Croatian director Čejen Černić Čanak’s Sandbag Dam has sold to key territories following its world premiere this month in the Berlinale’s Generation 14plus competition for Italy’s Open Reel. 

Dark Star Pictures has acquired rights for North American, while Salzgeber has bought the film for Germany and Austria, and Tongariro Releasing for CEE counties excluding Former Yugoslavia and the Baltic.

Lav Novosel and Andrija Žunac star in the story about a forbidden love set in flood-threatened village. It centres on a young man whose life is turned upside down when a friend returns for his father’s funeral and rekindles their forbidden romance.

Producers are Croatia’s Kinorama, Lithuania’s Tremora and Slovenia’s Perfo Production.  The film plays next month at the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.

Meanwhile, Open Reel also completed a raft of other deals at the EFM. It sold theatrical rights to Damien Manivel’s French feature The Island to Japanese distributor Copiapoa. The Island centres on a group of friends and the events that take place in the last party of the summer. It is produced by MLD Films and stars Damoh Ikhetah and Olga Milshtein.

Open Reel also sold  Vanilla, The Bearded Mermaid, Labyrinths, Demons At Dawn, Barrio Boy and The Binding to Benelux distributor Cinemien and to Pro-Fun Media for German- speaking territories. Spanish platform Filmin also acquired features Demons at Dawn, Elda And The Monsters and Barrio Boy.

Tongariro Release took Barrio Boy, Stroking an Animal and The Trace of Your Lips for Poland.