Los vendedores franceses firman acuerdos (a distancia) en Toronto
por Fabien Lemercier
- Pathé International, StudioCanal, mk2 Films, Kinology, Charades, Memento, Playtime, Indie Sales, Luxbox y Pulsar Content, entre las firmas que han presentado o vendido proyectos
Este artículo está disponible en inglés.
Usually the epicentre of especially intense business deals, unfolding behind the scenes with distributers from all around the world, this year’s 45th edition of the Toronto Film Festival (which draws to a close tomorrow) has seen negotiations led by French sales agents unfurl exclusively online, with none of them having made the journey to Canada as a result of the Coronavirus restrictions now in place. Nevertheless, announcements of new, tantalising films joining various agents’ line-ups and revelations of spectacular sales deals have come thick and fast over the past seven days, even if the ongoing lack of visibility over the short and mid-term evolution of the cinema market in many countries does seriously complicate the situation. But, in line with the results recorded at the end of June by the Cannes Film Festival’s Online Marché du Film (read our news), French sales agents are refusing to throw in the towel, resolutely looking forward to the future.
Thus, Pathé International announced the arrival of L’immensità [+lee también:
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entrevista: Emanuele Crialese
ficha de la película] in its line-up, a film by Italy’s Emanuele Crialese (Grazia’s Island [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], Golden Door [+lee también:
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entrevista: Alexandre Mallet-Guy
entrevista: Charlotte Gainsbourg
entrevista: Emanuele Crialese
entrevista: Emanuele Crialese
entrevista: Fabrizio Mosca
ficha de la película], Terraferma [+lee también:
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entrevista: Emanuele Crialese
entrevista: Emanuele Crialese
ficha de la película]) on which shooting is due to take place next summer, headlined by Spanish star Penélope Cruz in the role of a mother in Rome in the 1970s. The film is produced by Italian firm Wildside and France’s Chapter 2, and is co-produced by Warner Bros. Italy and France 3 Cinéma, with Canal+ having also pre-purchased the work.
Meanwhile, StudioCanal kicked off sales on The Jonsson Gang [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Sweden’s Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In [+lee también:
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entrevista: John Nordling
entrevista: Tomas Alfredson
ficha de la película], Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy [+lee también:
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ficha de la película]). Produced by FLX together with Another Park Film, Dorsin Enterprises, Tonefilm, SF Studios and TV4, this reboot of a successful saga of Nordic films revolving around a group of burglars will be released in Swedish cinemas in December.
For its part, the mk2 Films sales team (now headed up by Fionnuala Jamison since Juliette Schramek became a producer with Agat Films) unveiled an impressive ace in the form of animated project The Inventor (focusing on Leonard de Vinci’s life) by Jim Capobianco, which joined its line-up in June and for which mk2 are helming worldwide sales, with the exception of North America. The film sees Marion Cotillard join a voice cast already comprising English talent Daisy Ridley and Stephen Fry.
Kinology got the ball rolling on presales for Heartbeast [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Finland’s Aino Suni. The winner of the Eurimages Development and Co-Production Award in Tallinn (read our interview with producer Ulla Simonen) and a work selected for the recent Venice-Gap Financing Market, this psychological thriller revolves around a young, 17-year-old Finnish rapper dragged to the South of France by her mother who has fallen in love with a Frenchman. But our young protagonist’s experience of the latter - a charismatic but duplicitous ballet dancer - will soon turn out to be toxic. Production is in the hands of French firm Adastra Films, Finnish group Made and Germany’s Oma Inge Film.
On the sales side of things, Charades announced a huge number of deals for Shorta [+lee también:
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entrevista: Anders Ølholm y Frederik L…
ficha de la película] by Danish filmmakers Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Ølholm, which was unveiled at Venice’s Critics’ Week, presented in Toronto’s Industry Selects programme and whose Scandinavian release is scheduled for October by Scanbox. Countries already enticed by the film include France (Program Store), Spain (Caramel), Italy (Blue Swan) Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Koch Media), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe), South America, India and South Korea.
Also well worth a mention are the wonderful sales deals struck by Memento Films International for Philippe Lacôte’s Night of the Kings [+lee también:
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entrevista: Philippe Lacôte
ficha de la película]. Well-received in Venice’s Orizzonti competition and screened in Toronto within the Contemporary World Cinema line-up, the film has most notably been bought for the US by Neon.
Already sold exceedingly well around the world by Playtime, François Ozon’s Summer of 85 [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Selection Label, screened in Toronto’s Special Presentations section and now on the verge of competing in San Sebastian, rounded its total off with a Music Box Films acquisition for North America.
Indie Sales is also over the moon with Quo Vadis, Aïda ? [+lee también:
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entrevista: Jasmila Žbanić
ficha de la película] by Bosnia’s Jasmila Žbanić, whose presentation in competition at the Venice Film Festival (followed by a screening in Toronto within the Contemporary World Cinema line-up) drew the undivided attention of buyers for France (Condor Distribution), Italy (Academy Two and Lucky Red), Germany (Farbfilm), Poland (Gutek Film), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Aerofilms), Sweden (Folkets Bio), Denmark (Angel Films), Benelux (Cinéart), Switzerland (Cineworx), Austria (Polyfilm), Greece (One from the Heart) and Japan.
Luxbox is riding a similar wave of curiosity as engendered by Suzanne Lindon’s Spring Blossom [+lee también:
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entrevista: Suzanne Lindon
ficha de la película], a work awarded Cannes’ Official Selection Label, screened in Toronto’s Discovery section and soon to compete in San Sebastian’s New Directors category. Regions having already acquired the film notably include the UK (Curzon), Germany (MFA+ Filmdistribution), Benelux (Cinéart), Switzerland (First Hands) and Canada and China, with Paname Distribution having scheduled its release in France for 9 December.
And finally, Russian thriller The Execution, Lado Kvataniya’s first feature film (a Hype Film production) has now joined the Pulsar Content line-up (though not for North America).
(Traducción del francés)
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