Toronto-Bound Iranian Thriller ‘Subtraction’ Sells to Major Territories (EXCLUSIVE)

Films Boutique has closed several key sales on “Subtraction,” Mani Haghighi’s Iranian noir thriller which will premiere in the Platform section at the Toronto Film Festival.

The film has been acquired by Diaphana in France (in association with Kinovista) and September Films in Benelux. Jean-Christophe Simon’s Berlin-based outfit Films Boutique co-produced “Subtraction” and is representing the movie in international markets.

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Starring Taraneh Alidoosti (“The Salesman”) and Navid Mohammadzadeh (“Leila’s Brothers”), “Subtraction” is set in downtown Tehran, and follows Farzaneh, a young driving instructor who spots her husband, Jalal, walking into a woman’s apartment. When she confronts him, Jalal claims he was out of town for work and decides to check out the building for himself. There, he meets a woman who is the spitting image of Farzaneh.

“Mani Haghighi is a Maverick filmmaker and he is always where you don’t expect him to be with his films. ‘Subtraction’ is a film always on the edge of Iranian cinema tradition, with a strong political dimension but it also has thriller elements you probably don’t expect to see in a film coming from the region,” said Simon. “It’s really fantastic to have the chance to be working with high profile distributors and daring Films lovers such as Diaphana, Kinovista and September Films on the distribution of the film!,” added the executive.

“Subtraction” is a co-production between Iran and France. The movie was supported by the CNC’s aides au cinéma du monde. Films Boutique’s current slate also includes Lav Diaz’s “When The Waves Are Gone” which just had its world premiere out of competition at Venice. “Subtraction” will be released in Iran by Shayesteh Film.

Here’s the trailer:

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