Menemsha Takes North American Rights to Klaus Haro’s World War II Drama ‘Never Alone’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Sales agent The Playmaker has closed a North American distribution deal with Menemsha Films for “Never Alone,” a World War II drama directed by Finnish filmmaker Klaus H?r?, known for “My Sailor, My Love” and Oscar-shortlisted and Golden Globe-nominated “The Fencer.”
The film will have a private screening this week at the American Film Market in Las Vegas. It will have its festival debut as the opening film of the Baltic competition at Tallinn Black Nights (Nov. 8 to 24), and the North American premiere will take place at the Palm Springs Film Festival (Jan. 2-13), with H?r? and Matila attending. It is set for release in Finland by Nordisk Film on Jan. 17.
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“Never Alone” tells the true story of Jewish refugees seeking safety in Finland during World War II. As Nazi influence grows, Abraham Stiller, a Jewish leader in Helsinki, must risk everything to protect his community.
Neil Friedman, president of Menemsha Films, said: “Menemsha Films seeks to view every film of Jewish interest from around the world. When you discover a film as compelling as ‘Never Alone,’ you feel privileged to distribute such a work of art.”
The main cast features Ville Virtanen, Nina Hukkinen and Rony Herman. The film is produced by Ilkka Matila of MRP Matila R?hr Productions in co-production with Samsara Filmproduktion, Taska Film, Penned Pictures and Hobab.
It is supported by the Finnish Film Foundation, Austrian Film Institute ?FI, ?FI+, ORF, Estonian Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Estonia cash rebate, Estonian Cultural Endowment, Nordisk Film, Playmaker Munich, SVT, ARTE, NDR, Creative Europe/Media, Nordic Film & TV Fund, Barona, Cyberdune Investment, Konstsamfundet and Church’s Media Foundation.
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