Cinelicious Pics announced on Thursday that it signed an exclusive deal to restore and distribute Eiichi Yamamoto's 1973 experimental film, Belladonna of Sadness (Kanashimi no Belladonna) . Cinelicious will restore the film using its original 35mm negative with plans to release the film in theaters, home video, and on demand next year. The film has not been released in the United States before.

"It took months of negotiations to convince the Japanese rightsholders to entrust us with the original camera negative of the film which we're restoring in-house," Cinelicious Pics' President Paul Korver said.

The story follows Jeanne (Katsutaka Ito) after she is assaulted by a local lord on her wedding night. Vowing revenge, she makes a deal with the Devil (Tatsuya Nakadai). The Devil transforms Jeanne into a black-robed manifestation of her madness and desire.

The film was produced by Osamu Tezuka and directed by his long-time creative partner Eiichi Yamamoto ( Star Blazers scriptwriter, Astro Boy: Hero of Space) at Mushi Productions. Masahiko Satoh ( Grave of the Fireflies, The Fantastic Adventures of Unico ) composed the film's soundtrack.