08/05/2026 - The French sales agent will be negotiating on behalf of four Palme d’Or contenders and the opening film in the Directors’ Fortnight

The Beloved by Rodrigo Sorogoyen

A mainstay of the Croisette, French international sales company Goodfellas will be present and correct at the 79th Cannes Film Festival (12-23 May) where it’s gearing up for a dynamic Marché du Film.

In terms of Palme d’Or contenders, Vincent Maraval’s team is selling new films by two former winners: Fjord by Romania’s Cristian Mungiu (awarded the Palme d’Or in 2007, as well as Best Screenplay in 2012 and Best Director in 2016) and Sheep In The Box by Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda (the winner of the Palme d’Or in 2018 and the Jury Prize in 2013).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Goodfellas will also be banking on Spanish talent by way of first Official Competition appearances by Rodrigo Sorogoyen – who’s set to unveil The Beloved (toplined by Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo ) - and the duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (responsible for the series La mesías), who’ll be unveiling The Black Ball.

Also standing out in the line-up is Butterfly Jam by exiled Russian Kantemir Balagov (whose first two features were presented in the Un Certain Regard section in 2017 and 2019), which is an English-language film (starring Barry Keoghan, Riley Keough and Harry Melling) selected to open the Directors’ Fortnight.

Taking pride of place, Ulysse by French director Laetitia Masson will close the Un Certain Regard programme, with a cast starring Élodie Bouchez, Stanislas Merhar, Romane Bohringer, Gringe and the very young Alphonse Robert. The plot centres on Alice, a sociology researcher who finds out she’s pregnant. Her husband, Luc, is overjoyed. It’s going to be a boy and they’ll name him Ulysse. But by the age of one, Ulysse is no longer within normal growth ranges – he’s too small and too thin. The doctors start to worry and the diagnosis is confirmed: a genetic condition. Ulysse will be different, but how different, no one can say. Thus begins Ulysse’s singular odyssey: to walk, speak, learn, understand and grow. Alice sets out on this journey with him, determined that Ulysse will find his place in the world… ARP Sélection, who produced the film, will release it in French cinemas on 17 June.

Goodfellas will also be negotiating on behalf of the documentary The Match by Argentinians Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco, which revisits the legendary Argentina-England quarter-final at the 1986 FIFA World Cup and which will screen in Cannes Première. The film comes courtesy of Label Round 12, bringing together Goodfellas and Mediawan Sports.

Likewise screening in the Official Selection is French director Olivier Clert’s animated feature Lucy Lost, which will enjoy its world premiere in the Official Selection’s Family line-up. Produced by Xilam Animation, the film centres on Lucy, who lives with her family in a village on a small, remote island. She’s rejected by the locals as a result of her extraordinary gifts, but when she meets Milly, a little girl only she can see, Lucy embarks on a great adventure to unravel the secret of her mysterious powers.

Another movie well worth a mention is Land and Freedom (1995) by Ken Loach, which is set to be screened (in 4K) in the Cinéma de la Plage programme and which is part of a package of seven films by the director, whose sales have just been entrusted to Goodfellas by Sixteen Films.

Also of note, Vincent Maraval – by way of The Veterans, the US outfit he runs with Kim Fox, and in close collaboration with Goodfellas -  is steering sales on three films by US filmmakers which are set to world-premiere in Cannes: Paper Tiger by James Gray, which is in the running for the 2026 Palme d’Or; Diamond by Andy Garcia, to be presented Out of Competition in the Official Selection; and Atonement by Reed Van Dyk (starring Kenneth Branagh and Hiam Abbas), which is due to be unveiled in the Directors’ Fortnight.

In short, the Marché du Film promises to be a hectic one for Goodfellas, who will also pre-sell several titles in post-production, including Le Faux Soir by Belgian Michael R. Roskam, Mano Negra (a documentary about the legendary band) by France’s David Dufresne, Riverrun by fellow French director Philippe Parreno (starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Zoe Saldaña and Vicky Krieps), To Make Ends Meat by British filmmaker Luna Carmoon (article), Look Back by Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda and I Don’t Know You by his compatriot Ryota Nakano. Additional works joining this XXL line-up include the documentary In Tania’s Head by Spain’s Kike Maillo (currently in production) and The Girl Who Was Plugged In, which Australian Jennifer Kent (Mister Babadook, The Nightingale) is scheduled to shoot in November.

(Translated from French)