Gravitas Ventures and Myriad Pictures, have acquired worldwide distribution rights to A Beautiful Curse.
Written and directed by Martin Garde Abildgaard, produced by Les Producers’ Rikke Katborg and Francois Chilot, and edited by Marco Perez of Union, the film has become a festival darling since its world premiere at the 31st Cinequest Film Festival (California, USA) where it won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film.
19 festivals and 11 awards later (including two top honors at the RiverRun International Film Festival: Best Editing, by Marco Perez of bicoastal Union, and Best Cinematography, by Philippe Kress), the quirky modern fairy tale will be released on demand on June 28, 2022.
Earlier this year it premiered in Europe at the Paris International Film Festival, where it won Best Editing and the Grand Prix for Best Feature Film.
REELated: Beautiful Curse: Wins Best Editing at RiverRun Fest
“After a successful and beautiful festival circuit, I am delighted to be working with Gravitas and Myriad on the release of this important story,” said Katborg.
Filmed before the pandemic, yet oddly prescient, A Beautiful Curse tells the story of photographer Samuel (Mark Strepan), who sneaks onto an island that is under quarantine due to a mysterious phenomenon where all the inhabitants have fallen into a sleep from which they cannot wake.
While there, he falls in love with the sleeping Stella (Olivia Vinal), as he tries to unravel the mystery of the deep sleep that has overtaken everyone. The Edmonton Journal describes A BEAUTIFUL CURSE as “a sci-fi-fairytale reality romance with a Black Mirror vibe,” Mercury News wrote, “’Curse’ cast a dream-like spell, while Reel360 lauded the film, saying, “This refreshingly pure love story is just the catharsis our hearts, minds, and souls are longing for.”
“Martin and I started working on A Beautiful Curse back in 2019,” recalled Perez, whose recent credits include editing Edge of the World, directed by Michael Haussman and starring John Rhys Myers (that film recently took home Best American Director at the Septimius Awards in Amsterdam).
“He allowed me incredible freedom in editing the movie; I could experiment and intertwine the characters’ lives and dreams in a unique way. Many cast and crew members expressed similar feelings about Martin’s directorial style, and I believe it is this freedom that propelled the movie through a long and successful festival season. We’re excited to see how A BEAUTIFUL CURSE resonates with a wider audience.”
The film’s distribution coincides with its Spanish premiere at the Galactica Festival at Tàrrega – the first and only show of fantasy and horror cinema in the lands of Lleida, Catalonia.
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