UAE-based distribution and production studio The Plot Pictures has announced a raft of new content picked up from around the world for distribution to MENA and Turkey, consisting of films from the UK, US, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, Iran and Cyprus.
The Plot Pictures’ co-production Locust, which is the first feature film from Taiwanese filmmaker KEFF (Taipei Suicide Story), has been elected for the Cannes Semain de la Critique (Critics’ Week) 2024. The film is set in 2019 Taiwan, where in the midst of working-class protests disillusioned youths are drawn to guns and gangs. The acquisitions team will be at Marche du Film to explore new talents, genres and titles.
The distribution team has picked up action drama William Tell with Ben Kingsley, Claes Bang, Jonathan Pryce, and Connor Swindells, directed by Nick Hamm. The story, adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s play of the same name, unfolds in the 14th Century amidst the days of the Holy Roman Empire. It follows William Tell, a formerly peaceful hunter, who finds himself forced to take action as his family and homeland come under threat. The film was produced by Beta Cinema, Free Turn Films and Tempo Productions.
The studio has acquired the rights to poignant Iranian Berlinale drama My Favourite Cake directed by Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha. It centres around widower Mahin, played by newcomer Lili Farhadpour and her encounter with Faramarz, played by veteran Iranian actor Esmaeel Mehrabi, who find love again at an older age. The studio picked up the rights from Totem Films.
The Plot Pictures has also picked up a selection of horror features, including the third film, Terrifier 3, from Damien Leone’s cult classic franchise. Set in the Christmas period, Terrifier 3 sees the return of Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) as he unleashes chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County on a peaceful Christmas Eve.
The distributor has picked up the top-grossing movie of 2024 in South Korea, supernatural horror Exhuma, written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun (The Priests). The film topped 11 million admissions in South Korea, reached an $82M gross and continues its box office streak breaking records around East Asia. The film, starring Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Do-hyun, follows the unsettling events that unfold after the exhumation of a mysterious family grave. Also picked up is Thai horror, Operation Undead, set in 1941 and centres on a unit of Thai soldiers who are pitted against invading Japanese forces with a terrifying biological weapon, which has plans of its own.
The Plot Pictures has acquired the rights to Ballistic from Red Sea Media which stars Game Of Thrones’ Lena Headey as an avenging mother and Stranger Things’ Amybeth McNulty, and crime-thriller The Last Stop in Yuma County with Richard Brake, Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue from Film Mode.
The distributor has also taken as Korean revenge thriller, Revolver, with Ji Chang-wook, Lim Ji-yeon and Jeon Do-yeon.
On its animation slate, the studio and distributor has Chantelle Murray’s The Lost Tiger, the first animated feature from Australia to be written and directed by an Indigenous woman, from Sola Media, and feature film Rebellious from Magic Frame Animation and Creation Entertainment Media.
Lastly, on its short film slate is Aalish, an inspirational boxing film co-produced by The Plot Pictures, which was selected for The 5th Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival, and Danielle Arden’s My Trouble Out There which is set in 1967 West Berlin.
With a slate defined by authentic and local stories, and a mission to bring them to audiences around the world in their original language, The Plot Pictures’ new raft of dynamic live-action and animated original and third-party content reflects a broad spectrum of genres and a focus on ‘homegrown’ scripts, spotlighting regional talent and originality.
Bridging the gap between global stories and the region’s varied local audiences, The Plot Pictures represents this content for specialist distribution within MENA and Turkey.
Pratixa Shah, CEO at The Plot Pictures says, “We’re proud of curating a small number of incredible titles from different genres, regions, and language, from sales agents in all corners of the world, that hold a lot of potential for our audiences and partners. Our co-production on KEFF’s Semain de la Critique selection Locust is a testament to our world-leading slate of unique and high-quality content. We are agnostic to language and country of origin, if a story is strong, we know there will be audiences for it all over the world. The hyper local is often what global audiences are looking for, even if it is not local to them.”
Ozge Conduroglu, Acquisitions and Sales Lead at The Plot Pictures comments, “We’re committed to sourcing exceptional titles globally, catering to diverse audiences and partners. Our goal is to transcend boundaries with universal storytelling, focusing on cinematic landscapes and collaboration with cinephiles to meet market demands for unique content. Beyond entertainment, we aim to be cultural catalysts, enriching the global cinematic landscape. Our mission is simple: to connect people through the power of film. Together with our partners, we’re committed to shaping the future of cinema, one story at a time.”
