27/05/2005

The French international sales company Studio Canal has had the best Cannes Film Market ever. These excellent results are partly owed to David Lynch and Wong Kar-wai’s new projects, respectively entitled Inland Empire and Lady from Shangai. However, the company also had great French productions on the line-up. Muriel Sauzay, international sales manager for StudioCanal, summed up for Cineuropa the European deals done on the Croisette.

Amongst the French productions on sale in Cannes, one of the finest gems was Les Poupées Russes by Cédric Klapisch, starring Romain Duris, Cécile de France, and Audrey Tautou. Its success was unanimous on the Old Continent : after the round of pre-sales concluded in Berlin, this sequel of L’auberge espagnole was sold to BIM (Italy), Tobis (Germany), Wanda (Spain), Prooptiki(Greece), Atalanta (Portugal), Cinéart (Belgium), Frenetic (Swizerland), Noble Entertainment (Scandinavia), Best Hollywood (Hungary), SPI (Poland and Czech Republic), Acme (Baltic states), Blitz Films (ex-Yugoslavia), and New Films (Romania and Bulgaria).

Patrice Chéreau’s Gabrielle, a very likely participant to the next Mostra (in competition) starring Isabelle Huppert, has already convinced Germany (Tobis), Greece (Prooptiki), Portugal (Lusomundo), Benelux (Cineart), Switzerland (Frenetic), the Baltic states (Acme), and Bulgaria (Mikado), the Italian co-producer, will handle national distribution. StudioCanal also completed the European sales of Anthony Zimmer, a film by Jérôme Salle, starring Sophie Marceau and Yvan Attal; agreements were signed with, for instance, Wanda (Spain), Dujass (Italy), Prooptiki (Greece), and Noble Entertainment (Scandinavia), which adds up to the territories already dealt with by way of pre-sales, that is, Germany (Telepool), Portugal (Lusomundo), Benelux (Les Films de L'Elysée), and Switzerland (Frenetic).

Unexpectedly good deals were done for the horror film Ils, currently in pre-production. This Eskwad production has already seduced Italy (Vegas), Portugal (Atalanta), Greece, Russia, ex-Yugoslavia (Padora), and Turkey. Greece and Ex-Yugoslavia also bought Une Aventure by Xavier Giannoli, starring Ludivine Sagnier and Nicolas Duvauchelle ; negotiations with Germany are in process.
As a conclusion, Muriel Sauzay revealed that StudioCanal was hoping to bring to Toronto a promo reel of Danièle Thompson’s Fauteuils d’orchestre, starring Cécile de France, Valérie Lemercier, Albert Dupontel, and José Garcia.

(Translated from French)