Press Releases

NEW YORK (September 11, 2014) - Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they acquired North American rights to Giulio Ricciarelli's directorial debut LABRYRINTH OF LIES from sales agent Beta Cinema. The film, based on a true story, exposes the conspiracy of certain prominent institutions and government branches to cover up the crimes of Nazis during WWII.

LABYRINTH OF LIES will have its world premiere on Friday at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is produced by Claussen + Wöbke + Putz Filmproduktion in co-production with Naked Eye Film Production and stars Alexander Fehling (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE), André Szymanski, Johann von Bülow and Friederike Becht (THE READER, YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE) and Gert Voss.

In LABYRINTH OF LIES the economic miracle is changing the life of Germans in post-war Germany 20 years later. Most of them are sick of the war and prefer to push their guilt to the back of their mind. When a journalist (André Szymanski) identifies a teacher in the playground as a former guard from Auschwitz, no one wants to take notice. But a young prosecutor (Alexander Fehling) takes on the case and can‘t even be stopped by his boss. During his research he realizes that some Germans claim that they never heard the expression “Auschwitz,“ while others try to forget about it. As the resolute prosecutor doesn‘t give up, the Attorney General Fritz Bauer (Gert Voss) retains him to take charge of the investigations. Struggling with an overload of information, the young attorney blunders into a labyrinth of guilt and lies where he almost gets lost.

"Of all the films available for acquisition at the Toronto International Film Festival, LABYRINTH OF LIES is the gem under the rock. A riveting, true story about witnesses to atrocities during WWII Germany and the aftermath in post war Germany in the 20 years that followed. This is a great movie and the birth of a major new European filmmaker. We are so happy to be once again in business with Beta Cinema, a company that continues to provide us the very best films (LIVES OF OTHERS, THE COUNTERFEITERS) out there. We look forward to presenting Labyrinth of Lies to the American audience," stated Sony Pictures Classics.

Director/Co-Writer Giulio Ricciarelli added, "Having SPC as partner in the US is a dream coming true. I feel that SPC has love and respect for European movies and the skills to sell it to the American audience."

"We are very proud and honoured that Sony Pictures Classics picked "Labyrinth of Lies". From the very beginning Sony Pictures Classics was our first choice. We feel in very good hands and it is great to see Michael, Tom, Dylan and the whole team, believing so strongly in this film, "stated Beta Cinema's Managing Director Dirk Schuerhoff, who negotiated the deal for the film. Sony Pictures Classics has partnered with Beta Cinema previously on Oscar winners THE LIVES OF OTHERS and THE COUNTERFEITERS, Oscar nominee IN DARKNESS and the recent released THE NOTEBOOK (LE GRAND CAHIER).

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992, which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.

Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 32 Academy Awards® (28 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 140 Academy Award® nominations (114 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

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