Paris-based sales agent The Party Film Sales has acquired world rights for “Heartless” (Sem Coração), which has its world premiere in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival.
The feature, directed by Brazilian duo Nara Normande and Tião, is based on their short of the same name, which received the Illy Prize for Best Short at Directors’ Fortnight during the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
The film is set in the summer of 1996 on the north-east coast of Brazil, where Tamara (played by Maya de Vicq) is enjoying her last weeks in the fishing village she lives in before leaving for Brasilia for her studies. One day, she hears about a teenager nicknamed Heartless (played by Eduarda Samara), after a scar she has on her chest. Over the course of the summer, Tamara feels a growing attraction for this mysterious girl.
The directors comment: “Tamara’s journey is inspired by Nara’s own experiences growing up in Guaxuma, a beach in Alagoas, one of the poorest states of Brazil. After the shooting of our short film there, we had a strong feeling that we could go deeper in this universe, a place where the violence contrasts with its beauty. Over the years, we developed a beautiful relationship with Eduarda Samara, who plays the role of Heartless, and now collaborated on the feature’s script.
“‘Heartless’ is a film with fantastic elements and a strong documentary background, which we believe depicts aspects rooted in Brazilian society and at the same time invites the viewer to dive in an experience of love, mystery, violence and beauty.”
Samuel Blanc and Estelle De Araujo, co-heads of international sales at The Party Film Sales, say: “ ‘Heartless’ is a strong cinematographic and sensorial journey set against the 1990’s nostalgic backdrop of Brazilian coastal nature. Infused with mystery and poetic sensibility, the film is also a bright story of attraction and the process of leaving childhood behind.”
Normande was born in Alagoas, Brazil. In 2014, she directed the short “Heartless” together with Tião. In 2018, her animated short film “Guaxuma” was selected in Toronto and won 70 awards, including Best Animation at SXSW. “Heartless,” the feature film based on the short, is her first feature film.
Tião was born in Recife, Brazil. In 2008, his film “Muro” won the Un Regard Neuf prize for Best Short at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. His film “Animal Político” premiered at the Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam in 2016.
“Heartless” is produced by Emilie Lesclaux for Cinemascópio from Brazil, Justin Pechberty for Les Valseurs in France, and Nadia Trevisan for Nefertiti Film in Italy.
