05/02/2024 - The French sales agent will pin its hopes on André Téchiné’s My New Friends in the Panorama section, as well as on upcoming movies by Emmanuel Mouret, Thierry de Peretti and the Larrieu brothers

The French sales agent Pyramide International (headed up by Éric Lagesse and steered by Agathe Mauruc) will have plenty of aces up its sleeves at the European Film Market, unspooling within the 74th Berlinale (running 15 – 25 February).

It’s line-up includes My New Friends [+see also:
film review
film profile] by André Téchiné, produced by Les Films du Worso, which is toplined by a brilliant trio of actors (Isabelle Huppert, Hafsia Herzi and Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) and is set to be distributed in French cinemas on 8 May, courtesy of Jour2Fête. As teased by the filmmaker: "It’s not a genre film, it’s not an action film, it’s not a crime film. It’s the portrait of a Republican policewoman on the eve of retirement, taking stock, fighting against the pressure of her environment without wanting to leave it until she crosses the red line. This is the story of a heroine who has become a traitor to the police force..."

The EFM will also see Pyramide International launching pre-sales on a handful of tantalising titles in post-production, such as Three Friends by Emmanuel Mouret (article - a Moby Dick Films production starring Camille Cottin, Sara Forestier, India Hair and Damien Bonnard) and À son image [+see also:
film review
interview: Thierry de Peretti
film profile] by Thierry de Peretti (produced by Les Films Velvet).

An equally eye-catching movie on the post-production side is Jim’s Story [+see also:
film review
interview: Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu
film profile] by Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu, which is the brotherly duo’s 9th feature film after To Paint or Make Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud & Jean-Marie Larrieu
interview: Philippe Martin
film profile] (screened in competition in Cannes 2005), Le voyage aux Pyrénées [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight 2008), Happy End [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Locarno 2009), Love Is The Perfect Crime [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Toronto 2013), 21 Nights with Pattie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (scooping Best Screenplay in San Sebastian 2015) and Tralala [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (treated to a Midnight Screening in Cannes 2021), to name just a few. The cast stars Karim Leklou (nominated for this year’s Best Actor Lumière thanks to Vincent Must Die [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stéphan Castang
film profile]), Laetitia Dosch (awarded the 2018 Acting Revelation Lumière via Montparnasse Bienvenüe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Léonor Serraille
film profile]), Sabrina Seyvecou, Bertrand Belin, Noée Abita, Robinson Stevenin and Andranic Manet, as well as featuring Sara Giraudeau. A loose adaptation of Pierric Bailly’s novel of the same name, Jim’s Story revolves around Aymeric who isn’t Jim’s father but who may as well be. Aymeric met Florence when she was six months pregnant. He was there when Jim was born and the three of them live happily somewhere in the French Jura mountains. By the time Jim is seven years old, his biological father Christophe turns up on their doorstep following a personal tragedy. Little by little, Christophe finds his place in the family while Aymeric, who no longer has a place, is gradually relegated to the role of "godfather". Jim is now ten. Florence and Christophe decide to start again and to head to Canada with their son. It’s a devastating piece of news for both Aymeric and Jim… The movie is produced by SBS Productions in co-production with Arte France Cinéma.

Last but not least, stealing focus amongst Pyramide International’s market screenings at the EFM are My Wonderful Stranger by Finnish-Swedish director Johanna Pyykkö, Auction by Pascal Bonitzer, and the documentary films The Man With a Thousand Faces by Sonia Kronlund and Revivre by Karim Dridi.

(Translated from French)