Ida Star Agata Trzebuchowska Makes Horror Directing Debut with Sick
Berlin-based Pluto Film will handle international sales for Sick, the horror directing debut from Polish actor-director Agata Trzebuchowska, in a deal reported as an exclusive by Deadline on 14 September.
That means Pluto will shop the film to distributors territory by territory. It is the first feature as a director for Trzebuchowska. International audiences know her best as the lead of Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida, which won the Oscar in 2015.
The launch is set. Sick will have its world premiere in the New Wave section of Fantastic Fest in Austin, which runs from 17 to 24 September 2026. It will then make its European debut at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain.
The story stays close to home. It follows sixteen-year-old Maks and his older sister Emma, who are sent to the Polish countryside to look after their ailing grandmother. What starts as family duty turns frightening.
The cast features Konrad Kakol, Katarzyna Lubik, Monika Niemczyk, Julian Swiezewski and Eliza Rycembel. The film is lead produced by Patryk Sielecki and Adrianna Redzia at Warsaw-based Lumisenta. Before this feature, Trzebuchowska directed the short films Heat, which played at Sundance, and Vacancy.
A first trailer for Sick has also been released. Pluto, which lists sales, festival distribution, production and consultancy among its work, specialises in arthouse and crossover films by emerging talents, according to Pluto Film. Its wider slate also spans family films, elevated genre titles and documentaries.
For festivalgoers, this means two quick chances to catch it. Fantastic Fest focuses on horror, fantasy and cult cinema. Sitges is Europe's best-known stop for genre film.
