Magnolia Pictures Takes A HIJACKING

MAGNOLIA has picked up the North American rights for Tobias Lindholm's appraised feature A HIJACKING from TrustNordisk. 

A HIJACKING is director Tobias Lindholm's second feature film which was praised by critics and audience and received rave reviews both nationally and internationally in connection with its World Premiere at this year's Venice Film Festival and the following Toronto International Film Festival in September. Since then it has continued its strong festival streak at e.g. London Film Festival and Tokyo Film Festival, recently winning the Best Actor Award for actor Søren Malling at this year's Abu Dhabi International Film Festival while the film itself received a special mention by the Jury.

Last week A HIJACKING won the Audience Award in the New Auteurs program at AFI FEST in Los Angeles and this weekend the film took home the Golden Alexander - Theo Angelopoulos award for Best Feature film as well as the FIPRESCI Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

The deal was negotiated between Susan Wendt, Head of Sales at TrustNordisk and Magnolia's SVP of Acquisitions, Dori Begley.

"A HIJACKING is a strikingly intelligent, thrilling and timely film," said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. "Tobias Lindholm is a talent to be reckoned with. And we are thrilled to be continuing our terrific relationship with TrustNordisk."

Susan Wendt, Head of Sales at TrustNordisk says: "We are extremely pleased to find another of our films in the capable hands of the Magnolia team. A HIJACKING has been met with an incredible response from the international market place, and the North American deal further cements the film's topicality and Tobias Lindholm's status as one of the most interesting directors in Europe today."

Previously announced deals include France (Ad Vitam), UK (Arrow Films), Benelux (A-Film), Turkey/Cyprus (Calinos Entertainment) and Korea (Atnine Films).

Magnolia is planning a second quarter 2013 theatrical release for the film.

Starring Pilou Asbæk (R, 2010, and BORGEN 2010-11), Søren Malling (THE KILLING, 2008, and BORGEN, 2010-11) and Dar Salim (GAME OF THRONES, 2011-), A HIJACKING focuses on the human consequences of modern piracy and takes its starting point when the cargo ship MV Rozen is captured by Somali pirates. Amongst the men on board are the ship's cook Mikkel and the engineer Jan, who along with the rest of the seamen are taken hostage in a cynical game of life and death.

A HIJACKING is produced by Tomas Radoor and René Ezra for Nordisk Film with support from The Danish Film Institute, Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) and Nordic Film and TV Fund.