Memento Distribution Nabs Venice Title ‘The New Year That Never Came’

Memento Distribution (“Cairo Confidential”) has nabbed French rights to “The New Year That Never Came,” a film directed by Bogdan Muresanu which is world premiering at the Venice Film Festival.

The tragi-comedy is set in 1989, at the end Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime, and follows multiple protagonists on the verge of a nervous breakdown, including an aspiring actress asked to perform in a propaganda-heavy TV special, two boys who are ready to flee, a woman whose entire life is literally about to collapse and a little boy who just sent a letter to Santa.

“The New Year That Never Came” is represented in international markets by Sébastien Chesneau’s banner Cercamon and is produced by Kinotopia and All Inclusive Films. It’s premiering in the Horizons section at Venice.

Alexandre Mallet-Guy, the founder of Memento Distribution, said the Romanian film was “not only a great political and historical film, but also a true tragicomedy where you can witness the fall of Ceausescu and the communist regime from the inside through the eyes of ordinary people who don’t yet know that they are about to experience an extraordinary moment.”

“Bogdan Muresanu’s sense of direction and storytelling are truly impressive. We are looking forward to sharing this amazing piece of cinema with the French audience,” Mallet-Guy continued.

In an interview with Variety, Muresanu said that “people tend to forget” the horrors perpetrated during Ceaușescu’s regime. “They just remember they used to be young back then and it probably wasn’t ‘that bad.’ But this film should function as a reminder of how bad it really was.”

Memento Distribution is planning to give the movie a theatrical release in March 2025. The outfit’s roster also includes Tarik Saleh’s next film, “Eagles of The Republic.”