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Cinephobia Takes U.S. on ‘Sublime,’ as Meikincine Acquires Tarea Fina’s ‘Alemania’ (EXCLUSIVE)

BUENOS AIRES —  Buenos Aires-based Meikincine Entertainment, one of the most active sales agents at this year’s Ventana Sur, has closed the U.S. and Canada with Cinephobia Releasing on “Sublime,” produced by Buenos Aires’ Tarea Fina and a standout at Ventana Sur’s 2021 Copia Final pix-in-post competition.

“Sublime” went on to world premiere at Berlin’s Generation 14-Plus strand this February.

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In parallel, Meikincine has picked up world sales rights outside Argentina to Tarea Fina’s latest feature, “Alemania,” directed by Maria Zanetti (“Furia”), which wraps its shoot on Dec. 2.

A coming of age tale “Sublime” marks the feature debut of Argentina’s Mariano Biasin, who scored a Crystal Bear for best short film at the 2016 Berlinale Generation KPlus for “El inicio de Fabrizio.”

“Sublime” turns on Manuel, 16, as he struggles with desire, tangled relationships and a coalescing identity in a coastal Argentinian town.

“Anchored by a soundtrack played out on screen by Manuel’s band, the film tackles the challenges of modern youth through its characters’ endearing awkwardness and unbounded hope – and just enough teenage brooding,” according to Variety.

“Sublime is a tender and engaging coming of age film that wonderfully exemplifies today’s vibrant Argentinian film scene. We are excited in bringing the film to North American audiences.” said distrib veteran Raymond Murray, founder of TLA Releasing and Artsploitation Films and now president of Cinephobia Releasing, his new distribution company.

The feature debut of Zanetti, a commercials, vid-clip film director, and a teen girl’s coming of age drama set for the most part in a town near Buenos Aires, “Alemania” was presented at San Sebastian’s 2021 Co-Production Forum where it won the Artekino International Prize.

Lead produced by Juan Pablo Miller at Tarea Fina with Jose Alenda at Spain’s Solita Films, the dramedy turns on Lola, 16, a struggling high school student who suddenly has the chance to study a term in Germany. But her parents can’t afford her trip, having gone deep into debt to pay psychiatric treatment for Ella’s older sister, once brilliant, now suffering from bipolar depression.

As her parents battle to cure their daughter, Lola is left to her own devices, struggling to find a sense of identity, and pained at the the increasing distance from her sister and the end of her childhood.

Based on Zannetti’s personal experience, “Alemania” was written as process of catharsis, with “reality transformed by memory,” captured by the use of vintage lenses, Bresson style, she says in a director’s statement.

“Alemania” stars Maite Aguilar, Miranda de La Serna, Maria Ucedo, Walter Jacob  and Andy Pruss.

Miller’s Tarea Fina produced “Las Acacias,” directed by Pablo Giorgelli,  which was awarded the Cannes Festival’s Camera d’Or for best first feature by a jury presided by “Parasite’s” Bong Joon Ho.

Further Tarea Fina’s prizes take in best film at the 2015 Berlin Festival’s Generation KPlus (“Natural Sciences,” by Matias Luchessi); the TCM Youth Award at the 2019 San Sebastian Festival (Ana Garcia Blaya’s “The Good Intentions”); and best film at the 2019 Havana Film Festival (“The Sleepwalkers”).

Tarea Fina’s productions also produced Ariel Rotter’s “Incident Light” which swept the Argentine Academy Awards in 2016, winning best film, director and art director.

(L-R) Juan Pablo Miller (Tarea Fina), Lucia Meik (Meikincine Entertainment), Jose Alenda (Solita Films), Julia Meik (Meikincine Entertainment)
(L-R) Juan Pablo Miller (Tarea Fina), Lucia Meik (Meikincine Entertainment), Jose Alenda (Solita Films), Julia Meik (Meikincine Entertainment)

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