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BERLINALE 2016 Market

French sellers take Berlin by storm

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- With four films competing for the Golden Bear and a multitude of tantalising films, French international sellers are on the front line at the EFM

French sellers take Berlin by storm
Things to Come by Mia Hansen-Løve

The first big step forward of the year for professionals of the industry, the EFM of the 66th Berlin Film Festival (11-21 February 2016), opened its doors today, and true to form, French international sales companies intend on playing an active role, with a strong, diverse and high-quality offering that leaves distributors from all over the world spoilt for choice.

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Their line-ups most notably include four films in the running for the Golden Bear: Things to Come [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Mia Hansen-Løve
film profile
]
by Mia Hansen-Løve (being sold by Les Films du Losange – see interview with Bérénice Vincent), Being 17 [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: André Téchiné
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
film profile
]
by André Téchiné (sales: Elle Driver – see news article on their line-up), Fire at Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gianfranco Rosi
film profile
]
by Italian director Gianfranco Rosi (being sold by Doc & Films – see news article on their line-up) and Hedi [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Tunisian filmmaker Mohamed Ben Attia, the rights to which are being sold by young company Luxbox (news article).

A number of other French sellers will be using the market to sell some of the films being screened in the various sections of the Berlinale, such as Memento Films International (see news article on their line-up), Films Distribution (news), Indie Sales (article) and Wide Management (article).

This will also be the case for Le Pacte, which will be selling Saint Amour [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by duo Benoît Delépine - Gustave Kervern (selected out of competition), will notably be screening the market premiere of Team Spirit [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Christophe Barratier and Irreplaceable [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Thomas Lilti, and selling some very promising films currently in post-production, such as Orphan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud des Pallières
film profile
]
by Arnaud des Pallières, L'économie du couple [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Lafosse
film profile
]
 by Joachim Lafosse, and documentary Wrong Elements [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Jonathan Littell.

Wild Bunch will also obviously be taking part in the EFM with two films (The First, The Last [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bouli Lanners
film profile
]
by Belgian filmmaker Bouli Lanners, which will be screened in the Panorama section, and The Patriarch by New Zealander Lee Tamahori, which is being shown out of competition), with a number of films being lined up for this year’s Cannes Film Festival (films by the Dardenne brothers, Mungiu, Kore-Eda, Kusturica, Mihaileanu, Guiraudie and Gilles Marchand, among others), and will be kicking off sales for documentary Rocco [+see also:
trailer
interview: Thierry Demaizière, Alban T…
film profile
]
 by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai (which retraces the life of pornstar Rocco Siffredi) and pre-sales most notably for Kiki Love To Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paco León
film profile
]
by Spanish director Paco Leon, High Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claire Denis
film profile
]
by Claire Denis (starring Robert Pattinson) and Rodin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Jacques Doillon (with Vincent Lindon in the title role).

French sellers will also be confirming their exceptional support for films from all over the world at Berlin, with a number of films that have been selected for the Panorama section: Czech film I, Olga Hepnarová [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Tomáš Weinreb, Petr Kazda
film profile
]
by duo Tomás Weinreb - Petr Kazda is being sold by Arizona, The Wounded Angel [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Kazak director Emir Baigazin by Capricci, Time Was Endless [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Brazilian filmmakers Sérgio Andrade and Fábio Baldo by UDI (which is also pre-selling the highly attractive animated film Zombillenium), and Don’t Call Me Son by fellow Brazilian filmmaker Anna Muylaert by Loco Films (a company set up last May by Laurent Danielou). A trend which is reflected in the programme for this year’s Forum, with Illegitimate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adrian Sitaru
film profile
]
by Romanian filmmaker Adrian Sitaru in Versatile’s line-up and Barakah Meets Barakah by Mahmoud Sabbagh (a Saudi Arabian production) in MPM’s line-up, whilst newly-established company Still Moving (led by Pierre Menahem and Juliette Lepoutre) will be selling Argentinian feature The Black Frost (in the Panorama section) and In the Last Days of the City [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Egyptian director Tamer El Said (in the Forum). And DreamLab Films will have two Iranian films in the Generation section: Starless Dreams by Mehrdad Oskouei and Valderama by Abbas Amini.

Also worth mentioning is Jour2Fête, which will be negotiating for Baden Baden [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Belgian filmmaker Rachel Lang (selected for the Forum), Ecce Films which will be selling its own production Paris 05:59 [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by the duo Olivier Ducastel - Jacques Martineau (which will have its premiere in the Panorama section), and Wide House with three documentaries in its line-up: Danish production Those Who Jump [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by trio Moritz Siebert - Estephan Wagner - Abou Bakar Sidibé in the Forum, Turkish-Dutch film Young Wrestlers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Mete Gümürhan in the Generation section, and Who Is Oda Jaune? by Kamilla Pfeffer in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino programme.

Gaumont, which also has a trump card in the Forum with The Wandering [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Guillaume Nicloux, will be launching the pre-sales for See You Up There by and starring Albert Dupontel (an adaptation of the book by the same name by Pierre Lemaître, which won the Prix Goncourt in 2013 – scheduled to start filming in March) at Berlin, and will be presenting Chocolat [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile
]
by Roschdy Zem, Sophie's Misfortunes [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Christophe Honoré and Up for Love [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Laurent Tirard at the market, among others.

Pyramide International, for its part, will be screening Ogres [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Léa Fehner (which won the Audience Award at Rotterdam) and This Summer Feeling [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mikhaël Hers
film profile
]
by Mikhaël Hers at the EFM, and will be pre-selling films that will be released this spring (like The Empty Box [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Claudia Sainte Luce, Moka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by Frédéric Mermoud and Clash [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by Mohamed Diab).

Celluloid Dreams recently added the promising debut feature film, currently in post-production, Valley of Shadows [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen
film profile
]
by Norwegian filmmaker Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen to its line-up and will share the sales for Leon on Pete, the upcoming film by British director Andrew Haig (45 Years [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Andrew Haigh
film profile
]
) with The Bureau Sales.

MK2 Films is also preparing for the future with its top-of-the-range line-up (with films by Assayas, Brizé, Abel & Gordon, etc - see news article) to which it has just added Mrs Hyde by Serge Bozon (news article with Isabelle Huppert, Gérard Depardieu and Romain Duris).

Pathé International’s line-up for Berlin could also see the addition of Rock'n Roll [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Guillaume Canet, a Films du Trésor production currently being filmed in the greatest secrecy starring Johnny Hallyday and Marion Cotillard. But Muriel Sauzay’s team has other cards to play at the EFM with the following films currently in post-production, among others: Eternity [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Tran Anh Hung (starring Mélanie Laurent, Audrey Tautou, Bérénice Bejo and Jérémie Renier), Cézanne et moi [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Danièle Thompson (news article - starring Guillaume Gallienne and Guillaume Canet in the roles of Paul Cézanne and Emile Zola), Souvenir [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Bavo Defurne (starring Isabelle Huppert, Kevin Azaïs and Johan Leysen - news article) and Viceroy's House [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by British filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, without forgetting the market screening of comedy One Man and His Cow [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Mohamed Hamidi (news article).

TF1 International will be backing the project L'Extraordinaire Voyage Du Fakir by Marjane Satrapi (starring Dhanush, Uma Thurman, Laurent Lafitte, Alexandra Daddario and Gemma Arterton), as well as Penny Pincher! [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Fred Cavayé (starring Dany Boon) and Le secret des banquises [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(Artic Heart) by Marie Madinier (starring Guillaume Canet - news article), both of which are currently in post-production.

StudioCanal also boasts an opulent line-up see news article), backing Goodbye Berlin [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by German filmmaker Fatih Akin (news article) and From the Land of the Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Nicole Garcia (starring Marion Cotillard - news article), among others, whilst Bac Films is pinning its hopes on feature films A Bun in the Oven [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Nadège Loiseau (news article) and Like Crazy [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Paolo Virzì
film profile
]
by Italian director Paolo Virzi, both of which are currently in post-production.

SND, which has added An Indian Tale by Héctor Cabello Reyes (news article), currently shooting, to its line-up, and will be backing The Confession [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Nicolas Boukhrief (with Romain Duris and Marina Vacth - news article), which is currently in post-production, will be screening Vulcania [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Spanish filmmaker Jose Skaf, among others, at the market.

Be for Films will be taking a gamble on the highly anticipated Struggle for Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Antonin Peretjatko (in post-production - news article) and Welcome Home [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Belgian filmmaker Philippe de Pierpont, whilst pursuing sales for acclaimed debut films like Keeper [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Guillaume Senez ­
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
film profile
]
, Par accident [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
and Parasol [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
.

Highly dynamic French international sales companies will also be represented at the EFM by EuropaCorp (which is notably selling the blockbuster Valerian [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Luc Besson, which is currently being filmed, and thriller Miss Sloane by John Madden, starring Jessica Chastain, which is currently in pre-production), Kinology, SBS Films, Alfama Films, Funny Balloons (with Neruda [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain, currently in post-production), Alpha Violet (which will unveil Marie and the Misfits [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Sébastien Betbeder at the market, will be pursuing sales for Thirst [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Svetla Tsotsorkova
film profile
]
by Bulgarian filmmaker Svetla Tsotsorkova, and will be pre-selling Luxembourg by Myroslav Slaboshpystkiy, currently being filmed), Coproduction Office, Stray Dogs, Reel Suspects, Other Angle Pictures, New Morning Films (article), Cité Films, WTFilms and Premium Films.

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(Translated from French)

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