MetFilm Sales has acquired international sales rights to Biljana Tutrov and Petar Gromajic’s feature documentary “To Hold a Mountain.” The film recently had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Award.
MFS will present the title to international buyers for the first time at EFM in Berlin and will co-represent the title in collaboration with Submarine Entertainment.
Set in the remote highlands of Montenegro, the film tells the story of a shepherd mother and daughter who proudly protect their ancestral mountain from the threat of turning it into a NATO military training range, evoking memories of past violence that once tore their family apart.
In a review for Variety, Mourtada Elfadol wrote, “The film reveals itself to be an emotionally devastating meditation on grief and perseverance. It’s a film that is masterfully shot with a quiet, deliberate rhythm that draws the audience in without even realizing it. Only at the end do they fully grasp the magnitude of the story the film chronicles and the natural beauty of the images they have been witnessing all along.”
The cinematographer is Eva Kraljevic, the editor is George Cragg, and additional editing is by Catherine Rascon. The original score was by Draszko Azic.
Producers are Tutrov, Gromazic, Quentin Laurent, and Rok Bycek. Megan Gerstein, Andrea Medici, Bianca Oana, Jiang Tsien, and Petra Costa serve as executive producers. Points North Institute’s executive producers are Sean Flynn, Ben Fowley, Lucila Moctezuma, and Inmart’s Chandra Jessee and Rebecca Lichtenfeld. The executive producers of Doc Society are Megha Agrawal Sood and Shanida Scotland. Meadow Fund is also executive producing.
To Hold a Mountain is a Wake Up Films Production co-produced by Les Films de Reuil Sauvage, Ardagh Films and Kvinger Films.
MFS’ current work includes Ross McElwee’s Remake, which won the Golden Globe Impact Award for Documentary at the Venice Film Festival, and Bridie O’Connor’s Barbara Forever, which recently premiered at Sundance and won the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award.
