Erik Poppe´s “U - July 22,” a drama about the 2011 terror attack in Norway which killed 77 people, has been acquired by a flurry of distributors following its international premiere in competition at Berlin Film Festival.
TrustNordisk has sold the film to the U.K. and Ireland (Modern Films), Japan (Culture Entertainment) and France (Potemkine Films). Previous sales include Germany/Austria (Weltkino), Benelux (September Film); Poland (Aurora); Greece (Feelgood); and Baltics (Estin); Latin America (California), China (HGC), Korea (Cinema de Manon), Hungary (Vertigo), Slovakia and Czech Republic (Film Europe) and Portugal (Alambique).
“‘U - July 22´ is a film that exists to be experienced and is an emotional tribute to real events. It speaks out about violence, gun crime, politics and mental health on a global scale and leaves you with both sadness about the past and hope for the future by tackling destructive human behavior head-on,” said Eve Gabereau, the managing director of London-based Modern Films
“U - July 22″ is told from the perspectives of the youths who lived through the terrible events of July 22, 2011, which began with a car bomb that exploded in Oslo´s government quarter. Two hours later, right-wing militant Anders Behring Breivik attacked a political youth summer camp on the island of Utøya, killing 68 people and injuring many others. Poppe previously told journalists that the film aimed at bringing “the attention back to those who died on Utøya, all their bereaved and all the survivors.”
Written by Siv Rajendram and Anna Bache-Wiig, “U - July 22” is produced by Finn Gjerdrum and Stein B. Kvae for Paradox Film, and supported by The Norwegian Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fund and the Media Programme of Creative Europe.
“U - July 22” received an Honorable Mention from the Ecumenical Jury at Berlin.