11/05/2007

French international sales outfit Films Distribution is revving its engines for the upcoming market at the Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27).

The outfit headed by Nicolas Brigaud-Robert (see interview) has five films in the various festival sections. One title it hopes will do particularly well is Raphaël Nadjari’s French/Israeli co-production Tehilim [+see also:
film review
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film profile], the surprise invite in Official Competition (see news).

The company also expects to do good business with Hou Hsiao Hsien’s Un Certain Regard opener Flight of the Red Balloon [+see also:
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film profile], starring Juliette Binoche (see article), and Céline Sciamma’s Water Lilies [+see also:
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Finally, Directors’ Fortnight has selected two French films from the company’s line-up: Gaël Morel’s Après Lui [+see also:
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film profile], starring Catherine Deneuve (see article), and Nicolas Klotz’s Heartbeat Detector [+see also:
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film profile] with Mathieu Amalric (see news).

Directors’ Fortnight will feature a Special Screening tribute to the restored versions of Albert Lamorisse’s Ballon Rouge (1956 Palme d’Or and Oscar for Best Screenplay) and Crin Blanc, the right to which Films Distribution recently acquired.

The company’s market only titles include Robert Guediguian’s crime drama Lady Jane [+see also:
film review
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film profile] (see article); Italian helmer Vincenzo Marra’s L´ora di punta (lit. “Rush Hour”) with Fanny Ardant (see article); Nicolas Boukhrief’s Cortex, starring André Dussollier, and Arnaud des Pallières’s Park [+see also:
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Other titles in its line-up are: Marc Fitoussi’s La vie d’artiste, starring Sandrine Kiberlain, Emilie Dequennes and Bruno Podalydès; Olivier Panchot’s Sans Moi, with Yael Abecassis and Clémence Poesy (see news); Laurent de Bartillat’s La fortune [+see also:
trailer
film profile], starring Sylvie Testud, James Thierrée and Jean-Pierre Marielle; as well as Sam Karman’s La vérité ou presque, starring Karin Viard.

Films Distribution will also start sales on Eran Riklis’ Lemon Tree, currently being filmed in Israel and starring Hiam Abbass, Lea Fazer’s Notre univers impitoyable and Hany Tamba’s Melodrama Habibi with Patrick Chesnais (see news).

Films Distribution’s Berlin titles that will continue their search for buyers inlcude Michel Spinosa’s Anna M. [+see also:
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film profile] (see interview), Nanouk Leopold’s Dutch/Belgian co-production Wolfsbergen and Rodolphe Marconi’s documentary Lagerfeld Confidential [+see also:
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film profile] (see article).

Diego Martinez Vignatti’s Belgian production Tides [+see also:
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film profile] (in competition at Rotterdam) and Ferzan Ozpetek’s Italian feature Saturno Contro (see news) also feature at the Cannes Market, which is set to be a busy one for Films Distribution.

(Translated from French)