29/08/2023 - With its Venetian competitor The Theory of Everything spearheading the attack, the French international sales agent wields an incisive and diverse line-up

A dynamic summer comeback is on the horizon for French international sales agent Charades, who’ll be landing on the Lido for the 80th Venice Film Festival (running 30 August to 9 September) with an assortment of aces up their sleeves, before brandishing an array of other trump cards at the 48th Toronto Film Festival (running 7 to 17 September) and the 71st San Sebastian Film Festival (running 22 to 30 September).

In Venice, the team representing the firm founded by Carole Baraton, Yohann Comte, Pierre Mazars and Constantin Briest will be negotiating on behalf of a film showcasing in competition: The Theory of Everything [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Timm Kröger
film profile], which is the second feature film by German director Timm Kröger. Revealed on the Lido in International Critics’ Week 2014 by way of The Council of Birds [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the filmmaker previously distinguished himself as the director of photography behind Sandra Wollner’s The Trouble with Being Born [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sandra Wollner
film profile], which scooped the Special Jury Prize in the 2020 Berlinale’s Encounters line-up. Starring Jan Bülow, Olivia Ross, Hanns Zischler, Gottfried Breitfuss, David Bennent and Philippe Graber, The Theory of Everything (whose screenplay was penned by the director alongside Roderick Warich) takes us back to 1962, to a physics congress in Switzerland, where a young doctor in the making, a mysterious pianist, a strange cloud formation, a dark and clamorous secret beneath the mountain, and a theory of everything, all intersect… Produced by Germany’s Ma.ja.de and Barricades in co-production with Austria’s Panama Film and Switzerland’s Catpics, the movie will be released in German cinemas on 26 October via Neue Visionen.

The Lido will also see Charades pinning its hopes on Vermin [+see also:
film review
interview: Sébastien Vaniček
film profile] by French director Sébastien Vaniček, which the firm is co-selling with WTFilms and which is set to close Venice’s International Critics’ Week. Produced by My Box Films, this debut feature film (written by the director alongside Florent Bernard) stars Théo Christine, Sophie Lesaffre, Jérôme Niel, Finnegann Oldfield and Lisa Nyarko in its cast and is a thriller revolving around Kaleb, a young adult getting by on odd jobs. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a bazar and takes it back to his apartment. In no time at all, it escapes and reproduces, transforming his home into a horrifying trap. The police subsequently cordon off the building and the residents find themselves ensnared. The only option for Kaleb and his neighbours is to find an escape route in order to survive. Tandem are set to distribute Vermin in France on 27 December following screenings at Austin’s Fantastic Fest and in Sitges.

Following on from Venice (where Charades will also be selling Karan Tejpal’s Indian film Stolen, selected for the Orizzonti Extra line-up), the team will be heading to Toronto where they’ll no doubt close some highly favourable deals on behalf of Mother, Couch! [+see also:
film review
interview: Niclas Larsson
film profile] by Sweden’s Niclas Larsson, which is set to enjoy its world premiere in the Special Presentations section, before taking part in San Sebastian’s New Directors competition. Carried by a cast including Ewan McGregor, Taylor Russell, Ellen Burstyn, Rhys Ifans, Lara Flynn Boyle, F. Murray Abraham and Lake Bell, this debut feature film sees a mother stationing herself on a green couch and refusing to get up, leaving it up to her three estranged children - David, Gruffudd, and Linda - to work out why. With the help of the store managers, they embark on a mind-bending journey to reveal life-altering family truths… Mother, Couch! is produced by the USA in league with Sweden’s Film i Väst and Denmark’s Snowglobe Film.

Charades’ Toronto line-up further includes Demián Rugna’s Argentine genre film When The Devil Lurks, which will be presented in Midnight Madness, not to mention titles in post-production such as Chris Andrews’ British-Irish thriller Bring Them Down [+see also:
film review
film profile], Magnus Martens’ Norwegian horror There’s Something in the Barn [+see also:
interview: Magnus Martens
film profile], French director Jérémy Clapin’s Meanwhile on Earth [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Usman Riaz’s Pakistani animated film The Glassworker and Russian director Yury Bykov’s The Owner [+see also:
film review
film profile].

(Translated from French)