Urška Djukić’s “Little Trouble Girls,” which opened Berlinale’s Perspectives section and walked away with the FIPRESCI award, has sold to multiple territories, including Kino Lorber for North America, BFI Distribution for U.K. and Ireland, as well as France, Germany, Benelux and many more. Athens-based Heretic is handling worldwide sales.
Djukić’s debut feature follows introverted 16-year-old Lucia, who joins her Catholic school’s all-girl choir and befriends Ana-Maria, a popular and flirty student. But when the choir travels to a countryside convent for a weekend of intensive rehearsals, Lucia’s interest in a restoration worker tests her friendship with Ana-Maria and the other girls. As she navigates unfamiliar surroundings and her budding sexuality, Lucia begins to question her beliefs and values, disrupting the harmony within the choir.
As well as Kino Lorber, which is planning a theatrical, digital and home video release later this year, and BFI Distribution, other buyers include ASC for France, CineArt for Benelux, Grandfilm for Germany, Filmladen for Austria, and Atalante for Spain, while Artcam Films will distribute the film in Czech Republic and Slovakia. Other distributors include No Comboi in Portugal, Arthouse Traffic in Ukraine, Andrews Film in Taiwan and First Distributors in Hong Kong. The film will also be released in its producing countries, Slovenia (Gustav Film) and Italy (Tucker Film).
Warner Bros. Discovery has also purchased the broadcast rights to the film, set to be launched after its theatrical run on HBO Europe and streaming platform Max.
“Watching Urška Djukić’s ‘Little Trouble Girls,’ we immediately recognized that this is the debut of a hugely talented filmmaker,” said Kino Lorber VP of acquisitions Karoliina Dwyer. “Exploring the complex intersection of sexuality, pleasure, and Catholic guilt, the film is a focused, fresh and sensual depiction of sexual awakening. We can’t wait to bring the film to North American audiences.”
Laura Dos Santos, BFI head of acquisition, told Variety, “We were looking for an exciting debut, with enough commercial potential to attract younger audiences beyond festivals. We couldn’t have dreamt of a better find than ‘Little Trouble Girls.’ Urška Djukić’s hypnotic take on the female coming-of-age drama will delight theatrical and digital audiences. With its sun-drenched setting and a heady mix of sensual tension and choral music, it will make an appealing summer release in the U.K. and Ireland.”
Ioanna Stais, head of sales and acquisitions at Heretic, stated “We are thrilled to see ‘Little Trouble Girls’ embraced by such strong distribution partners across the globe. Urška Djukić’s masterful storytelling and fearless perspective set her apart as a filmmaker with a truly singular vision. The film’s journey is just beginning, and we couldn’t be happier that it will reach audiences worldwide through the hands of passionate and dedicated distributors who share our belief in her extraordinary talent.”
“We are honored that so many distributors around the world recognized the quality of the film and the talent of the director Urška Djukić and that the film will be screened in their countries. With all of these announced sales, ‘Little Trouble Girls’ will be one of most successful films in Slovenian cinema ever,” Jozko Rutar, producer of the film, told Variety.
“Little Trouble Girls” is produced by Jozko Rutar and Miha Černec for Spok Films (Slovenia) in co-production with Staragara IT (Italy), 365 Films (Croatia), Non Aligned Films (Serbia), Nosorogi and OINK (both Slovenia). The associate producer is Sister (France). The film is supported by the Slovenian Film Centre, Eurimages, RTV Slovenija, Viba Film, Ministero di cultura – direzione cinema e audiovisivo Italy, FVG Flm Fund, FVG Film Commission, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Centre Serbia, Re-act, Region Nouvelle Aquitaine and Creative Europe Media. The film is sponsored by Arri International support and GO Nova Gorica/Gorizia European Capital of Culture 2025.
