Athens-based boutique film outfit Heretic has two titles in the Cannes ACID (Association for the International Distribution of Independent Cinemas) sidebar.
Heretic’s own Greek production, co-produced with North Macedonia’s List Production, “Kyuka Before Summer’s End,” by debut director Kostas Charamountanis, is the opening film of the ACID program. The film follows a family of three, a single father, Babis, and his twin children on the verge of adulthood, Konstantinos and Elsa, who sail to the island of Poros on the family boat for their holidays. In the midst of swimming, sunbathing and making new friends, Konstantinos and Elsa meet, unbeknownst to them, their birth mother Anna who abandoned them when they were babies. The encounter stirs up long-held feelings of resentment in Babis, resulting in a bittersweet coming-of-age journey.
“Kyuka Before Summer’s End” is produced by Danae Spathara, Giorgos Karnavas and Konstantinos Kontovrakis of Heretic, Greece and co-produced by Marija Dimitrova and Igor Ivanov of List Production, North Macedonia. The cast includes Simeon Tsakiris, Elsa Lekakou, Konstantinos Georgopoulos, Afroditi Kapokaki and Elena Topalidou.
Heretic has also acquired for world sales ACID selection “Most People Die On Sundays” by feature debutant director lair Said, whose previous short “Present Imperfect” was nominated for best short at Cannes in 2015. It follows 30-something gay man David, who with a fear of flying, regretfully returns to his native Argentina to attend his uncle’s funeral. There he reconnects with his mother and his Jewish family, while embarking on a quest across Buenos Aires to quench his anxiety via driving lessons, cheap healthcare and trying to sleep with any man that shows him a little attention.
The film is is produced by Nicolás Avruj and Diego Lerman of Campo Cine, Argentina, and co-produced by Luigi Chimienti, Alessandro Amato, Juan Pablo Galli, Juan Vera, Christian Faillace, Luis Collar and Jorge Moreno. The cast includes Iair Said, Rita Cortese, Antonia Zegers and Juliana Gattas.
Ioanna Stais, Heretic’s head of sales and acquisitions, said: “We fell in love ‘Kyuka Before Summer’s End’ from its very beginnings. It didn’t take long before it took us along its sun-burned ride of youthful familiarity. Its unique sibling bond and ability to confront family issues with humour, showcases a summer holiday that strikes straight to the heart. On the other end comes lair Said’s ‘Most People Die on Sundays,’ opening up a unique to its generation guidebook that reveals all there is to know about the highs and lows of millennial existentialism, delivered through sincere yet unprecedented humour. We feel very confident in both these titles that have touched us deeply.”
Heretic’s current sales lineup includes Berlinale winners “The Great Yawn of History” and “Faruk”; Locarno and Palm Springs winner “Sweet Dreams”; Radu Jude’s Locarno winner “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World”; Karlovy Vary winner “Blaga’s Lessons”; and Sundance winner “And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine.”
