German movie Pluto sells Locarno Piazza Grand Drama “Smart”

German sales firm Pluto Film has captured global sales outside Switzerland of Swiss drama Caterina Mona titled immigration “Semret” ahead of its world premiere in the Piazza Grande section of the Locarno Film Festival.

The titular character of the film, of which diverse Launching the trailer (watch above), she is a single Eritrean mother who lives in Zurich and works in a hospital while studying to be a midwife. Samrat is pressured by her teenage daughter, named Jo, to learn more about her origins, a taboo subject. But in order not to lose everything she loves, she is forced to confront her wartime past and the sheltered life she has built for herself in Switzerland.

“Samrat is first and foremost a film about a mother and daughter,” the director said in her production memoir. She added, “The liberation of the daughter causes changes in the mother,” noting that “this topic is available even to an audience that has not witnessed war, because we are all children of someone!”

Produced by prominent Swiss Michela Bini via the Cinédokké shingle panel and produced by Pascal Trächslin, CEO of Basel-based production and distribution company Cineworx, starring Lula Mebrahtu in the title role, and Hermela Tekleab as her daughter Joe, Teddy Teclebrhan and Manuela Biedermann.

“Semret” is the first feature of Katrina Mona who lives and works in Zurich whose short film “Lost” was shown in the Leopards of Tomorrow section of Locarno. Mona is also a film editor who, among other titles, has taken over the editing duties of Bindu de Stoppani’s “Cercando Camille” which was shown at the Rome Film Festival.

The film is a co-production between Cineworx, to be released in Switzerland, Filmproduktion Basel and RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera.

“We are very proud that this wonderful film will be shown on Piazza Grande in Locarno, and we thank Festival Director Giona A. Nazzaro and his team for the selection,” the producers said in a statement. They added, “We are delighted to have the movie Pluto on board, a global salesperson who will be interested in the film with great commitment and passion.”

“Simert offers an engaging and personal story that addresses global conflicts in a deeply human way and works perfectly with the Pluto Group,” said Daniela Cole, CEO of Pluto Film.

This lineup includes German director Bettina Blumener’s “Vamos a la Playa”, Serbian director Radioji Andric’s “How I Learned to Fly” and Colombia’s Augusto Sandino’s “Vanishing Fog”.

“What I found particularly powerful in the film is the depiction of an emotionally charged relationship between a mother and daughter, which is challenged by traumas from the past and a yearning for a better future,” Cole continued to emphasize. “As it deals with global themes such as identity, family and belonging, we believe audiences around the world will resonate with the film.”



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