Altered Innocence has picked up U.S. rights to Yony Leyser’s “Desire Will Set You Free”, which received its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival and also played at Outfest LA. It will receive a release in February, Variety said.

The deal was negotiated between Frank Jaffe from Altered Innocence, and Wavelength Pictures’ John Flahive. Jaffe commented: “It’s not every day that you come across a movie as honest at capturing the queer radical nature of Berlin, and I think this movie will speak to anyone who feels like an outsider or just loves the city of Berlin.”

According to a statement, the film “takes you deep into the free-spirited, drug-fueled, queer-paradise of contemporary Berlin. Ezra, a struggling American writer, meets Sasha, a Russian immigrant escort, who introduces Ezra to his world of clubs and parties, a dizzying and vibrant hedonistic underground. As they journey together through Berlin’s layered history and unique subcultural landscape, their relationship begins to take a new form and inner desires threaten to disrupt everything.”

The pic features cameos from several well-known actors and other performers: Amber Benson (Tara on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), “Godmother of Punk” Nina Hagen as Oracle, cult musician and performance artist Peaches, along with Rosa Von Praunheim, Rummelsnuff, Blood Orange, Einstuerzende Neubauten, and Blixa Bargeld, formerly of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.

Leyser’s previous film, “William S. Burroughs: A Man Within,” premiered at Slamdance in 2010. He is in post-production on his latest documentary, “Liberation Is My Lover,” which documents the Queercore movement and includes interviews with John Waters, Peaches, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Bruce LaBruce, and G.B. Jones. The film is produced by Paula Alamillo and Sonja Klümper of Amard Bird Films, whose upcoming projects include “The Misandrists” by Bruce LaBruce.