Berlin-based sales company Pluto Film has acquired international rights to “Funeral Casino Blues,” which will world premiere in the Horizons competition of the Venice Film Festival.
The film is written and directed by Roderick Warich, screenwriter of “The Universal Theory,” which competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2023.
The drama, set in Bangkok’s neon-lit underworld, follows the mysterious disappearance of Jen (Jutamat Lamoon), a young woman who survives by “selling moments of intimacy to strangers.” When she suddenly vanishes without a trace, her new boyfriend Wason (Wason Dokkathum) and her flatmate Pim (Jutarat Burinok) begin searching for her – first in Bangkok’s shadowy streets, then all the way to the Cambodian border. As they drift through empty alleyways and humid nights, their search becomes a journey into their own haunted pasts – and through a city that forgets you long before you are gone.
Daniela Cölle, head of acquisitions at Pluto Film, said, “The film combines the atmospheric noir sensibilities that international audiences crave with an authentic, deeply human story that lingers long after the credits roll. Roderick has crafted a mesmerizing drama that transcends genre boundaries. The film’s exploration of memory, loss, and the shadows we carry resonated immediately with us.”
Benjamin Cölle, co-managing director at Pluto Film, said the film is “a hypnotic journey through Bangkok’s hidden world,” and is “visually stunning, emotionally complex, and completely immersive.” He added, “Roderick has created a world that feels both intimate and epic.”
The film’s producer, Victoria Stolpe, said Pluto Film “share our passion for immersive, stylish cinema that speaks through images, and they know how to position bold, visually distinctive films with sensitivity and global insight.“
“Funeral Casino Blues” is produced by The Barricades’ Stolpe in co-production with 2557 Films’ Dominik Rockenmaier. The cinematography is by Roland Stuprich, editing by Hannes Bruun, the score by John Gürtler, sound design by Dominik Leube, and visual effects by Felix Knoche. The production is supported by BKM (German Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media) and Kuratorium junger deutscher Film.
The film will be released in Germany by Eksystent Filmverleih.
variety.com
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