EXCLUSIVE: Bendita Film Sales has acquired international rights to writer-director-artist Ann Oren’s second feature Objet a ahead of its world premiere in the Locarno Film Festival’s main International Competition in August.
The new film follows Oren’s bold 2022 feature debut Piaffe, which also played in competition in Locarno and made waves for its portrait of a timid foley artist who connects with her desires and body through a commission to capture the sounds of a horse for a commercial.
After its Locarno debut, the film won the Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival and Best Debut from The German Film Critics’ Association and also enjoyed a buzzy North American release via Oscilloscope Laboratories.
New film Objet a revolves around Ingeborg and Adam, visionary hand surgeons bound by love, control and irresistible fixations. She is compelled to steal objects; he longs to become one. When an accident brings the enigmatic Gaia into their lives, unexpected desires begin to take shape, unsettling the careful balance that has long defined their relationship.
The cast features Piaffe star Simone Bucio as well as Aenne Schwarz, Louis Hofmann, Georg Friedrich, and Sofia Kokkali.
“Few filmmakers invite audiences into the unexpected with as much confidence as Ann Oren. In Objet a, she explores desire, intimacy and identity with extraordinary precision, creating a film that is playful, unsettling and constantly surprising. It is a singular work that lingers long after the credits, and we are proud to introduce it to international audiences following its world premiere in Locarno”, said Bendita Film Sales CEO and Head of Sales & Acquisitions Luis Renart.
Objet a is lead produced by Berlin-based Schuldenberg Films in co-production with Tarantula, asterisk* and ERT with support by Film Fund Luxembourg, German Federal Film Fund, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Hessen Film & Medien, Creative Europe Media, German Federal Film Board, Hellenic Film and A/V Center-EKKOMEΔ.
Objet a is among 17 films announced unveiled by Locarno on Thursday as being in the running for its Golden Leopard prize in the main International Competition.
“After premiering Ann Oren’s remarkable debut feature Piaffe in Locarno’s Concorso Internazionale, we’re thrilled to return to the festival with her second feature, Objet a. Locarno marked the beginning of Ann’s international journey, and with the support of our outstanding partner—Bendita Film Sales — we’re excited to build on that momentum and on her previous success”, said Schuldenberg Films’ Kristof Gerega.
