Adopt Films Acquires Silver Bear Winner Barbara: Berlin

Adopt Films is continuing its spending spree at the Berlin International Film Festival, landing U.S. rights to Christian Petzold’s drama Barbarajust before the film won the runner-up Silver Bear at the festival’s awards ceremony yesterday. The latest deal, announced today, comes after Adopt picked up the festival’s eventual Golden Bear winner, Paolo and Vittorio Tavianis semi-documentary Caesar Must Die. The distributor also nabbed rights in Berlin toUrsula Meiers Sister. Adopt plansa December theatrical release for Barbara– which is set in 1980 East Berlin and stars Nina Hoss as a doctor banished to a small country hospital far from freedom in the west — and said it will mount an Oscar campaign for Petzold and his lead actors. If so, it’s an aggressive move from Jeff Lipsky and Tim Grady’s Adopt, which hasn’t released its first film yet; its kickoff pic, The Ballad Of Genesis And Lady Jaye, bows March 8.