Berlinale Competition title “Return to Dust,” written and directed by China’s Li Ruijun, has been sold to Modern Films for U.K. and Ireland, and BTeam Pictures for Spain. The film was previously picked up by several other European distributors. M-Appeal is handling world sales.
Previously reported buyers include Alambique (Portugal), Trigon Film (Switzerland), Ama Films/Stergiakis Brothers (Greece), ARP (France) and September Film (Benelux).
The film centers on humble, unassuming Ma and timid Cao, who have been cast off by their families and forced into an arranged marriage. They have to combine their strength and build a home to survive.
It was described by Variety’s reviewer Jessica Kiang as an “absorbing, beautifully framed drama.” She writes: “As a portrait of the dying end of a traditional way of life and the rapid decimation of China’s outlying rural…
