Kino Lorber has jumped on Beanpole, acquiring U.S. rights to the Russian period drama from Kantemir Balagov.
Set in the aftermath of the 1945 siege of Leningrad, Beanpole focuses on two young women, Iya and Masha (actresses Viktoria Miroshnichenko and Vasilisa Perelygina), who struggle to rebuild their lives among the ruins.
Balagov wrote and directed the film, inspired by the The Unwomanly Face of War, an oral history of the experiences of Russian women during WWII, written by Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich. Alexievich’s book was heavily censored when it was first published and only recently appeared in its uncensored form.
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Beanpole premiered in Cannes, where it won the best director prize for Balagov in the Un Certain Regard section. Its North American premiere was at Telluride. The film screens in Toronto before moving on to the New York Film Festival and Spain’s San Sebastian.
Beanpole was produced by Alexander Rodnyansky, of the Oscar-nominated Leviathan and Loveless.
The U.S. deal for Beanpole was negotiated by Kino Lorber senior vp Wendy Lidell with Eva Diederix, head of international sales at Wild Bunch, and with CAA Media Finance.
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for the film on Jan. 29, 2020 at New York’s Film Forum ahead of a national multi-platform rollout.
