Veteran Italian auteur Nanni Moretti‘s “It Will Happen Tonight,” featuring French star Louis Garrel and Italian A-lister Jasmine Trinca (“La Storia,” “Supersex”) has been pre-sold widely by Paris-based international sales company Playtime ahead of its Venice world premiere in competition on Saturday.

Though the plot is being kept under wraps, “It Will Happen Tonight”. is loosely based on the short story collection “Hungry Heart” (Lev Raev) by Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo. “Happen Tonight” will mark the first time in more than two decades that Moretti — who has had nine movies in competition at Cannes — will launch a movie from the Lido.

“It Will Happen Tonight” has been sold by Playtime to Germany (Neue Visionen), Austria (Panda), Switzerland (Xenix), Benelux (Cineart), Portugal (Midas), Greece (Danaos Films), Finland (Future Film), Sweden (TriArt), Denmark (Another World Entertainment), Bulgaria (CineLibri), Romania (Independenta), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF), Ukraine (Kyivmusicfilm), Russia (A-One), Turkey (Bir Film), Israel (New Cinema), Taiwan (Andrews Film), Brazil (Imovision) and Latin America (CDI).

Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, co-CEO of Playtime, commented: “Nanni Moretti is one of the great masters of European cinema. With “It Will Happen Tonight,” he takes on Italian romance as a genre, bringing to it his unmistakable Moretti touch.”