Beta Cinema has acquired international sales rights to the feel-good comedy “Agnes and Amir” ahead of its premiere at the Munich Film Festival on Sunday. The film, directed by Helena Hufnagel, is based on a true story.
The film follows Amir, an Iranian citizen who is waiting to hear whether he will be granted refugee status in Germany or whether he will be deported. He moves into the Berlin apartment of 101-year-old Agnes, who is trying to avoid being sent to a nursing home. Despite their differences, housemates develop strong bonds that help them face the challenges they face in life.
X Verleih plans to release the film in German theaters on November 19th.
The screenplay was written by Malte Welding (Text for You, Love Again), based on the novel by Paul M. Feldman.
Hufnage first gained international attention with the short film Willa (2014), based on the novel by Stephen King, which was screened at major film festivals including Palm Springs. He made his feature debut with Pretty Far From Okay (2017), for which he won the Bavarian Film Award. Her feature film Commitment Phobia, which premiered in Munich, became one of the most successful theatrical releases in Germany in 2021. Hufnagel’s The Book of Silver and Dreams, produced by Konstantin Film for Amazon Studios, premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2023 and was nominated for the German Television Award.
Leading the cast is Katharina Thalbach, one of Germany’s most acclaimed and beloved actresses. Internationally, he is best known for his performances in Volker Schlöndorff’s Palme d’Or and Oscar-winning The Tin Drum (1979) and Alan J. Pakula’s Sophie’s Choice (1982). Thalbach is also an official of the Prize for Arts and Letters awarded by the French Ministry of Culture.
She will star opposite up-and-coming actor Baldo Boehlefeld (“Jesus Screams,” “The Dark Room”), who was nominated for the Best New Actor Award at the 2022 Munich International Film Festival for “Every Russian Loves a Birch Tree.” The ensemble cast also includes Ulrike Kriener, Noah Saavedra, Ronald Zehrfeld, Rainer Bock, Jannik Schumann, and Sara Fazilat.
“Agnes & Amir” is produced by Fabian Halbig and Florian Kamhuber of Nordpolaris in collaboration with ZDF and Arte. Supported by MBB, FFF Bayern, MDM, FFA, DFFF.
The cinematographer is Aline Laszlo (The Colony), and the music is by Martin Kohlstedt (The Higher Law).
