21/05/2014 - CANNES 2014: France and the UK are among the territories that have acquired the Directors’ Fortnight’s Next to Her

Berlin-based sales company Films Boutique (sister company to Films Distribution) has announced this morning that its flagship title Next to Her, by Asaf Korman – shown at the Directors’ Fortnight – has just been sold to four territories, including Potemkine for France.

Further deals on the Israeli drama were closed with Peccadillo Pictures for the UK and Ireland, and Palace Films for Australia. “We are in negotiations for the US, Switzerland and Portugal,” Films Boutique’s CEO, Jean-Christophe Simon, told Cineuropa. 

Films Boutique’s auteur-driven Cannes line-up had four other market premieres, including the Berlinale competition title Macondo [+see also:
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interview: Sudabeh Mortezai
film profile] by Austria’s Sudabeh Mortezai, sold to ten territories including the UK (New Wave Films), Austria (Filmladen) and Eastern Europe. Memento Films will release it in France at the end of the year. 

Speaking about market trends, Simon said: “Today, only films with big-name directors such as Alexander Sokurov – who is in our line-up with the documentary Francofonia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – or star names such as Susan Sarandon, who stars in our film Ping Pong Summer, have a chance to pre-sell. We’ve also done very well with the Ethiopian film Difret (Panorama Audience Award), produced by Angelina Jolie, sold to Ad Vitam for France, Golem for Spain, Alamode for Germany and Cinéart for Benelux, among others. Otherwise, for finished films, you have to target major festivals, mostly Cannes, Berlin and Toronto. As soon as a film is selected, you have a hook to lift your company’s profile and line-up. Generally speaking, it’s just much harder to close sales now than it was five years ago. Distributors are very picky and look for ‘light’ subject matters that also have potential on television.”

Simon says that getting involved with projects as equity partners is a trend that many indie sales agents are testing out, including Films Boutique, which is the German co-producer on Nanni Moretti’s upcoming film Mia Madre, sold internationally by Films Distribution.