California-based distribution company Strand Releasing has announced the U.S. theatrical premiere run of Brazilian film Futuro Beach / Praia do Futuro (pictured) by Karim Aïnouz. An official selection of the Berlinale, Outfest Los Angeles and Frameline Film Festival and starring Wagner Moura, Clemens Schick and Jesuita Barbosa, the film opens Friday, February 27 at the IFC Center in New York City.
Part gay romance, part inquisitive self-journey, Futuro Beach is a stunning examination of lives lost and found. Donato (played by Moura) works as a lifeguard at the spectacular but treacherous Praia do Futuro beach in Brazil; Konrad (Schick) is an ex-military thrill-seeker from Germany vacationing with a friend. After Donato saves Konrad from drowning, but fails to save his other friend, initial sexual sparks give way to a deeper, emotional connection.
Donato decides to leave everything behind, including his ailing mother and younger brother, Ayrton, to travel back to Berlin with Konrad. There, he finds both confusion and liberation, and his journey for love soon turns into a deeper search for his own identity. Eight years later, an unexpected visit from Ayrton, brings all three men back together as they struggle to reconcile the pain of loss and longing, instinctively drawn to each other in search of hope and a brighter future.
