Pluto Film Acquires Roma Drama 'I Matter' Ahead of Venice Premiere
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- Pluto Film acquired international sales rights to 'I Matter,' Alina Șerban's directorial debut, ahead of its world premiere in the Venice International Film Festival's Spotlight section.
- The film is described by its filmmakers as the first feature by a Roma woman selected for an A-list festival, with Șerban drawing on her own experiences to explore identity, belonging, and minority life through the story of Rebeca, a young Roma girl leaving an orphanage.
- Șerban returns to Venice as a filmmaker after acting in Goran Stolevski's 'Housekeeping for Beginners,' and is a graduate of NYU Tisch and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, with prior credits including 'Alone at My Wedding' (Cannes ACID) and 'Gipsy Queen.'
- The production is led by Microfilm, 2PilotsFilmproduction, and Frakas Productions, with co-production from ZDF Das kleine Fernsehspiel, ARTE, Lemming Film Belgium, Avanpost Media, and Romanian Television, and funding from the Romanian Film Center, Creative Europe MEDIA, and the Government of Romania.
- Producer Ada Solomon called the deal 'another milestone in my career as a producer,' while Pluto Film managing director Daniela Cölle said the team 'fell in love with Rebeca' and positioned the film as 'a warmly human narrative' about resilience and the transformative power of art.
Why it matters: Pluto Film's pickup gives a Roma-directed debut — a category the filmmakers say has never reached an A-list festival — a distribution pathway to international buyers at the same Venice market where it premieres. For Șerban and producer Ada Solomon's Microfilm, the deal converts a symbolic first into a commercial launch with European public broadcasters (ZDF, ARTE) and public funds already behind it.
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