Berlin-based international sales agent Pluto Film is going to Cannes’ Marché du Film (12-23 May) with a diverse line-up that combines elevated genre storytelling, literary adaptation and bold new directorial voices. Alongside its market premieres, the company is also putting a strong emphasis on its newly launched consultancy strand, designed to support filmmakers in navigating today’s complex distribution landscape.

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Leading the slate is The Matriarch, the second feature by German-Vietnamese filmmaker Alison Kuhn (Holy Meat). The crime thriller follows 17-year-old Kim, who grows up within a human-trafficking network operating out of her family home on the Baltic coast. As she attempts to carve out her own path, balancing first love and criminal ambition, she is drawn deeper into a brutal underworld that challenges her moral boundaries. Rooted in personal experience and intergenerational tensions, the film blends genre elements with an intimate coming-of-age narrative.

Also new on the slate is Summer War, directed by Chilean filmmaker Alicia Scherson (The Future) and based on Roberto Bolaño’s novel The Third Reich. Set in 1989 as the Pinochet regime declines, the psychological thriller follows a wargame champion whose holiday at a coastal resort turns into a spiral of obsession and mystery after a fellow tourist disappears. The film, a Chile-Argentina-Uruguay-Italy co-production, is set to world-premiere at the Tribeca Festival’s International Narrative Competition.

Completing the new additions is Exotic, the debut feature by Polish director Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska. Set in a seaside town, the drama follows a writer whose attempt to master pole dancing evolves into a journey of self-discovery, shaped by a tight-knit community and an environment that pushes her beyond her comfort zone. Drawing from the director’s personal experiences, the film explores themes of identity, reinvention and belonging.

Another title on the slate is the science documentary The Healing by Marcus Richardt and Lillian Rosa, which traces the story of scientist Ingmar Hoerr and his accidental discovery of mRNA vaccine technology, which would later prove crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cannes line-up further builds on titles introduced earlier this year at the Berlinale and the European Film Market, including the Generation Special Mention-awarded Atlas of the Universe by Paul Negoescu and Extraordinary by Marina Andree Škop and Vanda Raýmanová, which is the biggest box-office for Croatian children's film in domestic territory.

Beyond its sales activities, Pluto Film is highlighting its recently launched Pluto Film Consultancy, a new initiative centred to script consultancy and audience design. Through tailored workshops and one-on-one sessions, the consultancy supports filmmakers and producers in shaping a cohesive vision for their projects while navigating the distribution landscape.

wEach consultancy begins with Story Exploration, focusing on a project’s narrative, themes and artistic identity, followed by Audience Exploration, identifying target audiences and analysing their viewing habits and engagement patterns. The process culminates in Strategy Exploration, where a comprehensive distribution plan is developed, spanning festival positioning, market strategy and audience outreach, with the aim of preserving the artistic integrity of each film while maximising its international potential. For more information the interested participants can write to this email.