largely been forgotten in Britain, but one which has been crucial to the history of the Middle East. Our film tells the true story of Shoshana Borochov and Tom Wilkin. Shoshana was the daughter of a famous socialist Zionist – Ber Borochov. Like most people in Tel Aviv in the 1930s she believed in building Israel through political means. Tom Wilkin was an officer in the Tel Aviv branch of the Palestine police. Through the story of Tom and Shoshana we see the way political extremism and violence drives wedges between people, forcing them apart, and the tragic and complicated history the film depicts is sadly all too real today. We’re looking forward to working with Greenwich to make sure as many people see it as possible.”

Other upcoming releases from Greenwich include Karaoke, Pianoforte, Inshallah a Boy, and Smoke Sauna Sisterhood.

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