KimStim has acquired all North American rights to Katharina Rivilis' debut feature "I'll Be Gone in June" following its world premiere at Cannes' Un Certain Regard.
The coming-of-age drama unfolds in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in the months surrounding the Sept. 11 attacks. It centers on Franny, a 16-year-old German exchange student whose dreams of an American adventure give way to homesickness, awkward days at school and the punishing desert heat. Her sense of isolation begins to change when she meets Elliott, a local boy carrying his own quiet grief.
Rivilis wrote and directed the film, drawing on her own experience as an exchange student in New Mexico. She initially trained as an actor at the University of Film and Television "Konrad Wolf" in Potsdam-Babelsberg before moving into directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin. Her short film credits include "Ariana Forever!," "Day X" — which received a Student Academy Award nomination in 2021 — and "Rondo," which premiered at the Berlinale.
The film stars Naomi Cosma, David Flores, Bianca Dumais and Rebecca Schulz. It was produced by Léa Germain and Wim Wenders for Road Movies, alongside Clemens Köstlin and Rivilis, with Olga Lamontanara and Simon Jaquemet serving as co-producers. Andrea Kuehnel and Vincent Savino are producers, while Lauren Melinda, Helena Sardinha, Rafael Thomaseto, Neil Kopp and Anish Savjani are executive producers.
"What moved me most about 'I'll Be Gone in June' is how Katharina Rivilis finds something intimate and deeply human within a moment of collective trauma," said KimStim co-president Ian Stimler. "Through the eyes of Franny, a German exchange student, post-9/11 America feels strange, seductive, lonely, and full of possibility."
Stimler added, "Naomi Cosma's performance is beautifully open and vulnerable, and Rivilis's filmmaking is both tender and assured. I knew immediately this was a film we wanted to champion."
Stimler negotiated the North American deal with Jean-Benoit Henry, head of international sales at Luxbox, which represents the film internationally. Luxbox has also sold the movie to Nour Films in France, Weirdwave in Greece, A-One in the Baltics, Lev Cinemas in Israel, Bad Unicorn in Romania, Kisff Films in Ukraine, PT Falcon in Indonesia and Megacom in the former Yugoslavia.
"I'll Be Gone in June" is a Germany-Switzerland-U.S. production from Road Movies, made in co-production with Wolfskind Films and 8horses and in association with DCM, filmscience and Simbelle Productions. The film runs 125 minutes and is presented in English and German.
