Austrian director Adrian Goiginger’s deeply emotional film Four Minus Three (Vier Minus Drei), based on a true story full of the tears and the smiles of a clown, has sold to key territories and become a box office success in Austria.

Valerie Pachner (The Stories, Fantastic Beasts, Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden, A Hidden Life) stars in the movie, adapted by Senad Halilbasic (Pagan Peak) from the bestselling book of the same name by Barbara Pachl-Eberhart, in which she shares how she overcame the death of her husband, portrayed by Robert (Goebbels and the Führer, Summer Storm, Crazy), and two kids in a tragic car accident. The couple worked as hospital clowns. Hanno Koffler (Never Look Away, Babylon Berlin) and Stefanie Reinsperger (Other People’s Money) are also part of the cast.

Four Minus Three is a Austrian-German co-production, produced by 2010 Entertainment and Giganten Film in collaboration with ORF-FFA, BR, SWR and Arte. Written by Senad Halilbašić (7500, Souls, Pagan Peak), it is based on the true story and bestselling novel by Barbara Pachl-Eberhart.

The film by Goiginger (The Best of All Worlds, The Fox) world premiered in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section, winning the Europa Cinemas Label Award and coming in second in the Panorama Audience Award. 

Four Minus Three has sold to Pyramide for France, to Arti for Benelux, A‑Z Films for Canada, Palace Films for Australia and New Zealand, and to Swallow Wings for Taiwan. Beta Cinema is continuing to negotiate deals for additional territories.

Pachner recently received the best actress award at the Diagonale film festival in Graz, Austria. The film has also been nominated in eight categories at the Austrian Film Awards today, including for best film, best director, best screenplay, best actress and best supporting actor (Stadlober).

In Austria, the film, released by Polyfilm/Alamode, has become a theatrical success, reaching 70,096 admissions and €730,705 ($862,600) in box office.

Alamode Film will release Four Minus Three in Germany today, April 16.