Willem Dafoe Movie 'The Souffleur' Lands North American Distribution

Mar 10, 2026 7:32am PT Willem Dafoe Movie ‘The Souffleur’ Lands North American Distribution With Kino Lorber (EXCLUSIVE) 'The Souffleur,' directed by rising Argentinian director Gastón Solnicki, world premiered at Venice. By Elsa Keslassy Plus Icon Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent @elsakeslassy Latest Film at Lincoln Center’s Daniel Battsek on Cultivating a New Generation of French Cinema Lovers 15 hours ago Top French and American Producers Unpack Financing Divide Between French and U.S. Indie Films 3 days ago Despite Political Tensions, Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous Returns With Packed Slate of French Cinema in New York 4 days ago See All Magnify “The Souffleur,” starring Willem Dafoe as an American hotel manager in Vienna, has sold to Kino Lorber for North American distribution. Represented internationally by Magnify, “The Souffleur” is an English-language dark comedy directed by rising Argentinian director Gastón Solnicki, which world premiered at Venice in the Horizons section. Dafoe plays Lucius, who has managed an iconic hotel in Vienna for 30 years and learns the building has been sold to an Argentine developer who plans on demolishing it. With the help of his daughter and a handful of loyal employees, he clings to the life he’s built. What follows is a crusade of detours, espionage and a paranoid struggle to preserve the only home he’s ever known. The cast also features Solnicki, newcomer Lilly Lindner, Stephanie Argerich and Claus Philipp. Related Stories Genevieve Chenneour, Ola Rapace, Lewis Jamison, Kathryn Lincoln and Anna Wilson-Jones to Lead Psychosexual Thriller 'Asphyxia' (EXCLUSIVE) Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford Go Time-Tripping With 'Trixies,' a Terrific New Concept Album They Wrote but Never Recorded in the 1970s The strong key crew includes Rui Poças, the cinematographer of Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” which played at Cannes and won the best director award in 2024. Popular on Variety The producing team includes Gabriele Kranzelbinder and Paolo Calamita (“Museum Hours”) for Vienna-based Little Magnet Films and KGP Filmproduktion, Eugenio Fernández Abril for Primo (“Peter Hujar’s Day”) and Solnicki for Filmy Wiktora. Solnicki’s first narrative feature, “Kékszakállú,” premiered in Horizons at the Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the FIPRESCI prize for best film; while his second feature, “Introduzione all’Oscuro,” also world premiered in Venice out of competition. His previous film, “A Little Love Package,” premiered at the Berlinale in Encounters. All of his movies are part of the MoMA collection. The deal for “The Souffleur” was negotiated by Austin Kennedy, director of global sales of Magnify, and Candace Tan of Kino Lorber. Jump to Comments ‘Bridesmaids’ Reunion Set for Oscars With Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne (EXCLUSIVE) ‘Heated Rivalry’ Star François Arnaud’s New Ugg Clogs Are His Travel (And Paris Fashion Week) Essential Barbra Streisand in Talks for Oscars Performance to Honor Robert Redford Milly Alcock, Yvonne Strahovski and Olympian Ian Thorpe to Be Honored at G’Day USA Arts Gala (EXCLUSIVE) Jodie Foster, Chelsea Clinton and Ava DuVernay to Speak at the Making Their Mark Foundation Women’s History Month Symposium (EXCLUSIVE) Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan to Reunite at Oscars for Rob Reiner Tribute; New Details Revealed JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...