BERLIN 2012: Strong Rotterdam Sales for 'Farewell My Queen,' 'Black's Game'

COLOGNE, Germany - In what may be a positive sign for next week's European Film Market in Berlin, sales have been brisk for selected titles at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

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Berlin Breakouts

French sales outfit Elle Driver sold Berlin's opening night film, Farewell My Queen, which stars Diane Kruger as Marie Antoinette, to Belgian distributor Lumiere while Austria's Autlook locked up multiple territories on Meet The Fokkens, a bawdy Dutch documentary about two elderly Amsterdam prostitutes, closing deals for Sweden (UR), Denmark (DR), Finland (YLE), Belgium (VTM) and Israel (Yes).

Another hot Rotterdam title is the Icelandic drug thriller Black's Game, directed by first-timer Oskar Thor Axelsseon and executive produced by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive). TrustNordisk sold Black's Game to eOne for the U.K. and Frenetic for Switzerland ahead of its premiere in Rotterdam and will also be pushing the title widely at the EFM.

The IFFR continues through Feb. 5 but its industry section, the co-production market CineMart wrapped up this week. Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg) picked up the event's ARTE France Cinema Award - a $13,000 (€10,000) check towards her latest project, Duncharon, while the Eurimages co-production development award and its $40,000 bursary went to Humidity by Serbian director Nikola Ljuca.