The announcements made at Cannes' Marché du Film
by Fabien Lemercier, Davide Abbatescianni, Vassilis Economou
- CANNES 2025: An overview of acquisitions, sales, new films and more unveiled at the Cannes market, taking place from 14-22 May
This article will be updated regularly during Cannes' Marché du Film, taking place from 13-21 May.
Coming off the success of the hit Netflix series Adolescence, which he both starred in and co-wrote, Stephen Graham is set to join Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem in Bunker, a psychological thriller directed by The Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Zeller
film profile]’s Florian Zeller. The project is currently being presented by FilmNation at the Cannes Marché du Film. Zeller, an internationally acclaimed playwright, made a striking directorial debut with The Father, which earned Anthony Hopkins an Oscar for Best Actor in 2021. Bunker marks his highly anticipated follow-up to the emotionally intense The Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], and his first full-fledged venture into the psychological thriller genre – an area he previously tentatively explored in The Father. The feature is being staged by France's Blue Morning Pictures and Spain's MOD Producciones. [Variety]
La bola negra is the title of the new film by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (Holy Camp! [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Javier Calvo and Javier Amb…
film profile], series La Mesías [+see also:
series review
trailer
series profile]), inspired by the unfinished work of the same name by poet Federico García Lorca and the play La piedra oscura by Alberto Conejero. Musician Guitarricadelafuente and actors Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Lola Dueñas and Penélope Cruz are set to star (read full news).
Thirty years after the revolutionary DOGMA 95 manifesto, a new generation of Danish filmmakers is reigniting its spirit. May el-Toukhy, Milad Alami, Annika Berg, Isabella Eklöf and Jesper Just have formed a collective based on a renewed “vow of chastity” and a shared manifesto that aims to reclaim cinema as a space for artistic freedom and narrative integrity (read full news).
Les Films du Losange are kicking off presales on Out of This World by Albert Serra (Pacifiction [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Albert Serra
film profile], Afternoons of Solitude [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Albert Serra
film profile]). The Spanish director’s first English-language film will star American actress Riley Keough, her compatriot F. Murray Abraham and Russia’s Liza Yankovskaia. The story revolves around an American delegation travelling to Russia in the middle of the War in Ukraine to try to find a solution to an economic dispute. Production is steered by Les Films du Losange (France), Idéale Audience Group (France) and Andergraun Films (Spain) in association with Felix Culpa (USA), and in co-production with Rosa Filmes (Portugal) and Forma Pro (Latvia). [Variety]
Hunter Schafer and Tim Roth will lead the cast of Fish, a genre-defying drama set in a dreamlike version of Venice, helmed by Italian auteur Carlo Hintermann (The Book of Vision [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlo S Hintermann
film profile], The Dark Side of the Sun [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). Italy’s Minerva Pictures and TVCO are set to launch international pre-sales for Fish at the Marché du Film. The English-language feature is slated to begin production in Venice in early 2026. [Variety]
John Travolta will star in Black Tides, a survival thriller directed by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2), about an estranged father whose family boating trip turns deadly when rogue orcas attack off the southern coast of Spain. Written by Chris Sparling (Buried [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Cortés
film profile]) and Ángel Agudo (Apocalypse Z), the film is being produced by Adrián Guerra and Nuria Valls, of Nostromo Pictures, and is set to shoot at the end of the summer. [Deadline]
The team behind Snabba Cash [+see also:
interview: Evin Ahmad
series profile] and Paradis City returns with Burden of Justice (Försvararna), a new legal thriller show set within Stockholm’s elite law firms. Created by Jens Lapidus and Frans Milisic Wiklund (Lust), the SVT, Strive Stories and Film i Väst co-production follows lawyers whose ideals unravel under the weight of high-stakes cases and moral compromise. The eight-part series, supported by the N12 drama alliance and sold internationally by DR Sales, begins filming in August for a spring 2026 premiere on SVT. [Deadline]
Danish sales agent LevelK has entered a strategic partnership with audience research firm Publikum to co-invest in five to ten film projects over the next three years. The collaboration aims to bridge creative development and market positioning by using AI-powered audience analysis and human insight to enhance sales, marketing and distribution strategies. The first joint project is Dust, a contemporary suspense film by Anke Blondé (Juliet, Red Light), currently on sale at Cannes. [Screen Daily]
Jealous White Men, a new adventure-tragicomedy by Argentinian director Iván Granovsky (Los territorios, the short film Toque de queda), is set to begin filming later this year across the Galápagos, Portugal, Brazil and Italy, with sales launched at the Cannes market by Magnify. The ensemble cast includes Chiara Mastroianni, Denis Podalydès, Guslagie Malanda, Jasmine Trinca, Cleo Diára, Isabél Zuaa and Agustina Muñoz. Co-written by Granovsky and Mariana Ricardo, the film reimagines Charles Darwin’s journey to the Galápagos through satirical, duelling narratives by Jules Verne and his wife, blending pirates, pink iguanas and historical farce. A multinational production, the film is backed by Agustina Costa Varsi, of Ambar Film Company (Italy); Tommaso Bertani, of Ring Film (Italy); David Hurst, of Dublin Films (France); Karen Castanho, of Biônica Filmes (Brazil); Luis Urbano, of O som e a fúria (Portugal); Iván Eibuszyc, of Frutacine (Argentina); Christoph Friedel, of Pandora (Germany); and Stefano Centini, of Volos Films (Taiwan) and ZDF/Arte. [Deadline]
A biopic about Turkish-Armenian photojournalist Ara Güler is set to become the first film co-produced by Turkey and Armenia — two neighbouring countries with a long history of strained relations, primarily due to Turkey’s refusal to recognise the mass killings of over a million Armenians and other Christian minorities by Ottoman Turks as genocide. Titled Hello, the film will be directed by Ela Alyamac and Aren Perdeci, the duo behind Lost Birds (2016), which was the first film shot in Turkey to portray the mass deportations and genocide of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire in 1915. [Variety]
Lucky Number has picked up The Piano Accident, the latest feature by prolific French director Quentin Dupieux (Wrong Cops [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Reality [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Mandibles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Quentin Dupieux
film profile]), whose The Second Act [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] served as the opening film of last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Marking Dupieux’s 14th feature, The Piano Accident features a star-studded cast, including Adèle Exarchopoulos, Jérôme Commandeur, Sandrine Kimberlain and Karim Leklou. The movie is being produced by leading French producer Hugo Sélignac, of Chi-Fou-Mi Productions, part of the Mediawan group, who also backed Beating Hearts [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], one of France’s top-grossing domestic titles of 2024. [Variety]
mk2 Films are kicking off presales on Minotaur, which is the upcoming movie by multi-award-winning Russian director Andreï Zviaguintsev (read our news). This sizeable wildcard now forms part of their flamboyant Marché du Film line-up (read our article). [Variety]
Kinology has kicked off promo-reel-based presales on Trompe-la-Mort, Rocco Labbé’s debut feature film which is currently in post-production and which stars Sami Bouajila, Finnegan Oldfield and Olivier Martin-Salvan in its cast. Written by the director and Clément Tuffreau, the story takes us to the heart of the First World War during the early days of the Battle of Verdun, following in the wake of three French camouflage officers: artists in everyday life who have become illusionists on the battlefield and who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. Their only chance for survival is to thwart a new devastating enemy: the German flamethrower which incinerate everything in its path... Production was steered by Alexis Perrin on behalf of Rumble Fish together with Davis Films (Victor Hadida), EV.L Prod and Les Films D’Amity. [Variety]
WTFilms are kicking off presales on the horror movie Species, which is Marion Le Coroller’s first feature film and which has just begun shooting. The cast features Belgian actress Mara Taquin, alongside Karin Viard, Kim Higelin, Sami Outalbali, Stefan Crepon and Sonia Faidi. Written by the director in league with Thomas Pujol, the story revolves around Margot who has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. As she struggles to keep up with the infernal pace of the emergency room where she’s taking her first steps, the young intern realises she’s seeing increasing numbers of young patients affected by rare illnesses. The recurrence of these exceptional cases puzzles her. Especially since she’s experiencing strange symptoms herself... Production is steered by Carole Lambert on behalf of Windy Production in co-production with Trésor Films and Anga Productions. [Screendaily]
Playtime are officially kicking off presales on Greenland by Emmanuel Courcol (read our article), on which filming is wrapping this week. The cast of this loose adaptation of a novel penned by Valentine Goby, helmed by the director of The Marching Band [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuel Courcol
film profile] and The Big Hit [+see also:
trailer
film profile], is toplined by Sandrine Kiberlain, Benoît Magimel, Kali Boisson and Aka Pedersen. Greenland was produced by Marc Bordure on behalf of Agat Films & Cie in co-production with France 2 Cinéma and Polarama Greenland.
Gaumont and Ubisoft Film & Television have announced a feature-film adaptation of the award-winning Riders Republic video game. Belgian duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Black [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fal…
interview: Martha Canga Antonio
film profile], Bad Boys for Life, Bad Boys: Ride or Die) are behind the camera. Award-winning writer Noé Debré (Dheepan [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Jacques Audiard
film profile], Stillwater, The World Is Yours [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Romain Gavras
film profile]) is penning the script adaptation. With more than 10 million players worldwide, Riders Republic is an adrenaline-fuelled sports video game that takes players to mountainous landscapes where they can experience the thrill of extreme sports and carve their own path to glory. The feature adaptation is poised to be an electrifying action movie, delivering non-stop thrills, humour and spectacular stunts on the snowy slopes of the Alps. Riders Republic is being produced by Sidonie Dumas and Rémi Cervoni, of Gaumont; Jordan Cohen produces for Ubisoft Film & Television, with Gérard Guillemot and Margaret Boykin overseeing the project for Ubisoft, in co-production with 10.80 Films’ Nabil Ben Yadir, and Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah for Los Morros.
Norwegian production company Paradox, owned by SF Studios, is about to launch production of Bad Moon Rising, a new feature by award-winning director Erik Poppe (The Emigrants [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], U – July 22 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erik Poppe
film profile], A Thousand Times Good Night [+see also:
trailer
interview: Erik Poppe
film profile]), based on the first-ever original screenplay by Nobel Prize-winning author Jon Fosse. REinvent International Sales will handle global distribution rights, and SF Studios will distribute the film in the Nordics.
Anonymous Content is making its entry into the Italian market through a new joint venture with prominent local outfit Indigo Film, the Rome-based production company behind Mario Martone’s Cannes competition title Fuori [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
film profile]. Through this partnership, Indigo Film will gain access to Anonymous Content’s extensive network and will collaborate closely with AC Studios to develop and produce high-end film and television projects. In turn, Anonymous Content will tap into Italy’s dynamic and thriving creative sector, considered one of the most vibrant in Europe. [Variety]
The veil has been lifted on the subject of Kaouther Ben Hania’s next film (the title of which is yet to be confirmed), a director who garnered particular acclaim in competition in Cannes in 2023 via Four Daughters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] and in the Un Certain Regard section in 2017, as well as in Venice’s Orizzonti line-up in 2020, and who has twice been nominated for an Oscar). Having been shot in Tunisia with the utmost discretion, the film will take a fictitious look at the death of Hind Rajab, a small five-year-old Palestinian girl who ended up trapped in a car attacked by Israeli forces in Gaza on 29 January 2024. Production is steered by Nadim Cheikhrouha (Tanit Films) in league with Odessa Rae and James Wilson, and with support from Film4. [Variety]
The Marché du Film and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), in collaboration with Cannes Next, have launched a new CES Innovation Award category dedicated to filmmaking and distribution technologies. The award aims to spotlight groundbreaking innovations, from generative AI tools and virtual production systems to next-gen streaming platforms that enhance creativity and efficiency across production, distribution and financing. An expert jury will select the most impactful solutions, with the winners set to be honoured at CES 2026. Submissions for both entries and judges open in June.
Fondazione Prada has announced the creation of the Fondazione Prada Film Fund, a yearly initiative to sustain independent cinema. Worth €1.5 million, the fund will be launched in autumn 2025 through a dedicated call. The goal of this project is to support works of high artistic value by enhancing Fondazione Prada’s 20-year commitment in the field of cinema. Each year, the fund jury will select ten to 12 feature films with no geographical or genre restrictions. The choice will be based exclusively on criteria such as quality, originality and vision, with the aim being to contribute in a meaningful way to the film’s crucial development, production and post-production phases.
Pyramide International has added Zou Jing’s Chinese-French co-production A Girl Unknown to its line-up (read our article). The winner of the Next Step Prize in last year’s Critics’ Week at Cannes (news) and now currently in the shooting phase, the Chinese director’s first feature is being produced by French firms Memoria Films (Wang Yang) and Maneki Films (Didar Domehri) alongside Chinese outfits Emei Film Group (Cao Xi), Eagle Media (Edmond Tao) and Pure Light Films (Xu Jiahan). Arte France Cinéma has already committed to co-producing and pre-purchasing the work, and Pyramide, who are kicking off world pre-sales at the Marché du Film, have also acquired the rights to distribute the film in France. [Screendaily]
Beta Cinema has secured multiple international sales for Amrum [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Fatih Akin (The Edge of Heaven [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
interview: Klaus Maeck
film profile], In the Fade [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
film profile], The Golden Glove [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
interview: Jonas Dassler
film profile]) ahead of its world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section of the Cannes Film Festival. The drama has been acquired by Dulac Distribution for France, A Contracorriente for Spain, Bitters End for Japan, Cherry Pickers for the Benelux, CinemArt for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, MCF for the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, and Imovision for Brazil. In German-speaking territories, the film will be released by Warner Bros Pictures Germany on 9 October, while Dulac Distribution is planning a French release on 24 December. [Variety]
Film Factory has acquired worldwide sales rights to Operation Cronos, a high-stakes thriller based on the 2017 terrorist attacks in Barcelona. The film is being produced by Nostromo, the company behind the Netflix hit Through My Window, and Beta Fiction, known for the Spanish box-office success Undercover [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Operation Cronos will be directed by Fernando González Molina, whose previous work includes large-scale productions like Palm Trees in the Snow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and The Invisible Guardian [+see also:
trailer
film profile], both produced by Nostromo. [Variety]
TrustNordisk and Zentropa have announced the first sales on Anders Thomas Jensen’s upcoming dark comedy The Last Viking. Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in the lead, the film has recently been picked up for distribution in Spain (via Avalon), Greece (via Videorama) and Bulgaria (via Beta Film). [Variety]
Beta Cinema has secured the world sales rights for the upcoming historical drama Each of Us, revealing an untold story of survival, resistance and sisterhood in the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp – the only one of its kind – during the final days of World War II. Each of Us is directed by an all-female team consisting of four acclaimed European filmmakers — Anne Zohra Berrached (24 Weeks [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Anne Zohra Berrached
film profile]), Neus Ballús (The Plague [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], The Odd-Job Men [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Neus Ballús
film profile]), Stina Werenfels (Dora or the Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stina Werenfels
film profile]) and Anna Jadowska (Woman on the Roof [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anna Jadowska
film profile], Wild Roses [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anna Jadowska
film profile]), all inspired by true stories — and is penned by screenwriters Eva Pauné and Mirjam Ziegler. The film follows the intertwined stories of four women from different countries and who struggle to preserve their humanity amidst the brutal conditions of the camp. The cast is led by Diane Kruger, Carla Juri, Aida Folch and Ninel Geiger. [Variety]
Kate Mara will star in She Kills Them, a vampiric romantic comedy directed by Dan Clark (How Not to Live Your Life). She plays Chloe, a jaded New Yorker who secretly slays vampires for a covert government agency. Her double life is upended when she falls for someone who sees through her façade. Described as Buffy meets Fleabag, the film blends action, romance and dark humour. It's being produced by Tea Shop Films and The Project, with Matthew E Chausse also on board. [Variety]
Hungarian director László Nemes (Son of Saul [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: László Nemes
interview: László Rajk
film profile], Orphan in post-production) will start working on his first French project, a biopic about Jean Moulin, a leading figure in the French Resistance during the Second World War. The lead role will be played by Gilles Lellouche and German actor Lars Eidinger will portray Klaus Barbie, from a script written by Olivier Demangel (Atlantics [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mati Diop
film profile], the mini-series Class Act). Production is headed by Alain Goldman for Montmartre Films with Studio TF1 co-producing and distributing in France. International sales will be handled by 196 (in association with Legendary and Patrick Wachsberger).
The next film by Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov (selected in competition at Cannes in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2024, in Un Certain Regard in 2016 and this year in the Cannes Première programme with The Disappearance of Josef Mengele [+see also:
film review
interview: Kirill Serebrennikov
film profile]) will be a French-language feature entitled Après. The cast includes Ludivine Sagnier, Fanny Ardant, Vincent Macaigne, Guillaume Gallienne and Louis Garrel. Production is headed by Ilya Stewart and Aleksandr Fomin for Hype Studios and by the director himself, in co-production with Forma Pro Films (Latvia) and Umedia (Belgium). [Variety]
Gaumont has added to its line-up the prolific François Ozon's adaptation of Albert Camus' famous novel The Stranger, currently shooting in Morocco, with Benjamin Voisin, Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin, Swann Arlaud and Denis Lavant in the cast. The film is being produced by the director himself through his company FOZ. [Screendaily]
StudioCanal is launching pre-sales for Violette by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), which has just begun shooting. The cast includes Leila Bekhti, Belgian Matthias Schoenaerts, Melvil Poupaud, Anouk Grinberg, Italian Sergio Castellitto and Alban Lenoir. Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber are producing for France's 24 25 Films, with Carlo Degli Esposti and Nicola Serra for Italy's Palomar. [Variety]
Playtime is launching pre-sales for the thriller Golpes which will be the directorial debut of Spanish screenwriter Rafael Cobos, previously co-writer of films by Alberto Rodríguez (Marshland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alberto Rodríguez
film profile] and Smoke & Mirrors [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alberto Rodríguez
film profile], among others) and creator of the The Left-Handed Son series. His film, produced by Vaca Films with Grupo Tranquilo and Playtime Production will star Jesus Carroza and Luis Tosar (read the news). [Variety]
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