Music Box Films nabs Nanni Moretti’s comedy-drama “Mia Madre”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Music Box Films has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to Italian director Nanni Moretti’s comedy-drama “Mia Madre”, starring Margherita Buy, John Turturro, Giulia Lazzarini, Beatrice Mancini and Moretti, Variety reports.

The film won the prize of the ecumenical jury at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was acquired by Alchemy from Paris-based sales company Films Distribution. But Alchemy’s financial problems resulted in the rights reverting to Films Distribution, which re-sold “Mia Madre” to Music Box.

Moretti wrote the semi-autobiographical screenplay along with Francesco Piccolo and Valia Santella and produced the film through his Sacher Film banner along with Domenico Procacci of Fandango and Rai Cinema.

“Mia Madre” centers on a director, played by Buy, who is shooting an Italian film with a famous American actor (Turturro), who’s also a disruptive blowhard and buffoon. Away from the shoot, the director tries to hold her life together, despite her mother’s illness and her daughter’s adolescence.

Music Box plans for a third quarter release.The deal was negotiated between Music Box Films’ president William Schopf and Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, Films Distribution’s co-head.

Music Box’s other recent acquisitions include “The Brand New Testament,” “Seasons,” Swedish film “A Man Called Ove” and the Sundance documentary “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”

Moretti won the Palme d’Or in 2001 for “The Son’s Room.”