Ulrich Köhler’s ‘Gavagai’ Debuts Trailer as Film Plays at Zurich Film Festival (EXCLUSIVE)

Ulrich Köhler’s “Gavagai” has debuted its trailer with Variety ahead of the film’s screening on Sunday at the Zurich Film Festival.

International sales for the film, which had its world premiere at New York Film Festival on Saturday, are being handled by LuxBox.

The film unspools during the turbulent shoot of a “Medea” adaptation in Senegal. On set, Maja seeks solace in a love affair with her co-star Nourou. Months later, they meet again at the film’s premiere in Berlin. Old feelings resurface, but a racist incident unsettles their reunion. Tensions rise as everyone tries to do the right thing. While the ancient tragedy plays out on screen, a contemporary drama unfolds.

Dennis Lim, artistic director of the New York Film Festival, commented: “Köhler specializes in cunning, tonally surprising films about cross-cultural disconnection, and ‘Gavagai’ is his most ambitious and expansive film yet—a pinpoint-accurate account of moral crises and social biases, modern and ancient, internal and external.”

The cast includes Jean-Christophe Folly (Nourou), Maren Eggert (Maja), Nathalie Richard (Caroline), Anna Diakhere Thiandoum (Aïta) and Mateusz Malecki (Kolakowski).

The producers are Ingmar Trost and Clement Duboin. The co-producer is Maren Ade. The lead production company is Sutor Kolonko, and the co-production partner is Good Fortune Films.

Köhler’s “Bungalow” (2002) and “Montag kommen die Fenster” (2006) were shown at numerous festivals and received several prizes. “Schlafkrankheit (2011) was awarded the Silver Bear for best director at the Berlinale. “In My Room” (2018) premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section. “A Voluntary Year” (2019), made in collaboration with Henner Winckler, screened in competition at Locarno.