Venice’ Critics Week Title ‘Peacock’ Sells to Key Territories for MK2

MK2 Films has closed a raft of major deals on “Peacock” which world premieres at the Venice Film Festival in the Critics’ Week section.

“Peacock” marks the directorial debut of rising Austrian filmmaking Bernhard Wenger and is headlined by “All Quiet on the Western Front” star Albrecht Schuch.

The quirky tragicomedy revolves around the “Rent a Friend” concept prevalent in Japan and the U.S. and serves up a satirical view of societal values.

“Peacock” tells the story Matthias (Schuch) who works at a rent-a-friend agency and finds it increasingly difficult to open up again and be authentic in his private life. Wenger noted he had the idea of making a film about the subject after a research trip to Japan and that the character of Matthias was based on an agency employee he met there.

The movie has sold to Pyramide (France), I Wonder (Italy), O Brother (Benelux), Another World (Scandinavia), Rosebud (Greece), New Horizon (Poland), Magic (CIS), Arthouse (Ukraine), Kino Pavasaris (Baltics), Catchplay (Taiwan) and Pictureworks (India and Airlines). The film will be released in Germany and Austria by Wild Bunch Germany. “Peacock” is produced by NGF Geyrhalter Filmproduktion and Cala Filmproduktion.

An up-and-coming Austrian director, Wenger developed the script at the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinefondation residency and was part of Berlinale Talents in 2020. His shorts, including “Keeping Balance,” “Guy Proposes to His Girlfriend on a Mountain” and “Excuse Me, I’m Looking for the Ping-Pong Room and My Girlfriend,” have played at festivals in Chicago, Palm Springs and Nashville, among others.