Pluto Film Takes On The Matriarch Ahead of Cannes Market bow

International sales agency Pluto Film has boarded The Matriarch, a genre‑driven exploration of a turbulent mother/daughter relationship from writer‑director Alison Kuhn, which was part of the Les Arcs Film Fest’s Work in Progress selection. The company will launch worldwide sales at this year’s Cannes Marché du Film.

29/04/2026

The Matriarch tells the story of Kim (17) who lives with her emotionally distant mother, mute younger brother andVietnamese refugees hiding in a conceiled space in their apartment. Her mother - a key figure in a criminal network - runs human trafficking operations, but when her associate defects to start a rival operation Kim seizes her chance to prove herself. While entering the clandestine family business, she also navigates her first romance. As her good intentions drag her into a dark and brutal underworld which contradicts her sensitive nature, Kim begins to question the true costs of earning respect by crossing her own boundaries.

“I’ve always felt the urge to tell a story set within the German Vietnamese community I was born into,” says Kuhn. “To explore the complex, often unspoken dynamics of mother/daughter relationships within it. Through extensive conversations with members of the diasporic community in Berlin, I encountered recurring emotional patterns: intergenerational tensions, inherited trauma and, to my surprise, the persistent presence of human trafficking - a subject that remains largely unnoticed by the wider German public.”

Kuhn’s research led her to investigative journalists and eventually to the Federal Police, who granted her rare insights into the Vietnamese trafficking networks across Europe. “On this basis”, she says, “I developed my second narrative feature - a genre-driven blend of thriller and drama that offered me the suspenseful yet poetic space I needed to capture the ambivalence of this mother/daughter bond, and to sharpen the central question: How far will a daughter go for her mother’s love?”

“The Matriarch is not only a personal story rooted in Alison's heritage,” notes Daniela Cölle, Managing Director and Head of Acquisitions at Pluto Films. “It's a genre-driven exploration of a complex mother/daughter relationship that we are convinced will resonate with audiences worldwide.”

“Alison is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary German filmmaking,” adds the film’s producer, Philipp Goeser of Schiwago Film. “The Matriarch is a film that deserves to be seen well beyond our borders.”

Kuhn, who was born in 1995, gained widespread attention with her student ﬁlms at Film University Babelsberg. While still in ﬁlm school, she was hired to direct and write for acclaimed series such as Skam Germany and Shadow Leaks. In 2025, she made her feature debut with Holy Meat, which premiered at several festivals including Filmfest München and Cinequest where the film won the Jury Prize. Kuhn was also an ambassador for Face to Face with German Films and is the youngest director represented by the Players agency.

“After following Alison’s work over several years, we were happy to discover her newest project at Les Arcs’s Work in Progress selection,” says Cölle. “She is among the most promising emerging talents in Germany: positioning talented filmmakers is central to our approach as sales agents. Furthermore, we are honoured to partner with Schiwago Films, a company with an exceptional track record in supporting quality cinema.”

“We’re proud to partner with Pluto Film for the international sales of The Matriarch,” says Goeser. “Both companies have built their identities around bold, uncompromising arthouse cinema, and this collaboration feels like a logical and exciting next step. The passion and commitment that Benjamin and Daniela Cölle and their team bring to this project - for the film, for its story and for Alison’s vision - convinced us immediately that we are in the best possible hands. We look forward to this being the first of many shared projects.”

About Pluto Film

Pluto is a world sales and festival distribution company dedicated to bringing exceptional feature films to international markets and audiences. The company takes an innovative and personalised approach to distribution, working closely with filmmakers and producers to position their films strategically and effectively.

With a boutique model, Pluto Film acquires approximately eight titles per year, ensuring each film receives the dedicated attention and care it deserves. While its focus is primarily on arthouse and crossover films - especially those by emerging talents - there is also a genuine passion for elevated genre cinema and family films.

Pluto champions children’s and youth cinema, consistently featuring standout titles in its annual line-up such as Stop-Zemlia, The Witch Hunters, How I Learned to Fly, My Father’s Daughter, Winners and Circusboy.Recent titles include Atlas of the Universe, To Kill a Mongolian Horse, Breathing Underwater, Hysteria, The Pupil and Funeral Casino Blues.

Marking a major new chapter, Pluto is stepping into film production with its first project, The Melting Mood of Ecstasy, slated for 2027. This year, the company also launched Audience Design and Script Consultancy services dedicated to aligning narrative vision with audience impact.