Juno Films Acquires Rights To Oscar Winner Bille August’s Drama ‘The Pact’ About ‘Out Of Africa’ Author Karen Blixen

EXCLUSIVE: Juno Films has claimed North America rights to The Pact, a film from Oscar and Palme d’Or-winning director Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror, House of Spirits), which is based on the true story of Out of Africa author Karen Blixen, planning to release it in U.S. and Canadian theaters in early 2022, followed by a digital release later in the year.

The Pact catches up with Blixen (Birthe Neumann) at age 63, finding her at the pinnacle of her fame and next in line to win the Nobel Prize for literature. It has been 17 years since she gave up her famous farm in Africa, only to return to Denmark with her life in ruins. Devastated by syphilis and having lost the love of her life, she has reinvented herself as a literary sensation. She is an isolated genius, however, until the day she meets talented 30-year-old poet Thorkild Bjørnvig (Simon Bennebjerg), promising him literary stardom if he in return will obey her unconditionally, even at the cost of him losing everything else in his life.

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Christian Torpe scripted the film derived from Bjørnvig’s book of the same name. He also produced it with Karin Trolle and his Motor partner Jesper Morthorst, in co-production with SF Studios Production. Pic premiered theatrically in Denmark earlier this year.

“THE PACT gives a modern twist to a classic Faustian bargain,” said Juno Films CEO Elizabeth Sheldon. “Bille August’s portrayal of Karen Blixen in her twilight years will forever seal her legacy.”

“I am extremely happy to hear that Juno Films has acquired my film THE PACT for distribution in the United States,” added August. “I feel completely confident that they will do an excellent job of releasing the film, and I am really excited that The Pact will now meet an American audience.”

Juno Films is a boutique film distributor and world sales agent founded by Sheldon, which has recently released titles including Tove, Tiny Tim: King For A Day and The Most Beautiful Boy in the World.

The company’s founding partner and Chief Executive Officer negotiated the acquisition of The Pact with Peter Ahlen of REInvent International Sales.