International sales outfit LevelK partner up with Hene Films for Norwegian-Kurdish director Halkawt Mustafa’s award-winning drama El Clásico.

El Clásico had its world premiere at Dubai International Film Festival in December 2015, screened at Tribeca Film Festival, where it was awarded Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film, and will be screening at Munich International Film Festival June 26th. Halkawt Mustafa is also nominated for an Amanda for Best Director at the Norwegian Film Awards in August 2016. El Clásico had theatrical release in Norway April 15th 2016 by Euforia with more than 10.000 admissions.

“I am really excited to be working with Halkawt and his team on this warm-hearted film. As a director he shows thematic boldness and a unique talent for combining his interest in social injustice with relevant storytelling, and I am sure we are the right match for supporting the film with international sales and distribution” - Tine Klint.

Raising the question on how much people are willing to risk for love, El Clásico tells the story about the brothers Alan and Shirwan, two little people from a town in Kurdish Iraq, who are willing to risk their lives to deliver a pair of shoes to football star Cristiano Ronaldo, which Alan believes will bring him closer to marrying the love of his life. Shot in both Iraq and Spain, El Clásico gives an interesting contrast of two extremely different societies however connected by football.

”Through El Clásico, we put the focus on little people and created the possibility for them to follow their dreams, living life in a way that reality has not yet been able to give them. For me, the 4 year journey of making this film was a brand new experience in every way, living with and getting to know these people" - Halkawt Mustafa.

El Clásico is directed and produced by Norwegian-Kurdish director Halkawt Mustafa in co-production with Turbin Film, Babylon film and Hocus Focus. The film has a budget of 2.150.000 USD and was financed by December 2015.