Kino Lorber acquires Poland Oscar hopeful ‘Never Gonna Snow Again’ for North America
Courtesy of Lava Films / Kino Lorber
Kino Lorber has acquired the North American rights to Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s Never Gonna Snow Again. Szumowska directed, produced and co-wrote alongside Englert who co-directed, co-wrote, produced and served as cinematographer.Mariusz Włodarski, Viola Fügen, Agnieszka Wasiak and Michael Weber also produced the Lava Films and Match Factory production, which was co-produced by Kino Świat, Bayerischer Rundfunk/ arte, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, Di Factory and supported by the Polish Film Institute, Film and Medienstiftung NRW, DFFF and the German Polish Filmfund.
Never Gonna Snow Again was selected as this year’s Polish submission for the Academy Awards prior to its world premiere ‘In Competition’ at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award. Additional festival play included a premiere at BFI London Film Festival, Seville, Minsk Camerimage and Bergen, in addition to being an official selection for this year’s Telluride Film Festival. Kino Lorber will release Never Gonna Snow Again in Spring 2021.
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Never Gonna Snow Again follows Zhenia (Alec Utgoff – “Stranger Things”), a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East enters the lives of the rich residents of a bland, walled off community as a masseur. Despite their wealth, the residents emit an inner sadness, a longing. The mysterious newcomer’s hands heal, his eyes seem to penetrate their souls. To them, his Russian accent sounds like a song from the past, a memory of their seemingly safer childhood. Zhenia is able to change their lives.
Kino Lorber’s Wendy Lidell commented: ““Like the forsaken souls who find solace in Zhenia’s magical touch, we believe Malgorzata and Michal’s miraculous film will magically touch audiences seeking comfort and uplift in our own present state of induced isolation.”
Producer Mariusz Włodarski added: “We are thrilled to be working on our jewel with Kino Lorber, their enthusiasm for the project was truly spectacular considering the circumstances we all fight with today. I really trust that our film will bring some hope and reflection to audiences.”
The deal was negotiated by Kino Lorber SVP Wendy Lidell and The Match Factory’s Thania Dimitrakopoulou, who are handling worldwide sales on the film.
Małgorzata Szumowska is one of the most prominent Polish directors of today. Her first English language feature, The Other Lamb, premiered in 2019 at TIFF, San Sebastian and BFI London, and other notable works include Face (Twarz), Elles (also released by Kino Lorber) and Happy Man (Szczęś liwy czł owiek). Michał Englert is a cinematographer, screenwriter and producer who has worked with Szumowska since their documentary short Silence premiered in 1997. He received the Best Cinematography award at Sundance for his work on Lasting, and is also known for his work on The Other Lamb, The Harvesters, and HBO’s “Blinded by the Lights.”
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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