International correspondent

In the run-up to its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Icelandic film “When the Light Breaks” has been selected by international distributors. The critically acclaimed film premiered at Cannes and is being handled by Paris-based The Party Film Sales.

Shot in 16mm, the film stars Elín Hall ("Let Me Fall") as Una, whom Rúnarsson previously described in an interview with Variety as "an outsider to the events unfolding around her, even as she is essentially at the center of them." It is Rúnarsson's fourth feature film. He made his international breakthrough in 2008 with his Oscar-nominated short film "Two Birds." He went on to direct the 2011 Cannes Directors' Fortnight entry "Volcano," the 2015 San Sebastian winner "Sparrows," and the 2019 Valladolid and Lübeck Fest winner "Echo."

Following its premiere at Cannes and screenings at the Karlovy Vary and Munich Film Festivals, The Party Film Sales closed theatrical deals for "When the Light Breaks" in Japan (Bitters End), the U.K. and Ireland (Modern Films), Germany and Austria (Neue Visionen), Taiwan (Proview Entertainment), Australia and New Zealand (Palace Films), Portugal (Nitrato), Sweden (Njuta), China (Hugoeast), Brazil (Imovision), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Vertigo), India (Bigtree Entertainment) and Ukraine (Kiyvmusicfilm).