U.S. specialty distributor Shadow Distribution has acquired the North American rights to Italian director Giorgio Diritti’s ethnic cleansing drama “Lubo,” starring Franz Rogowski, from Italy’s True Colours.
The film, which premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, follows Rogowski as a young man who is part of a group of Yenish nomads and is compelled to join the Swiss military in 1939 under the threat of the Nazi army.
After discovering that his children, due to their ethnicity, have been taken by Swiss authorities – who also killed his wife for resisting them – Lubo deserts the army and spends the next three decades searching for his offspring.
Valentina Bellé, known for the Disney+ series “The Good Mothers” and a European Shooting Star at this year’s Berlinale, also stars in the film as Margherita, a young woman with whom Lubo has a romantic relationship.
Shadow’s president, Ken Eisen, expressed his excitement about acquiring the film for North America, praising the depth and ambition of “Lubo” and highlighting Franz Rogowski’s outstanding performance.
The North American deal is part of True Colours’ successful sales strategy for “Lubo,” which has already secured distribution in several territories, including Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and Taiwan.
“Lubo” is a co-production involving Italy’s Indiana Production, Arancia Film, RAI Cinema, and the Swiss company Hugo Films.