KimStim Acquires North American Rights to Cannes Debut 'I'll Be Gone in June'
KimStim has acquired all North American rights to Katharina Rivilis' debut feature I'll Be Gone in June, following its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. The distributor plans a theatrical release across the United States and Canada in spring 2027. (Variety)
The film is a coming-of-age drama set in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in the months surrounding the September 11 attacks. It follows Franny, a 16-year-old German exchange student, as she navigates an American town reshaping itself after a national catastrophe. Rivilis wrote and directed the film, drawing on her own experience as an exchange student in New Mexico. The 125-minute feature is in English and German. (Variety)
Rivilis brings an unusual résum to her first feature. She trained as an actor at the University of Film and Television "Konrad Wolf" in Potsdam-Babelsberg before moving to directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin. Her short films include Ariana Forever!, Day X — nominated for a Student Academy Award in 2021 — and Rondo, which premiered at the Berlinale. (Variety)
The production carries heavyweight backing. I'll Be Gone in June is a Germany-Switzerland-U.S. co-production from Road Movies, Wolfskind Films and 8horses, with DCM, filmscience and Simbelle Productions attached. Wim Wenders — the veteran German director whose company Road Movies produced the film — lends his name alongside producer Léa Germain, Clemens Köstlin and Rivilis herself. The cast features Naomi Cosma, David Flores, Bianca Dumais and Rebecca Schulz. (Variety)
International sales are handled by Luxbox, a Paris-based sales agency that brokered the KimStim deal. KimStim co-president Ian Stimler negotiated the acquisition with Jean-Benoit Henry, Luxbox's head of international sales. (Variety)
Luxbox has been busy elsewhere, too. The film has sold 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 — a broad footprint for a first-time director's debut. (Variety)
For North American audiences, the wait runs roughly another eight months. Spring 2027 puts the film in a corridor that has historically welcomed independent and international titles — counter-programming to the blockbuster-heavy summer that follows.
