Erotic Love Story ’99 Moons’ Wraps Further Deals for France, Italy, Japan (EXCLUSIVE)
Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal has closed further deals for Jan Gassmann’s “99 Moons” in Italy (Teodora Film), France (La Vingt-Cinquième Heure) and Japan (AT Entertainment), following the film’s world premiere in the Cannes’ ACID sidebar.
“99 Moons” follows the passionate and turbulent relationship of Bigna and Frank, two people from different worlds who become entwined in an erotic love story. With raw and intimate cinematography (Yunus Roy Imer, “Systemcrasher”), the film takes an unflinching look at the magnetism and power games of sexual attraction. The film is led by first-time actors Valentina Di Pace and Dominik Fellmann.
Teodora Film will distribute the film in Italy, with a theatrical release planned in major cities for 2023. Having recently distributed Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World,” Teodora has also acquired Italian distribution rights for Cannes Competition title “Triangle of Sadness” by Ruben Östlund.
Stefano Finesi, CEO of Teodora Film, said: “At first we were intrigued by the more transgressive aspects of the film, then we discovered that it is actually a beautiful love story, an emotional roller coaster that reminded us in some ways of ‘The Worst Person in the World.’ And the newcomer Valentina Di Pace delivers a terrific performance.”
In France, distribution for “99 Moons” will be handled by La Vingt-Cinquième Heure, a rising company dedicated to titles focused on feminist themes and female sexuality. Having released “My Name Is Clitoris” by Lisa Billuart Monet and Daphné Leblond in French cinemas in 2021 and “Sans Frapper” by Alexe Poukine in 2022, La Vingt-Cinquième Heure continues to expand its lineup and theatrical distribution with a debate-oriented approach.
“Jan Gassmann’s film is above all a magnificent love story. As an extension of the #metoo movement, we are convinced that it will demonstrate that an erotic auteur film can reach a wide audience, especially young people, adults, while intelligently questioning the classic conception of the heterosexual couple,” said Pierre-Emmanuel Le Goff, founder of La Vingt-Cinquième Heure.
In an interview with Variety, Gassmann highlighted that working with an intimacy coordinator on set was important for the film: “Because of the detailed preparation, there was a lot of confidence on the set, the actors felt free to live in front of the camera and we were able to shoot these scenes in long continuous takes.”
Distribution in Japan will be handled by AT Entertainment.
The film has already been sold to Alamode Film for Germany, Synapse for Latin America, PoongKyung SoRi (Scene & Sound) for South Korea, and Estinfilm for Estonia. Swiss distribution is being handled by Filmcoopi Zürich.
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