Berlinale Special Gala Title ‘Heysel 85’ Boarded by Salaud Morisset (EXCLUSIVE)

Paris- and Berlin-based company Salaud Morisset has taken international sales rights to Teodora Ana Mihai’s “Heysel 85,” ahead of its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival as part of the Berlinale Special Gala.

The film is inspired by the Heysel Stadium disaster where 39 people died ahead of the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus.

The film follows the mayor’s daughter, Marie, played by Violet Braeckman, and a journalist with Italian roots, played by Matteo Simoni, who are drawn into the heart of the tragedy, caught between professional duty, family loyalty and moral responsibility.

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It is produced by Hans Everaert at Menuetto Film, whose credits include “The Eight Mountains,” “La Civil” and “The Lost Boys.”

François Morisset, founder and managing director of Salaud Morisset, said, “ ‘Heysel 85’ delivers a powerful and nuanced exploration of individual responsibility within a collective tragedy, handled with emotional precision and narrative clarity. The film’s selection at the Berlinale Special Gala underlines its broad appeal and strong positioning. From a sales perspective, it is exactly the kind of ambitious, author-driven cinema we champion – distinctive, contemporary, and universally resonant.”

Mihai added, “From the very first conversations with Salaud Morisset, I felt a genuine alignment in how we care for ‘Heysel 85’ – both for the film itself and for my artistic choices and journey as a director. It’s inspiring to begin this collaboration, and I’m thrilled that the film is in such thoughtful hands as it heads towards its world premiere at the Berlinale Special Gala.”

Mihai is a Belgian-Romanian film director born in Bucharest, “known for her blend of social relevance and audiovisual poetry,” Salaud Morisset said. She gained international attention with her debut documentary, “Waiting for August” (2014), which won over 10 awards and was nominated for the European Film Awards.

Her first fiction feature, “La Civil” (2021), developed at Cannes’ Cinéfondation Résidence and co-produced by the Dardenne brothers and Cristian Mungiu, won the Prix de l’Audace at Cannes and earned multiple festival honors.

Her second feature, “Traffic” (2024), winner of the Warsaw Grand Prix, was Romania’s Oscar entry for 2025.