Adopt Films Acquires the Taviani Brothers' Berlin Contender 'Caesar Must Die'

Adopt Films has acquired Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear contender Caesar Must Die. The film, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, is the second Berlin 2012 title Adopt has picked up at the festival after acquiring Ursula Meier’s Sister this week.

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Described as “a fully scripted semi-documentary work,” the Taviani brothers’ film documents a staging of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in Rome’s high-security Rebibbia prison, featuring a cast comprised of actual inmates. Caesar Must Die was written by the Tavianis with the collaboration of Fabio Cavalli, and it stars Cosimo Rega, Salvatore Striano, Giovanni Arcuri and Antonio Frasca.

Adopt’s co-managing executive Tim Grady said of the deal, “As a longtime fan of the Taviani brothers, we couldn't be happier with this acquisition. Caesar Must Die is an incredibly poignant film. It portrays how art can liberate the soul and profoundly change one's view of the world. But it also shows how such a change can reveal an abyss of loss and regret. The film should be an inspiration for many students previously unfamiliar with the accessible work of these masters as well as for longtime admirers of riveting Italian cinema.”

Caesar Must Die joins an Adopt Films slate that includes Anne Emond’s 2011 Toronto International Film Festival hit and multiple Genie Award nominee Nuit #1, Meier’s 2012 Berlin Competition selection Sister, Marie Losier’s 2011 Berlin award-winner The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye and Debbie Goodstein’s Mighty Fine.