Film Movement has acquired North American rights to French writer-director Elie Wajeman’s drama “Alyah,” which had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The specialty distributor will release the film theatrically in New York and on VOD day-and-date in early 2013
Wajeman’s debut feature follows the struggles of a twenty-seven-year-old Parisian drug dealer with a dependent brother who sees a different potential future in a move to Tel Aviv to work for a cousin opening a restaurant, though it means leaving his friends and lovers behind.
“The Directors’ Fortnight selection this year was particularly strong, and we’re proud to be able to announce the acquisition of yet another first film from that program, this time by a French director, the talented Elie Wajeman,” said Film Movement exec Rebeca Conget, who negotiated the deal with REZO’s Sébastien Chesneau. “Mr. Wajeman has concocted a smart, sophisticated and entertaining thriller that has no car chases, no gunshots, no strident score, and yet manages to be suspenseful and exciting throughout.”
New York City-based Film Movement has recently released “Helena From the Wedding,” “Corpo Celeste” and “The Off Hours.” The company also picked up William Vega’s Cannes 2012 drama “La sirga.”
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