The Marché du Cannes (Market) has some hot projects:
Red Stick Hoods
Int. Sales Rep: Iuvit Media Sales (And So It Goes)
Cast: Stephen Dorff (True Detective), Kevin Dillon (Entourage)
Dir: Lance Kawas (Good Thief)
Synopsis:
Set in Baton Rouge’s neon-lit underworld, Red Stick Hoods follows a seasoned criminal and his volatile young partner as a routine job spirals into a violent chain reaction neither can control.
Homewrecker
Int. Sales Rep: North.Five.Six (Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die)
Cast: Allison Williams (Get Out), Michelle Randolph (Scream 7)
Dir: Xavier Gens (Netflix’s Under Paris)
Synopsis:
During a heart-breaking domestic revelation, three star-crossed Americans are suddenly forced to work together to survive a terrifying unexplained global event that threatens to destroy life as they know it.
The Man Who Stole Portugal
Int. Sales Rep/Prod. Comp: Beta Cinema (sales rep: Amrum)
Cast: Richard E. Grant, Dominic West (The Wire), Emily Fairn (Saturday Night)
Dir: Thomas Napper (The Wheel of Time)
Synopsis:
Based on Murray Teigh Bloom’s book. Follows Alves Reis in 1920s Lisbon who, determined to provide for his wife Maria and family, invents his way upward, with his biggest bluff becoming one of history’s greatest cons.
Doug Liman is attached to direct a new Black Bear film headed to the Cannes Market.
Star One
Int. Sales Rep/Prod. Comp: BlackBear (Train Dreams)
N.A. Sales Rep: CAA (Bugonia for U.S.)
Dir: Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow)
Cast: Miles Teller, Eddie Redmayne
Synopsis:
Two mismatched CIA agents, one charismatic (Teller), the other strait-laced (Redmayne), who must work together to execute a top secret mission.
They Like The Dark
Cast: Liam Hemsworth
Prod Co: Ridley Scott’s ScottFree
US Sales Rep: UTA/CAA
International: Fortitude
Synopsis:
A half-blind bomb tech who wakes chained in a warehouse with no memory of his arrival and must rely only on his instincts and his loyal service dog to survive the horrors that hunt him in the dark.
Joe Swanberg is back.
The king of Chicago Mumblecore behind indie favs like Digging for Fire and Drinking Buddies is back with The Sun Never Sets.
Synopsis:
Wendy’s life is thrown into chaos when her boyfriend, Jack, who is older and divorced with children, insists they take space to evaluate the relationship. During their break, Wendy runs into her ex, Chuck, forcing them into a volatile triangle.
The volatile triangle and intermingled relationships were part of what made Drinking Buddies (2013) an easy watch. The naturalism of the dialogue is juxtaposed with the sudden intensity.
The cast is great of The Sun Never Sets is great: Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith, Debby Ryan. Some familiar Swanberg faces, some newcomers.
Browler
Int. Sales Rep: Capture Entertainment (Seven Snipers)
Dir: Scott Adkins (actor in The Rip)
Cast: Scott Adkins, Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat)
Synopsis:
A disgraced MMA champion is pulled into a violent underworld by the sins of his past, armed only with his fists, he must hit men, criminal gangs, and his own inner demons to protect those he loves.
Reset
Int. Sales Rep: Fortitude International (The End of the Tour)
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Priyanka Chopra Jonas (The Bluff)
Dir: Matt Smukler (Wildflower)
Synopsis:
A woman (Chopra Jonas) who wakes up in the middle of the wilderness days from civilization with no memory of how she got there, finding that her only chance of survival is to trust a charming stranger (Bloom).
Christmas Inc.
Int. Sales Rep: Architect (Winner)
Dir: Avgousta Zourelidi (Monster High: Electrified)
Prod. Comp: Cantilever Media (The Amazing Maurice)
Synopsis:
Goldie, an ambitious elf assistant, is sent to shut down the last traditional toy workshop, but discovers the magic of homemade toys and the misfit elves, leading her to protect it.
Kevin Spacey is among the leading men attached to films headed to this year’s Cannes Market. In the WW2 drama Melodies In The Forest, Spacey will play a world-renowned conductor whose wartime past resurfaces. In his recent return to Hollywood, Spacey is continuing to work mostly in the European indie space, yet this project marks a significant step up in scale.
U.K.’s Blue Eyes Film and Distribution (The Merchant of Venice) will handle worldwide sales rights. Filming will begin this fall in the Czech Republic.
Sebastian Stan is set to share the screen with Ana de Armas in espionage thriller Impunity from filmmaker Felipe Gálvez (dir. Cannes premiering The Settlers). Stan is learning Spanish for the role with the film centered on a landmark international case surrounding the arrest of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (Stan) and the lengths covert operatives will go to strip him of his immunity.
Pathé (The Room Next Door) is producing as well as handling international sales and distribution for France and Switzerland at the Cannes market.
Beta Cinema has added two films to its market lineup.
The Other Side
Cast: Nina Hoss (Tár)
Dir/Wri: Mariko Minoguchi (The Colony)
Synopsis:
Follows Hanna, a former doctor isolated in the Alpine wilderness after losing her family to disease, whose survival is tested when she encounters an injured stranger.
The Rome Eight
Cast: Oliver Masucci (Netflix’s Dark), Felix Krammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front)
Dir: Hannu Salonen (Murder by the Lake)
Synopsis:
Follows rowing coach Karl Adam who defies convention with radical training methods, transforming a group of misfits into an unstoppable crew for the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Other Sales:
The Last Resort
Int. Sales Rep: Voltage Pictures (Wind River)
Cast: Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story)
Dir: Donald Petrie (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days)
N.A. Dist: Vertical Entertainment (Dracula)
Synopsis:
A career-focused woman travels to the Philippines to evaluate a potential resort site. Amidst stunning landscapes and friendly locals, she unexpectedly finds herself drawn to the country’s beauty and a charismatic pilot named Ben.
Iron Jane
Int. Sales Rep: Highland Film Group (Land of Bad)
Cast: Eiza González (Baby Driver), Brandon Sklenar (The Housemaid)
Dir/Wri: Lissette Feliciano (Women is Losers)
Synopsis:
Follows Janie John (González), who, after a childhood shaped by neglect and invisibility, is pulled into a world that finally sees her, where pain is power and bodies are built, not born.
Oddities
Int. Sales Rep: Raven Banner Entertainment (Climax)
Dir/Wri: Tyler Savage (Stalker)
Cast: Lilimar (Inside Out 2), Lovie Simone (Forever)
Synopsis:
When two self-destructive best friends accidentally kill their drug dealer, they have to flee town. Stopping at a roadside antique shop, they quickly discover that the older woman running the place isn’t as sweet as she seems.
Eyes Along The Valley
Cast: Stephen Lang, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey (Hacksaw Ridge)
Worldwide Sales Rep: Architect (The Georgetown Project)
Synopsis:
A 1950s crime-thriller.
Becoming Capa
Cast: Esther McGregor (We Were Liars), Mark Eydelshteyn (Anora), Danny Huston
DP: Pawel Pogorzelski (Hereditary)
International Sales Rep: HanWay Films (Carol, La Cocina)
Synopsis:
Celebrated war photographers Gerda Taro and Robert Capa fall in love in a tale of audacity and defiance against a world in political turmoil.
Kaet Might Die
Cast: Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos (In the Heights), Ken Jeong
Dir: Mercedes Bryce Morgan (Bleecker’s Bone Lake)
Domestic Sales Rep: Capture Entertainment and CAA
International Sales Rep: Capture Entertainment (Dark Jungle)
Synopsis:
Designer Kaet McAnneny trains for NYC Marathon, but breast cancer diagnosis disrupts life. Her marriage faces turmoil, relapses, yet unexpected positives emerge over 18 months, based on ‘Boobs Gone Rogue’ memoir.
Follow Mode
Dir/Wri: Ben Leonberg (Good Boy)
Wri: Alex Cannon (Good Boy)
Prod: Temple Hill (Smile)
International Sales Rep: Protagonist Pictures (The Brutalist)
Synopsis:
Follows a group of teens who knock a drone out of the sky and discover it contains footage of a serial killer’s crimes, then must expose the killer before becoming victims.
Maybe We Should
Cast: Heather Graham
Dir: A.J. Tesler (Hero Mode)
Worldwide Sales Rep: Concourse Media (The Little Hours)
Synopsis:
A heartwarming, inspirational family film based on the true story of one family’s effort to build a groundbreaking center for children. The film weaves magical realism and humor into an uplifting story about resilience and community.
The Neverending Pillow Fort
Voice Cast: Sofia Rose, David Tennant, Guy Pearce, Teresa Palmer
Prod Co: Crayola Studios
Three Cannes market horrors:
Vorteks (Dubai-based sales agency) acquires international sales rights for SXSW horror hit Grind. Directed by Ed Dougherty, Brea Grant, and Chelsea Stardust, the film follows four interconnected stories that center around the gig economy, hustle culture, and the evils of late-stage capitalism. The film debuted in the Midnighter section of SXSW last month and gained praise from critics and audiences alike.
Blue Finch Films (U.K. sales and distribution outfit) takes the worldwide sales rights to horror feature Recluse. The film follows Joan, a sound recordist who visits her father’s burnt estate, only to pick up on ghostly audio that uncovers a dark family secret. The film will have its world premiere in the Escape From Tribeca section of the Tribeca Film Festival in June. Henry Chaisson (Producer: M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant) directed the film.
MPX (global film sales agency) acquires worldwide sales rights to U.S. indie horror Swipe. Directed by Sean Whalen (Actor: Twister), the film follows a young woman who is trying to save her brother from a sadistic, mute family of women after a dating app hook-up leads to his disappearance. Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect), Ray Santiago (Meet the Fockers), and Dominique Columbus (Road House) star in the film.
Buffalo 8 Distribution acquires feature documentary Ice Ice Baby – Hop Hop’s 1st Global #1. The feature documentary will follow Rob Van Winkle or Vanilla Ice, and the unprecedented success of his chart-topping single Ice Ice Baby – the first hip-hop song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The doc includes interviews with Monte Lipman (CEO of Republic Records) and Daniel Glass (Founder of Glassnote Records).
Sender
Int. Sales Rep: Concourse Media (Sovereign)
Dir/Wri: Russell Goldman (prod. Apple TV+’s The Lost Bus)
Cast: Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus), Britt Lower (Severance), Jamie Lee Curtis
Prod. Comp: Comet Pictures (Prime’s Scarpetta)
Premiered at SXSW
Synopsis:
After receiving a series of unwanted packages containing unnervingly targeted items, a woman tumbles down a paranoid rabbit hole to find her mysterious sender.
Flyover
U.S. Sales Rep: Convoke Media (Succubus)
Dir: Jackie! Zhou (Sound Designer: Didi)
Cast: Hayley Law (Riverdale), Luke Cook (Hacks)
Synopsis:
Follows a group of women who leave Los Angeles for a flyover state to test whether their dating struggles are rooted in geography or something far more personal.
Director Park Chan-wook’s biggest American movie.
Park Chan-wook’s (Dir: Oldboy, No Other Choice) next project is a western thriller, The Brigands of Rattlecreek, written by S. Craig Zahler (Wri: Dragged Across Concrete).
The cast is star-studded:
Matthew McConaughey
Austin Butler
Pedro Pascal
Tang Wei (Decision to Leave)
The film will follow a sheriff and a doctor in a frontier town that is terrorized by a gang that uses a thunderstorm to rob its residents.
Park’s direction and S. Craig Zahler’s writing are characterized by unflinching violence that isn’t for the shock factor, but has a narrative elegance that enhances the emotional arc of the story.
Park often showed his love towards the Western genre in many interviews, especially the 1974 Neo-Western film Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, directed by Sam Peckinpah (trailer) – so we can expect a gritty grindhouse-meets-arthouse film from the Korean director. We would love to see Park’s obsessive yet beautiful take on the Western genre.
Legendary’s 193 (Die, My Love) will serve as the sales rep.
Matt Smith has never met a strange role he didn’t want to make weirder.
The Doctor Who actor is joining Imogen Poots (The Chronology of Water) in The Salamander Lives Twice, a left-field mystery headed to the Cannes market with sales rep Embankment Films.
Here’s the synopsis:
Follows a stranger who washes ashore on a remote island with no memory. Taken in by Iris, her daughter Goggy, and their butler Baby, he’s drawn into their decaying world of revenge, family betrayal, and violence.
Much like his House of the Dragon character, which we will finally see on our screen again this June, Smith thrives on unpredictability, balancing an incontestable charm with an enigmatic edge that leaves his intentions constantly in question. A man with no memories, the role gives Smith ample room to play with a shifting sense of self and the kind of offbeat absurdity he does so well.
Warner Bros. International TV Production Sweden’s Adult Supervision
Cast: Gustaf Skarsgård (Vikings)
Sales Rep: Heretic (Triangle of Sadness)
Synopsis:
When a middle-aged man joins his 13-year-old daughter on a school trip in an attempt to repair their relationship, he soon finds himself caught up in conflicts that stir dark memories from his past.
Int. Sales Rep: Architect (I Don’t Understand You)
Dir/Wri: Jim Rash (dir. The Way, Way Back)
Cast: Allison Janney, Bonnie Hunt, Andrew Rannells (A Simple Favor)
Prod. Co: Madison Wells (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Synopsis:
A widow plans husband’s funeral. Estranged son sends an assistant instead of coming himself. Widow grieves with a stranger.
Dir: Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow)
Cast: Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher (Now You See Me), joining Casey Affleck and Pete Davidson
Prod. Comp/Int. Sales Rep: 193 (sales rep: Die My Love)
Synopsis:
Follows a man’s quest to prove he created Bitcoin, a claim that puts his life in peril and sets off a high-stakes race between tech billionaires and world leaders with the financial system hanging in the balance.
Studiocanal is going all in on Bill Condon’s South African musical, set to finance, produce, and release the film in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Int. Sales Rep: Palisades Park Pictures (Fast Charlie)
Dir: Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)
Wri: Michael Bronner (The Mauritanian)
Cast: Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)
Synopsis:
Exiled from his native South Africa, trumpeter Hugh Masekela is pulled between two worlds when the anti-apartheid movement, led by his mentor and fierce anti-apartheid advocate, launches a boycott against Hugh’s friend Paul Simon, over his township music-inspired album Graceland, accusing Simon of violating the United Nations’ Cultural Boycott.
Int. Sales Rep: Embankment Films (The Father)
Dir: István Szabó (Mephisto)
Wri: Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons)
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Viggo Mortensen
Prod. Comp: Bell Media (Heated Rivalry)
Synopsis:
Henrik and Konrad were inseparable friends once. They reconnect decades after Konrad’s mysterious disappearance, uncovering the secret that tore them apart and the woman at the center of it.
Cornerstone (Pillion) boards as international sales rep for:
Dir: James Ashcroft (The Rule of Jenny Pen)
Cast: Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Marlon Williams (Sweet Tooth)
U.S. Dist: Bleecker Street Media
Synopsis:
When a pregnant young woman becomes trapped in an underground cave system, she must learn to survive in a world totally devoid of light. But she discovers true darkness within herself when she emerges 15 years later.
Alex Proyas (Dir: The Crow, I, Robot) is using AI to make his new film Heaven.
Synopsis:
A man agrees to be uploaded to an A.I. metaverse afterlife and discovers it more closely resembles hell than heaven.
The use of AI actually seems like a perfect creative choice here, and one that allows the filmmaker to paint on a bigger canvas. He spent 10 years trying to get this up, so this is a massive win. From Ex Machina Studios and K5 International.
Int. Sales rep/Prod. Comp: VMI Worldwide (sales: Goodfellas)
Dir: Jared Cohn (Hold Your Breath)
Cast: Kevin Dillon (Entourage), Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Danielle Vasinova (The Madison)
Synopsis:
Follows three low-level criminals who accidentally pull off a $300M heist and find themselves stranded in a small West Texas town where every desperate resident is willing to trade their morals and lives for the fortune.
Int. Sales Rep: Alliance Media Partners (Dead Eyes)
Dir: Lisa Mulcahy (Lies We Tell)
Cast: Samantha Morton (Minority Report, Morvern Callar)
Synopsis:
A mother is forced to enter war-torn Syria to recover her daughter after the child is taken across borders by her estranged husband.
Also…
Neon’s Oscar and BAFTA-nominated film Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020, trailer) is getting a sequel. Quo Vadis, Aida? – The Missing Part will pick up immediately from the ending of the previous film, as we follow Aida searching for her sons, who were taken by Serbian forces during the fall of Srebrenica in 1995. Paris-based sales company Indie Sales has been appointed to oversee international sales at the Cannes Market.
Cannes’ Market’s The Unlucky starring Ludi Lin (Mortal Kombat) is picked up by Media Move (Sales Rep: The Lure).
The Playmaker (Sew Torn) boards international sales for Lieblingsfilm’s Horse on a Stick, a family adventure about competitive hobby horsing. The film is set for a Cannes Market debut.
Ahead of its Cannes premiere in the ACID section, Celluloid Dreams (sales rep. The Maiden) has boarded international sales for Rewind Barcelona (Barça Zou). From French director Paul Nouhet (Salut les zins), the story follows friends reuniting in the same place they took their first trip a decade before, the mecca of skateboarding, Barcelona.
Pluto Film (Berlin-based sales company) gets the international rights for a pole-dancing drama feature Exotic. Directed by first-time feature director Sonja Orlewicz‑Zakrzewska, the film follows a writer who wants to master pole dancing, only to find that the journey turns into a profound act of self-discovery.