The feel-good period drama follows three girls who start a punk band in Stockholm in the 1980s.
Magnolia Pictures has acquired the North American rights for Lukas Moodysson´s We Are the Best! from Danish sales group TrustNordisk.
An adaptation of the graphic novel written by Moodysson's wife Coco, We Are the Best! revolves around three girls in 1980s Stockholm who decide to form a punk band -- despite not having any instruments and being told by everyone that punk is dead.
The seventh feature film from the acclaimed Swedish helmer marks a departure from the grimmer social commentary of his Mammoth (2009) and Lilly-4-Ever (2002) and a return to the lighter comedies such as Together (2000) and F--king Amal (1998), with which he launched his international career.
"We Are the Best! left all of us grinning from ear to ear,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles. “It's sweet, charming and funny, with a punk rock spirit that's more authentic than all the modern-day bands claiming the title. It´s easily one of the exceptionally talented Lukas Moodysson´s best films.”
Magnolia has become TrustNordisk's go-to U.S. distributor for their Scandinavian films. The boutique distributor has recently picked up such Trust titles as Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt, Norwegian thriller Pioneer and Lars von Trier's upcoming erotic epic Nymphomaniac.
The deal for We Are the Best! was negotiated between Susan Wendt, head of sales at TrustNordisk, and Peter Van Steemburg, director of acquisitions at Magnolia Pictures.