EXCLUSIVE: Italian distributor TVCO has taken world sales rights for Dace Pūce sci-fi thriller Manny, the first ever Indo-Latvian co-production.
Written and starring Sonal Sehgal as lead, the film is a complex story depicting the world’s growing dependence on AI. It follows an Indian woman who travels to Latvia for a writers retreat to work on her autobiographical novel, exploring the relationship of the protagonist with her three love interests – man, woman and AI.
The first of its kind to unite co-producers from India (Bollywood’s Sonal Sehgal of Sonal Sehgal Films) and Latvia (Pūce and Kristele Pudāne of Marana Productions), TVCO is heading the global distribution at film markets and will be pitching the pic to sci-fi buyers. TVCO has previously acquired Berlinale titles The White Fortress and Death of Nintendo and La Santa Piccola at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.
First premiering in December 2020, Manny bagged awards at the UK Asian Film Festival and Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival.
Pūce, whose debut feature The Pit is Latvia’s entry for 2022’s Academy Awards, is directing and producing alongside Pudane.
“Sci-fi films are rarely made by women but in our film, we had a predominately female cast and key crew. The successful festival run and multiple international awards won are an encouragement for the entire team,” said Pūce.
Sehgal noted the iconic collaboration between India and Latvia, adding: “When I first visited Latvia in 2014 I noticed a lot of similarities in our languages. A sign that our ancestors had crossed paths. That’s when I decided it was time for a cultural exchange all over again via the medium of cinema.”
