Charades verwerft rechten op debuutfilm Import van Paul Shkordoff

Het in postproductie zijnde drama met Jawaun Daniels volgt een speler die een tweede kans zoekt in Servië.

Sales company Charades has acquired international rights to Import, the first feature from Canadian filmmaker Paul Shkordoff. The project, now in post-production, centers on the intense European basketball scene and marks a notable step for the director after his acclaimed short work.

Import volgt een speler die redding zoekt in Oost-Europa

The story tracks former high-school standout Danny Ingram. A serious injury ends his early promise in North America. He travels to Eastern Europe hoping for another shot at professional play but faces repeated rejection from scouts. To stay in the game he hides the injury and takes a job from Nima, a Syrian nurse who supports the local migrant community. An offer to join storied club Partizan forces him to weigh how much he will risk for his dream.

The film was shot in Belgrade, Serbia and draws on the deep cultural passion for basketball in the region. It was co-written by Shkordoff and Frank Graziano, whose credits include the Caméra d’Or winner Murina.

Sterke cast draagt het basketbaldrama

American pro Jawaun Daniels, who has competed for multiple European clubs, leads the cast. He is joined by Alexis Manenti, known for Les Misérables, and Mouna Soualem from The Little Sister. The production partnered with KK Partizan, one of the EuroLeague’s most storied teams, whose devoted fans appear in the story.

’Import’ offers a fresh perspective on a sport long shaped by the U.S. dominance on basketball’s global image. In Serbia, basketball is more than a game — it’s a religion.

— Pierre Mazars, Charades co-founder, Statement on the project

Central to this film lies the harsh reality that in sports, the body can become aware of what the mind refuses to accept. We use work as a conduit to meaning because it can feel like a shortcut to defining who we want to be. But when that work is no longer available to us, it can feel like the identity we’ve been building for ourselves no longer exists.

— Paul Shkordoff, director, Statement on the project

Shkordoff bouwt voort op festivalsucces met eerste speelfilm

Shkordoff previously directed the 2020 short Benjamin, Benny, Ben, which competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes and screened at Telluride. His follow-up short Twelve Hours premiered at TIFF in 2021. He developed Import through the TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab in 2022.

Internationaal productieteam en financiering achter Import

Producers include Jason Aita of Sweet George Films, Emily Harris of OPC, and Rosalie Chicoine Perreault of Metafilms. Co-producers are Jean-Christophe Reymond’s Kazak Productions and Milan Stojanović’s Sense Productions. Additional partners include Biscuit Filmworks and The Lift. Financing came from Telefilm Canada, Eurimages, CNC’s Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, the Île-de-France Region, SODEC, and Ontario Creates.

Charades will launch sales at the American Film Market next month.

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