Cannes 2016 Distribution Watch: What’s Been Picked Up

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Sometimes it seems that for all of the prestige and pageantry of the Cannes Film Festival most American audiences will never see a majority of the films in competition and their interest in a festival that feels so exclusive and elusive can often make them look for the next superhero movie at their multiplex rather than the upcoming Assayas.

Well, this year is seeing a nearly unprecedented number of films being picked up by indie and specialty studios in record numbers. We’re less than a week in and fully 2/3 of the In Competition films already have some form of US distribution. Some, like Focus Features’ Loving, came into the festival with distribution. But others, like Paul Verhoeven’s Elle starring Isabelle Huppert, found love with Sony Pictures Classics just this week. SPC is also releasing the new Almodóvar film Julieta. Amazon Studios, which has been tearing through the distribution stronghold of the major studios has three pickups from Cannes; Paterson – directed by Jim Jarmusch, Agassi – directed by Park Chan-Wook and The Neon Demon – directed by Nicholas Winding Refn. IFC/Sundance is again handling the new Dardenne film as well as films starring Kristen Stewart and Marion Cotillard.

Surely, the rapturous response to Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann is going to spark bidding wars and will likely find a distributor this week and I’m sure we can count on Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi’s latest, The Salesman, to do the same. [Update: Sony Pictures Classics has bought Toni Erdmann]

Here is the current slate of In Competition, Un Certain Regard, Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight films with and without distribution. Keep checking back here for updates as they come in.

IN COMPETITION

Toni Erdmann – directed by Maren Ade – Sony Pictures Classics

Julieta – directed by Pedro Almodóvar – Sony Pictures Classics

American Honey – directed by Andrea Arnold – A24

The Unknown Girl – directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne – IFC/Sundance Selects

Personal Shopper– directed by Olivier Assayas – IFC/Sundance Selects

It’s Only The End Of The World – directed by Xavier Dolan

Ma Loute – directed by Bruno Dumont – Kino Lorber

Paterson – directed by Jim Jarmusch – Amazon Studios

Rester Vertical – directed by Alain Guiraudie – Strand Releasing

The Salesman – directed by Asghar Farhadi – Cohen Media Group

Aquarius – directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho

Mal de Pierres – directed by Nicole Garcia – IFC/Sundance Selects

I, Daniel Blake – directed by Ken Loach – IFC/Sundance Selects

Ma’Rosa – directed by Brilliante Mendoza

Loving – directed by Jeff Nichols – Focus Features

Bacalaureat – directed by Cristian Mungiu – IFC/Sundance Selects

Agassi – directed by Park Chan-Wook – Amazon Studios

The Last Face – directed by Sean Penn – Lionsgate

Sieranevada – directed by Cristi Puiu

Elle – directed by Paul Verhoeven – Sony Pictures Classics

The Neon Demon – directed by Nicolas Winding Refn – Amazon Studios

IFC/Sundance Selects – 5
Amazon Studios – 3
Sony Pictures Classics – 3
Kino Lorber – 1
A24 – 1
Cohen Media Group – 1
Lionsgate – 1
Focus Features – 1
Strand Releasing – 1

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UN CERTAIN REGARD

Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie, UK) – CBS Films

Varoonegi (Behnam Behzadi, Iran)

Apprentice (Boo Junfeng, Singapore)

Voir du Pays (Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin, France)

La Danseuse (Stéphanie Di Giusto)

Eshtebak (Mohamed Diab, Egypt)

La Tortue Rogue (Michael Dudok de Wit, Netherlands)

Fuchi Ni Tatsu (Kôji Fukada, Japan)

Omor Shakhsiya (Maha Haj)

Me’Ever Laharim Vehagvoat (Eran Kolirin, Israel)

After the Storm (Kore-eda Hirokazu, Japan)

The Man who Smiled (Juho Kuosmanen, Finland)

La Larga Noche De Francisco Sanctis (Francisco Márquez & Andrea Testa)

Caini (Bogdan Mirică)

Pericle Il Nero (Stefano Mordini, Italy)

The Transfiguration (Michael O’Shea, US)

Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, US) – Bleecker Street

Uchenik (Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia)

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CRITICS’ WEEK

In Bed With Victoria (Justine Triet)

Albüm (Mehmet Can Mertoğlu)

Diamond Island (Davy Chou)

Raw (Julia Ducournau)

Mimosas (Oliver Laxe)

One Week and a Day (Asaph Polonsky)

Tramontane (Vatche Boulghourjian)

A Yellow Bird (K Rajagopal)

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DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT

Sweet Dreams (Marco Bellocchio)

Divines (Houda Benyamina)

Endless Poetry (Alejandro Jodorowsky)

Fiore (Claudio Giovannesi)

L’Économie du couple (Joachim Lafosse)

L’Effet aquatique (Sólveig Anspach)

Like Crazy (Paolo Virzì)

Les Vies de Thérèse (Sébastien Lifshitz)

My Life as a Courgette (Claude Barras)

Mean Dreams (Nathan Morlando)

Mercenaire (Sacha Wolff)

Neruda (Pablo Larraín) – The Orchard

Raman Raghav 2.0 (Anurag Kashyap)

Risk (Laura Poitras)

Tour de France (Rachid Djaïdani)

Two Lovers and a Bear (Kim Nguyen)

Wolf and Sheep (Shahrbanoo Sadat)

Dog Eat Dog (Paul Schrader)