Loco Films Paris has closed a raft of sales deals in key territories for Veit Helmer‘s German kids and family feature “Akiko – the Flying Monkey,” which will participate in this year’s Kids Screenings at the Locarno Film Festival.
The film has been sold in over 40 territories, including Germany, Austria, and dozens of MENA, CIS, and African countries. In Germany, the film’s domestic market, Farbfilm Verleih will handle distribution.
Loco Films is hosting ongoing discussions with distributors in other European countries, which will be furthered at Locarno. Although the Swiss festival often acts as a showcase for auteur-driven arthouse titles, its Kids section routinely proves to be one of its most important in commercial terms. Last year, one of the event’s biggest bidding wars was over the Finnish kids and family title “Snot & Splash,” which eventually went to FilmSharks.
“Akiko – The Flying Monkey” kicks off inside a German zoo, which its young titular simian protagonist believes is his native habitat. As seen in the trailer linked above, when Akiko finds out there is much more to the world than he has ever known, he embarks on a daring escape to reunite with his family and free other captive animals.
Although the film is mostly live action, it features an impressive amount of digital effects for a European indie. Helmer says more than 800 VFX shots appear in the final cut.
Helmer is a hugely accomplished filmmaker with a diverse body of work dating back 35 years. His films have screened at Cannes, Sundance and Slamdance and earned him a European Film Award nomination (“Tuvalu” – European Discovery).
According to the director, “Creating ‘Akiko – The Flying Monkey’ was about crafting a narrative that resonates with anyone who retains a sense of wonder about the world. The film uses the playful antics and challenges of Akiko and his friends to explore themes of freedom and the hidden magic that surrounds us every day.”
“Akiko – The Flying Monkey” is produced by Helmer with support from the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Kuratorium junger deutscher Film (KjdF), the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), the Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Filmförderung Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was made with close collaboration from NDR, BR, SWR, HR, SR, and RBB.