The 78th Cannes Film Festival hosted a new edition of the Marché du Film, which ran from 13-21 May. While the event remains a key hub for international sales and acquisitions, this year it was marked by a noticeable sense of uncertainty among industry professionals – a mood that had already surfaced previously in Berlin (see the news). Cineuropa spoke to select distributors and sales agents to assess the current business landscape and identify key content trends shaping both demand and supply this year.

Among the most evident findings, the ongoing geopolitical context seems to have contributed to this uncertainty, while the high costs associated with Cannes made it challenging for many to operate under ideal conditions. The teams coming to the Marché have been downsized, which means that closing deals both within and outside of the market is getting more and more difficult. Overall, despite some positive activity and promising deals, buyer behaviour appears to be shifting amid increased competition and growing difficulties in closing sales.

Stefano Finesi and Gianluca Buttari from Italian distributor Teodora Film acquired two competition titles in advance based on their screenplays: the Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value [+leggi anche:
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“I didn’t feel the threat particularly acutely, but then we are not buying that many US films – especially now,” Foss commented on the potential impact of Donald Trump’s mooted tariffs on foreign movies. One of the hottest topics at the moment, the US president’s declaration seems to be puzzling everyone, but without having a strong or impactful influence on the market at present. The main confusion in the industry surrounds the concept of “foreign film” itself, also given that the USA still co-produces a considerable share of its projects, especially with the UK and other European countries.

“The real impact of the proposed tariffs remains uncertain. So far, there have been conflicting statements, threats and posturing, but no concrete details, particularly regarding non-physical goods. It appears to be an ongoing negotiation, rather than a defined policy.  This lack of clarity is already having a tangible effect on the industry: the uncertainty is discouraging risk-taking and delaying impactful investments. As always, the industry will adapt once the situation becomes clearer, but for now, this ambiguity only adds to a broader climate of instability that is negatively affecting the market,” commented Geremia Biagiotti from Italian sales agent Intramovies. It premiered three films at the Marché du Film: Mama by Or Sinai, showcased in Cannes Special; Cuerpo Celeste by Nayra Ilic García, set to world-premiere at Tribeca; and Catane by Ioana Mischie, currently seeking a venue for its world premiere.

Next, we talked to French sales agent B-Rated, represented by Arnaud Chevallier: “We recently launched Buzzheart [+leggi anche:
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Reflecting on the atmosphere at this year’s festival, he observed: “The Riviera felt noticeably less crowded than in previous years, with many major buyers focusing on films in competition. Still, we had a packed schedule and managed to close several deals – so overall, it was a positive and productive edition for us. Given the tougher market conditions in many territories, buyers are increasingly seeking more guarantees before committing – whether that’s a strong festival label, streamer interest or clear commercial appeal. There’s definitely more caution but also a willingness to invest in content that ticks the right boxes.”

Pascal Traechslin, of Swiss distribution firm Cineworx, noted: “It was a very successful market for us, and we are happy with our purchases. As there were lots of newcomers in the competition, many titles were not yet sold in advance, at least not in our territory. This has certainly made the activities bound to the films shown in the market more dynamic, although there were not too many commercially promising titles to be seen. As a result, distributors are all betting on the same titles, which has, of course, also been the case in the past. And in highly competitive territories such as Switzerland, more and more titles are simply being sold on script at an early stage. Ultimately, there are too many films on the market, but few of them really have commercial potential, and this trend has continued as well.” At the Marché du Film, Cineworx brought along a title in the festival competition, Romería [+leggi anche:
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Finally, Martina Droandi, from Icelandic-French-Slovenian sales agent Open Kitchen Films, disclosed that the company is focusing on acquisitions for next year and looking for content to release from August 2025 onwards: “For that purpose, the presentations by the delegations, organised by Cannes Docs, were very useful, as they presented some of their best projects at the rough-cut stage. There were six docs-in-progress presentations and the Spotlight pitch. I have not yet made any acquisitions, but I definitely have a list of films I want to consider, and I have started reviewing some of them.”