“Sexual Drive,” a Japanese film about desire which premiered at January’s Rotterdam film festival, will be released in North America, following a licensing deal between sales agent Fortissimo Films and local distributor Film Movement. The deal was agreed following the recent European Film Market.

Film Movement plans to show “Sexual Drive” at other festivals and also release it theatrically this year. That will be followed by release on all home entertainment and digital platforms. The company has rights for the U.S. and Canada.

Directed by Yoshida Kota, the film is a triptych about sex, aphrodisiac foods and secret desires. The stories track three people; a designer in a sexless marriage, a stricken office worker preparing to reenter the workplace; and an ad executive who wants to break off his existing relationship. In each segment a shabby man appears and reveals a challenging secret that may reinvigorate their love lives.

“We loved the humor and wit on display in Yoshida Kota’s film, as well as the refreshing eroticism of this film with no sex scenes, but incredibly sensual cooking and eating. We look forward to serving up ‘Sexual Drive’ to North American audiences,” said Film Movement in a prepared statement.

“ ‘Sexual Drive’ is both an erotic film with no explicit sex scenes and an amusing film about the best things in life,” said Fortissimo’s Gabrielle Rozing. The film was recently confirmed as receiving its Asian premiere at the upcoming Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival on April 9, 2021 in Taipei.

The Amsterdam- and Beijing-based sales agent will be taking part in next week’s virtual edition of Hong Kong FilMart. Its other available titles include “Anima,” the debut feature by Cao Jingling, which makes its Asian bow in April at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in April, where it will compete in the Firebird Award section. The film was shot in a national forest of Inner Mongolia, and follows the story of two brothers who are confronted with the impact of human behavior on nature.