Opa! Strand Picks Up Venice Winner ‘Attenberg’

I’m glad to see that festival films we saw and loved back in 2010 aren’t being totally neglected especially in the case of today’s pick-up announcement. Of course, you need confident distribs such as the Strand Releasing folks to take on an atypical film such as Athina Rachel Tsangari’s award-winnning Attenberg. Strand are planning a release sometime in the fall — which is a shame since a Father’s Day release would be more apropos.

Gist: Marina, 23, is growing up with her architect father in a prototype factory town by the sea. Finding the human species strange and repellent, she keeps her distance. Instead she stubbornly observes it through the songs of Suicide, the mammal documentaries of Sir David Attenborough, and the sex-ed lessons she receives from her only friend, Bella…

Worth Noting: Ariane Labed – winner of the Best Actress award in Venice for Attenberg, was cast in Giorgos Lanthimos’ “Alps,” which is produced Tsangari and will more than likely show in the Main Comp section in this year’s Cannes.

Do We Care?: If you’re into invigorating, avant-garde cinema with a voice — I strongly suggest you seek this film which was among IONCINEMA.com’s top discoveries in 2010. Here is our pre-Venice interview with Tsangari.