The Germany-France psychological drama will world premiere in the festival’s New Directors competition
Paris-based sales boutique Alpha Violet has acquired international sales rights to “Body of Glass,” German filmmaker Naëmi Ada’s feature debut, ahead of its world premiere in San Sebastián’s New Directors competition.
A Germany-France co-production from Soilfilms and Soldats Features, the psychological drama stars Soma Pysall (HBO Max’s “Para – We Are King,” Disney+’s “City of Blood”) as Tian, a young dancer trying to break free from a violent, controlling relationship.
After a violent incident with her partner and choreographer Felix, Tian flees their life in Marseille. Isolated and desperate for connection, she inserts herself into the grieving circle of a young man she never knew, becoming entangled in their mourning and affection while concealing a dangerous secret of her own.
The cast also includes Élise Tilloloy (“The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure”), Tom Rey (“Becoming Karl Lagerfeld”), Manuel Severin (“The New Look”) and Younès Boucif (“Standing Up”).
Producers are Timothée Boullié, Victoria Braunholz, Ada, Silvana Santamaría, Pierre Cazenave-Kaufman, Amel Belghitri and Sinan Özarslan.
“We were immediately struck by a film that refuses to make its characters easy to categorise as victim or perpetrator,” said Alpha Violet co-founder Virginie Devesa. “Its exploration of taking back control of your body and your life is bold, provocative and pushed to an extreme.”
Devesa also highlighted the film’s physical dimension: “The body itself becomes a distinctive presence,” she said, adding that Alpha Violet believes “Body of Glass” will “spark a lot of conversation.”
Ada comes to the project from a background in contemporary dance. She trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds before studying directing at Berlin’s German Film and Television Academy. In 2019, she was selected as a Sundance Ignite Fellow by the Sundance Institute.
“Body of Glass” screens Sept. 19 in San Sebastián as part of New Directors.
The 74th San Sebastián Film Festival runs Sept. 18-26.