“The Souffleur,” starring Willem Dafoe as an American hotel manager in Vienna, has sold to Kino Lorber for North American distribution.
Represented internationally by Magnify, “The Souffleur” is an English-language dark comedy directed by rising Argentinian director Gastón Solnicki, which world premiered at Venice in the Horizons section.
Dafoe plays Lucius, who has managed an iconic hotel in Vienna for 30 years and learns the building has been sold to an Argentine developer who plans on demolishing it. With the help of his daughter and a handful of loyal employees, he clings to the life he’s built. What follows is a crusade of detours, espionage and a paranoid struggle to preserve the only home he’s ever known. The cast also features Solnicki, newcomer Lilly Lindner, Stephanie Argerich and Claus Philipp.
The strong key crew includes Rui Poças, the cinematographer of Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” which played at Cannes and won the best director award in 2024.
The producing team includes Gabriele Kranzelbinder and Paolo Calamita (“Museum Hours”) for Vienna-based Little Magnet Films and KGP Filmproduktion, Eugenio Fernández Abril for Primo (“Peter Hujar’s Day”) and Solnicki for Filmy Wiktora.
Solnicki’s first narrative feature, “Kékszakállú,” premiered in Horizons at the Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the FIPRESCI prize for best film; while his second feature, “Introduzione all’Oscuro,” also world premiered in Venice out of competition. His previous film, “A Little Love Package,” premiered at the Berlinale in Encounters. All of his movies are part of the MoMA collection.
The deal for “The Souffleur” was negotiated by Austin Kennedy, director of global sales of Magnify, and Candace Tan of Kino Lorber.
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