Salaud Morisset Boards ‘Under the Volcano’ Ahead of Toronto Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

Paris- and Berlin-based sales house Salaud Morisset has picked up international sales for “Under the Volcano,” which is set to world premiere in the Centrepiece section at Toronto Film Festival next month.

“Under the Volcano,” Polish director Damian Kocur’s second feature, tells the story of a Ukrainian family spending the last day of their holiday on the island of Tenerife, Spain. Once at the airport, their flight is canceled: Russia has invaded Ukraine. Trapped on the island, the tourists become refugees.

“The world has never been as close to a ‘volcanic eruption’ as we are now, although we all fall asleep with the certainty that the eruption will not happen in our lifetime,” Kocur said. “Unresolved social conflicts or climate change are left to be dealt with by the next generation. My film is about how apparent our security is, and how quickly, overnight, we can go from being tourists to refugees, regardless of the color of our skin or our country of birth.”

François Morisset, Salaud Morisset founder, added: “I’ve immediately been captivated by the story’s emotional resonance – the stunning set establishes a vivid contrast to the drama that unfolds. The different layers of the film, from the emotional to the political, offer a rich, multi-dimensional narrative that will connect deeply with audiences and spark meaningful conversations.”

Kocur’s debut feature film “Bread and Salt” was awarded the Special Jury Prize in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival in 2022, and screened at Cairo, Antalya and Cottbus film festivals, and many more.

“Under the Volcano” marks the second collaboration of Kocur and Salaud Morisset, who previously worked on his latest short “As It Was.” The film was co-written and co-directed with Ukrainian director Anastasiia Solonevych and screened in Official Competition in Cannes in 2023.

“Under the Volcano” is produced by Mikołaj Lizut of Lizart Film and Agnieszka Jastrzębska of Hawk Art. The co-producers are Grzegorz Słoniewski of MGM SA, Michał Maksym of TVP SA, and the Polish Film Institute.

Salaud Morisset’s Toronto slate includes Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title “To a Land Unknown” by Danish-Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, also in Centrepiece, as well as two Cannes 2024 short titles, “Sauna Day” by Estonian and Indian directors Anna Hints and Tushar Prakash, and “Amarela” by Japanese-Brazilian filmmaker André Hayato Saito.