Sideshow and Janus Films have secured North American rights to Maura Delpero's acclaimed Italian historical drama Vermilionwinner of the Silver Lion, Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.
The film debuted in competition at Venice and had its North American premiere Tuesday night at the Toronto Film Festival. Sideshow and Janus say they will release the title in North American theaters in the coming months.
Vermilion is the sequel to Delpero's highly praised 2019 directorial debut MaternalHe wrote, directed and produced the new feature film, loosely based on his family's story.
“We were deeply moved and impressed by Vermiliona new Italian classic intimate in scale but epic in scope, unfolding like a memoir across four enchantingly shot seasons during World War II,” said Sideshow and Janus Films.
The Italian-language film takes its name from the small village in which it is set, high in the Alps in 1944. As Vermilion begins, the arrival of Pietro, a refugee soldier, upends the family dynamics of a local teacher. During the four seasons that mark the end of World War II, Pietro and Lucia, the teacher's eldest daughter, are instantly drawn to each other, leading to marriage and an unexpected fate. As the world emerges from its tragedy, the family faces its own.
“[T]The portrait of an almost disappeared rural way of life remains compelling,” The Hollywood ReporterThe critic wrote in a review from Venice, later adding: “As Delpero has demonstrated with his latest highly acclaimed drama MaternalHe has a certain talent with actors, especially young and non-professional ones.”
The review also praised the film's photography for the way it “evokes a sense of the sublime in the panoramic vistas, blinding snowscapes, and secret forests” of the Italian Alps.
Vermilion is co-produced by Carole Baraton, Pauline Boucheny Pinon, Jacques-Henry Bronckart and Tatiana Kozar. It is a co-production between Cinedora with RAI Cinema and co-produced by Charades Production and Versus Production, with the participation of Anonymous Content.
The North American distribution deal was negotiated by Sideshow and Janus Films with Nick Shumaker of Anonymous Content and Carole Baraton of Charades, on behalf of the filmmakers.
In its brief three-year existence, Sideshow — along with Janus Films — has amassed an impressive slate of celebrated international film productions. Earlier this year, the company released Bertrand Bonello's The Beast and the Silver Lion of Venice by Ryusuke Hamaguchi Evil does not exist. In Toronto, the company presents the Oscar-nominated Latvian animated film by Gints Zilbalodis FlowPayal Kapadia's Cannes Grand Prix Winner Everything we imagine as Lightby Alain Guiraudie Mercyand Jia Zhangke Trapped by the tides. The company will also launch Leos Carax's Cannes selection It's not me at the New York Film Festival next month.