Prague-based sales agent Filmotor announced August 29 that it has acquired world rights (except Austria and Italy) for Juliana Gutweniger and Florian Kofler’s feature doc Vista Mare (see BDE interview). The film, which world-premiered in Locarno Critics Week, observes the behind-the-scenes work that goes into managing Italy’s Northern Adriatic coastal resorts, both in and out of season.
Vista Mare was produced by Eutopia (Austria) and Albolina Films (Italy). It was co-produced by ORF, Austrian public broadcaster. The Austrian rights are handled by Filmladen and its theatrical distribution is planned in Austria for spring 2024. Juliana Gutweniger and Florian Kofler were born in Meran (Italy) and are now both residents of Linz, Austria.
Michaela Cajkova, head of Filmotor, comments on her acquisition and future distribution strategy: “Vista Mare is a powerful observational documentary that shows the world hidden to tourists’ eyes in the Adriatic coast famous for its big resorts that we can find anywhere in the world, from the Caribbean to South East Asia. And I think it is relevant for many countries that have problems with mass tourism…I believe the film will well resonate to festival audiences and to the audiences in cinemas as well.”
Roberto Cavallini of Albolina Film adds: “The teams at Eutopiafilm and Albolina are really proud of the collaboration to support Julia and Florian’s authorial vision. We are now very excited for the long film journey ahead to reach a diverse audience as part of Filmotor’s inspiring film slate”.
Other recent Filmotor titles are Berlinale debut A Golden Life by Boubacar Sangare (Burkina Faso) and Anxious in Beirut, directed by Lebanese Zakaria Jaber, which picked up the Golden Goblet Award June 17 at the Shanghai International Film Festival. The company recently acquired the docs-in-progress, the Swiss 2G by Karim Sayad and Terra Incognita by Enrico Masi (Italy). Both are slated to premiere in 2024.
