TVCO Acquires Worldwide Sales to Berlinale Teen Drama ‘The White Fortress’ – EFM (EXCLUSIVE)

Rome-based sales agency TVCO has acquired worldwide sales to Igor Drljaca’s fourth feature “The White Fortress,” which world premiered this week in the Generation 14Plus strand of this year’s Berlinale.

Drljaca’s previous credits include several award-winning shorts such as “Woman in Purple” (2010) and “The Archivists” (2020), as well as his critically-acclaimed debut feature “Krivina” (2012), his sophomore film “The Waiting Room” (2015) and his first documentary feature, “The Stone Speakers” (2018).

More from Variety

• Yellow Bird's 'Snow Angels' Addresses Motherhood in Swedish Society

• Arab Cinema Production Poised to Get Boost From Saudi Theatrical Market Boom

• Turanga, Sintagma to Co-Produce Guillermo Garcia Lopez's Berlinale Talent Project 'Sleepless City'

The film is set in a rundown Sarajevo suburb and follows Faruk, an orphan who lives with his ill grandmother and spends his days foraging for scrap metal and dabbling in petty crime. One day he meets Mona, a timid teen from a politically powerful and affluent family. As Mona dreams of escaping the overbearing toxicity of her home life, she seeks refuge and opens herself up to Faruk, a boy from a world entirely different than her own. The main cast members are Pavle Čemerkić, Sumeja Dardagan, Jasmin Geljo, Kerim Čutuna, Alban Ukaj and Irena Mulamuhić.

Writer-director Igor Drljaca told Variety: “The film is a thriller and a love story that captures the hopes and dreams of Sarajevo’s young generation, a generation that’s growing up in a country still recovering from the events of the 1990s, and whose perspective is seldom seen in films from Bosnia-Herzegovina.”

Vincenzo Mosca from TVCO commented: “Director Igor Drljaca succeeded in creating a strong and compelling story with a definite international potential, and we are confident buyers and distributors will agree with us.”

“The White Fortress” was produced by Canada’s Timelapse Pictures and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s SCCA/pro.ba in association with Gearshift Films and with the participation of Telefilm Canada.

Best of Variety

• Oscars Predictions: Best Picture - It's Time for Oscar Voting But Could We See Just Six Nominees?

• Oscars Predictions: Best Original Screenplay - Globes Go for Sorkin, Solidifying Frontrunner Status in Screenplay

• Everything Coming to Netflix in March 2021

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.