Cannes: Arnaud Desplechin’s ‘A Christmas Tale’ is first competition sale to US
In the first US sale of a Competition title at Cannes, Wild Bunch has sold Arnaud Desplechin’s A Christmas Tale to IFC.
The family drama, which screens here on Friday, stars an ensemble cast including Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Chiara Mastroianni, Emmanuelle Devos, Anne Consigny and Melvil Poupaud.
Produced by Why Not, it will be released by Bac in France.
Furthermore, Wild Bunch has closed a Japan sale on Steven Soderbergh’s Che Guevara films to Nikkatsu - the double-feature is also running in Competition.
Deals on Ken Loach’s Eric Cantona-related project - reported yesterday - have closed with Icon in the UK, Diaphana in France and Bim in Italy.
Bim has also picked up Gaspar Noe’s Enter The Void and Radu Mihaileanu’s The Concert.
Also in Italy, Medusa has taken Woody Allen’s as-yet untitled new film starring Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood. Disney has picked up rights to Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea in France and the US.
Separately, IFC announced it has taken US rights to Joshua Safdie’s Directors’ Fortnight comedy The Pleasure Of Being Robbed, which will get its international premiere here on May 23. IFC’s vice-president of acquisitions and production Arianna Bocco negotiated the deal with Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment.
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ Wins World Cinema Award
Spanish fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth has scooped BBC Four’s Pioneer World Cinema Award 2008.
The movie, which has won three Oscars and three BAFTAs, lifted the prize at last night’s ceremony at the BFI Southbank in London.
Director Guillermo del Toro flew from Paris to collect the award from actress Catherine Deneuve.
He said: “I am very humbled by the competition and the nominations so I am very happy to have won this award. I am extremely thankful because world cinema seems to be not only about geography of the world out there, but about charting the world within us.
“Very often people think that the only way to tell the truth is through reality. So I find, by my own experience, irreality is sometimes a better tool to tell the truth.”
The movie was chosen from a shortlist of five by a panel consisting of actor Christopher Eccleston, documentary-maker Nick Broomfield and actress Archie Panjabi.
It beat Oscar-nominated drama The Lives Of Others, as well as The Science Of Sleep, Climates and Syndromes And A Century.
