BETA CINEMA SEALS US DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH KINO LORBER FOR ALL THREE DIABOLIK MOVIES
At the beginning of EFM, Kino Lorber has acquired all rights in the U.S. to Diabolik, Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! and Diabolik – Who Are You? from Beta Cinema. All three movies are based on the highly popular Italian comic book series about the infallible, ruthless master thief, which sold over 150 million copies worldwide. The stylish crime-comic adaptations are written and directed by Marco and Antonio Manetti. Grey’s Anatomy and Marvel’s Avengers’ Giacomo Gianniotti stars in the lead in Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! and Diabolik – Who Are You? and Luca Marinelli (The Old Guard) in the first installment, Diabolik. The grand dame of Italian cinema, Monica Bellucci (Matrix, The Apartment) stars in the role of Altea, Miriam Leone as Eva Kant (The Invisible Witness, Medici) and Valerio Mastandrea (Perfect Strangers, Nine) as the inspector Ginko.
“It’s a joy and great satisfaction to know all three Diabolik films will be released in the land of film, we have always loved,” say Marco and Antonio Manetti. “Diabolik, so famous for us, is less known to the American public and we are proud he can become known through our films. We are very curious to see how viewers will react and whether they will love this fantastic character as much as we do.”
Beta Cinema had previously announced deals on Diabolik to France (Metropolitain), Spain (Flins & Piniculas), the former Yugoslavia (Discovery), Latin America and Portugal (both Sun Distribution Group), Canada (Mongrel Media), South Korea (Contents Gate) and Taiwan (AV-Jet International). Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! was released to great success in Italy in November 2022 and now celebrates its market premiere at EFM. Beta Cinema is hosting one more screening on Feb 19 at 4:15pm at Parliament Studio and an online screening on Feb 20 at 12:45pm Virtual Cinema 7 (global time, to access visit www.efm-berlinale.de).
The story of Diabolik is set in the 1960s in the fictional city of Clerville. Diabolik, a gentleman gangster whose real identity is unknown, has dealt another blow to the police, escaping yet again with his black Jaguar E-type. Meanwhile, there is great anticipation in town for the arrival of Lady Kant, a fascinating heiress who is traveling with a famous pink diamond. The priceless jewel does not elude Diabolik's attention, and in an attempt to put his hands on it, he becomes enchanted by the woman's irresistible charm. But now the very life of the master thief is in danger: the determined and incorruptible Inspector Ginko and his team have finally found a way to draw him out into the open...
In Diabolik – Ginko Attacks!, Diabolik takes a shot, without imagining that it is a Ginko trap. The inspector, following the signalman to the stolen jewels, surprises Diabolik and his loyal partner Eva in their shelter. The king of terror, forced to flee, leaves the stolen goods with him. While on the run, Eva gets hurt and Diabolik, mercilessly, abandons her. A furious Eva makes a proposal to Ginko: she will bring Diabolik to him in exchange for safe conduct abroad. Ginko, forced by the interior minister, reluctantly accepts the pact, and collaborates with Eva in the capture of Diabolik…
The content of Diabolik – Who Are You? is to be revealed soon.
Writers and directors Marco and Antonio Manetti made their directorial debut in 1995 with an episode in the film De Generazione. Their movie Zora la Vampira was released in 2000, followed by Piano 17, Paura 3D and L’Arrivo di Wang. In 2013, they garnered unanimous acclaim from critics and public alike with Song ‘e Napule. In 2017, their film Ammore e Malavita was presented at the Venice Film Festival, and won the David di Donatello Award for Best Picture, among other honors.
All three films are produced by Carlo Macchitella, Manetti bros. and Pier Giorgio Bellocchio for Mompracem and Paolo Del Brocco for Rai Cinema, in association with Astorina and distributed in Italy by 01 Distribution.