Music Box acquires rights to “Lore” post-war drama

PanARMENIAN.Net - Cate Shortland’s debut, Somersault, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2004 and starred the then-relative newcomer Abbie Cornish and a pre-Avatar Sam Worthington.

Shortland picks up that film’s theme of the coming of age of a young girl with her second effort, Lore, based on the book The Dark Room by Rachel Seiffert, Deadline reported.

Set in 1945 Germany at the end of the war, the story follows five children whose Nazi parents have been taken into custody by the Allies. The kids set out across the country to find their grandmother and along the way are exposed to the reality and consequences of their parents’ actions. When they meet a young Jewish refugee, the eldest girl, Lore, is transfixed by her fear of the young man, but in order to survive must trust the one person whom she has always been taught is the enemy.

After screening footage in Berlin, Music Box has now snapped up U.S. rights from French sales outfit Memento Films International. The deal was negotiated by Music Box’s William Schopf and Memento’s Tanja Meissner. Lore is produced by Germany’s Rohfilm, Oz’s Porchlight Films and Scotland’s Edge City Films. Shortland and Robin Mukherjee wrote the script.

Pic will be ready for Cannes and is one of two titles Memento could have in selection. The company is also handling Laurent Cantet’s English-language Foxfire, the director’s first feature since Palme d’Or-winner The Class, which Memento also handled.