Minerva Pictures has come aboard to handle international sales for psychological drama “Isola,” starring French cinema icon Fanny Ardant and Polish actor Joanna Kulig.
The film is currently in post-production. Italian actor Marco Rossetti, known for his role in the popular medical drama “Doc — Nelle tue mani,” also features in the cast alongside Kulig and Ardant.
Set on a remote Italian island, “Isola” follows a dangerous relationship between two women. The story centers on Joanna, who finds herself stuck on a secluded island with her disabled and much older husband, Oskar. Her interactions with his caretaker, Ada, evolve into a tense psychological cat-and-mouse game with potentially fatal consequences.
The film marks the feature directorial debut of Italian-German filmmaker Nora Jaenicke, who has previously earned acclaim for her short films. Jaenicke, who also wrote the screenplay, is the founder and artistic director of the Elba Film Festival and runs the Nostos Screenplay Development Workshop in Tuscany.
“With this film I wish to explore themes that I feel haven’t been explored enough in film: the fragility of the human psyche under pressure, and the thin line between care and control and how easily violence can seep into a woman’s life within the domestic realm,” Jaenicke said.
Monica Ciarli from Minerva Pictures Group added: “When Vincenzo Mosca from TVCO and I watched this film for the first time, we were struck by the amazing performances of the wonderful actresses and the power of such a compelling female-driven story. We are, of course, very excited to promote and sell the film internationally.”
The project is produced by India’s Manish Mundra — who was among Variety‘s 10 Producers to Watch in 2017 — through his company Drishyam Films, alongside co-producer Ariens Damsi for Rome-based Eliofilm and Jaenicke’s Nostos Films.
“Minerva Pictures is the perfect partner for Isola,” said Mundra. “Their expertise and passion for distinctive storytelling will help bring this film to a global audience, and we are thrilled to collaborate with them to ensure Isola reaches the right markets.”
Drishyam Films has built a reputation for producing critically acclaimed independent cinema, including Cannes selection “Masaan,” “Newton,” “Ankhon Dekhi,” and “Dhanak.”
