Pirate Mo Has Sold to More Than 50 Countries Ahead of Its American Film Market Debut

The animated family adventure "Pirate Mo and the Legend of the Red Ruby" has sold to more than 50 countries, and it will have its market premiere at the American Film Market, according to Variety. The American Film Market is a trade fair where film companies show unfinished and finished movies to buyers, who then decide where those films will be shown.

The Playmaker Munich, a German sales company, is handling the film's sales. A sales company takes a film to buyers, one country or region at a time, and each buyer pays for the right to release it there. Variety reported the first deals. Umbrella Entertainment acquired Australia and New Zealand rights. FilmHouse took Israeli rights. Skyline Media acquired Vietnamese rights. Viva Pictures Distribution acquired North American rights, which cover the United States and Canada. DCM Distribution will release the film in Germany and Austria.

The film is set to reach cinemas on April 29, 2027. A theatrical release means a run in cinemas, which usually comes before a film is sold to streaming services or released on home video.

The story is based on "Seeräubermoses", a novel by Kirsten Boie. Richie Conroy and Florian Westermann wrote the screenplay, and Westermann directed the film. He was also co-director of "The Amazing Maurice". The production companies are Ulysses Films, Letterbox Filmproduktion, Isla Molona AIE, Arxlight Pictures and Arx Anima.

Playmaker describes its heroine, Mo, as a brave girl raised among pirates. She grows up aboard a ragtag ship, with a crew of sea dogs and the ship's pet goat for company. Variety also debuted the film's teaser, a short preview meant to give audiences their first look at the story.

Playmaker held a 20-minute exclusive preview of the finished film in May, which it promoted on its Facebook page. That early screening came months before the film's North American deal and its market debut.

For a children's book that has now travelled from a German novel to a film with buyers in more than 50 countries, the path runs through many hands. Writers, directors, producers, a sales company and a string of distributors each had to agree on the next step. The next public moment on the calendar is the American Film Market premiere, and the cinema date in spring 2027 is the one to watch.