Sideshow & Janus Films Acquire **VENICE SILVER LION GRAND JURY WINNER** | VERMIGLIO, Directed and Written by Maura Delpero

Winner of the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival; Film Had North American Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival

(Toronto, Canada - September 11, 2024) - Sideshow and Janus Films announced today that they have acquired all North American rights to VERMIGLIO, written, directed, and produced by Maura Delpero (MATERNAL). The film recently premiered In Competition at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize. On September 10, the film had its North American premiere in the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival. Sideshow and Janus Films will release the film theatrically in coming months.

The deal was negotiated by Sideshow and Janus Films with Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker and Charades’ Carole Baraton, on behalf of the filmmakers. The producers of the film are Francesca Andreoli, Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli, Maura Delpero, and Santiago Fondevila Sancet. It is co-produced by Carole Baraton, Pauline Boucheny Pinon, Jacques-Henry Bronckart, and Tatiana Kozar. The Italian-language film is a co-production between Cinedora with RAI Cinema and co-produced by Charades Production and Versus Production, with the participation of Anonymous Content.

Sideshow and Janus Films commented, “We were deeply moved and impressed by VERMIGLIO, a new Italian classic that is intimate in scale but epic in scope that unfolds like a memory over four ravishingly shot seasons during the Second World War. Maura Delpero has made an unforgettable portrait of a family and especially the women as they navigate their way in a world that is about to change forever. We could not be more excited to introduce this film to American audiences in theaters.”

VERMIGLIO is set in 1944, in Vermiglio, a high mountain village of the Italian Alps where war looms as a distant but constant threat. The arrival of Pietro, a refugee soldier, disrupts the dynamics of the local teacher’s family, changing them forever. During the four seasons marking the end of World War II, Pietro and Lucia, the eldest daughter of the teacher, instantly drawn to each other, led to marriage and an unexpected fate. As the world emerges from its tragedy, the family will face its own.

In its short three-year existence, Sideshow—along with its legendary partner Janus Films—have acquired some of the most celebrated international films from around the world. At this year’s TIFF, the company is presenting Gints Zilbalodis’ animated Latvian Oscar ® entry and Annecy Award winner FLOW, Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix winner ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT, Alain Guiraudie’s MISERICORDIA, and Jia Zhangke’s CAUGHT BY THE TIDES. The company is also launching Leos Carax’s acclaimed Cannes selection IT’S NOT ME at the New York Film Festival next month. Earlier this year, the company released Bertrand Bonello’s THE BEAST and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Venice Silver Lion Winner EVIL DOES NOT EXIST.

ABOUT JANUS FILMS

Founded in 1956, Janus Films was the first theatrical distribution company dedicated to bringing international art-house films to U.S. audiences. Janus handles rights in all media to an extensive library that ranges from classics by Michelangelo Antonioni, Věra Chytilová, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Ousmane Sembène, and Agnès Varda to major works by contemporary masters like Jim Jarmusch, Lucrecia Martel, and Wong Kar Wai. Janus Films partnered with Sideshow in 2021 on the release of Academy Award® winner DRIVE MY CAR, and Academy Award® nominee EO from director Jerzy Skolimowski. Next releases with Sideshow include Payal Kapadia’s ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT on November 15th and Gints Zilbalodis’ FLOW on November 22nd.

ABOUT SIDESHOW

Sideshow is a theatrical distribution label founded to release visionary films. In three years, the company has received six Academy Award® nominations. Their first release was DRIVE MY CAR, in partnership with Janus Films, which was nominated for four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film (which it won). With their partner Janus Films, the label has released Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO, which was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best International Feature. They also released Shaunak Sen’s Oscar®-nominated documentary ALL THAT BREATHES, with Submarine Deluxe and HBO Documentary Films. Recent releases include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s EVIL DOES NOT EXIST, Bertrand Bonello’s THE BEAST, Wim Wenders’ ANSELM, Christian Petzold’s AFIRE, Lila Aviles’ TÓTEM, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s ABOUT DRY GRASSES. Upcoming releases include: Payal Kapadia’s ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT on November 15th and Gints Zilbalodis’ FLOW on November 22nd. Coming in 2025: Jia Zhangke’s CAUGHT BY THE TIDES and Alain Guiraudie’s MISERICORDIA.

ABOUT ANONYMOUS CONTENT

Anonymous Content is a global media company that produces multi-platform premium content and boasts an exceptional client roster which includes many of the world’s most renowned and innovative directors, writers, and actors. The company’s award-winning Film & TV division AC Studios encompasses many commercially successful and critically acclaimed works including three-time Academy Award winning film THE REVENANT, Best Picture Academy Award winning film SPOTLIGHT, Academy Award winning film for Best Original Screenplay, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, and three-time Primetime Emmy award-winning Mr. Robot. On the film side, they produced the highly anticipated upcoming adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, THE NICKEL BOYS. On the series side, they recently released season four of True Detective starring Jodie Foster and Time Bandits from Taika Waititi, and are behind the upcoming Disclaimer from Alfonso Cuarón starring Cate Blanchett, limited series East of Eden starring Florence Pugh with Zoe Kazan set to adapt, Savant starring Jessica Chastain, and Neuromancer starring Callum Turner. The company also has a robust documentary division, boasting a burgeoning slate of premium features including 5 SEASONS OF REVOLUTION, the recently released IN RESTLESS DREAMS: THE MUSIC OF PAUL SIMON, Alex Gibney’s upcoming Elon Musk documentary MUSK and Raoul Peck’s upcoming George Orwell documentary ORWELL. AC Studios also houses the sales and finance division AC Independent and international division AC International. Recent projects handled by AC Independent include the Academy Award-winning animated feature THE BOY AND THE HERON from Hayao Miyazaki. AC International has established multiple joint ventures with international partners including Anonymous Content España, Anonymous Federation, Anonymous Content Nordic, Anonymous Content Brazil, and AC Chapter One. Recent projects from AC International include Boy Swallows Universe and Best Interests via AC Chapter One; upcoming projects from AC International include SNOW SISTER via Anonymous Content Nordic and Perfect Days via Anonymous Content Brazil. Through its Commercial work, Anonymous Content is also the driving creative force behind countless leading global brands.