24/08/2023 - The French sales agent is pinning its hopes on Heartless and Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros on the Lido, and notably on Solitude in Toronto

The major festivals are going brilliantly for French international sales agent The Party Film Sales (headed up by Sarah Chazelle and Etienne Ollagnier): after Berlin and Cannes, the firm now has six titles showcasing between the 80th Venice Film Festival (running 30 August to 9 September) and the 48th Toronto Film Festival (running 7 – 17 September).

On the Lido, the team led by Estelle de Araujo and Samuel Blanc will be negotiating on behalf of Heartless [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a first feature film by the Brazilian duo composed of Nara Normande and Tião which is set to be unveiled in the Orizzonti line-up. The story takes us back to the summer of 1996 on the north-eastern coast of Brazil, where Tamara is enjoying her last few weeks in the fishing village she calls home before moving to Brasilia for her studies. She one day hears about a teenager who goes by the name of Heartless owing to a scar she has on her chest. Over the course of the summer, Tamara develops a growing attraction for this mysterious girl… Produced by Brazil’s Cinemascópio and Vitrine Filmes, French firm Les Valseurs and Italy’s Nefertiti Film, this feature film notably enjoys support from the CNC by way of its World Cinema Fund.

The Party Film Sales will also be selling another film gracing the official selection and screening out of competition in Venice: Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which is the latest film by the great documentary-maker Frederick Wiseman, who immerses himself in life at a restaurant run by the Troisgros family (where four generations have come and gone), which has been in business in central France since 1930 and which has boasted three Michelin stars for 55 years. This American production will subsequently screen in Toronto’s TIFF Docs line-up.

The Canadian festival is likewise set to welcome Solitude [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ninna Pálmadóttir
film profile] by Iceland’s Ninna Pálmadóttir within its Discovery section. Penned by Rúnar Rúnarsson, the story of this debut feature film revolves around a farmer (Throstur Leo Gunnarsson) leading a quiet life in the countryside who’s forced by the State to sell his house. He moves to the capital leaving everything behind him, where he soon meets a ten-year-old newspaper boy. Their friendship proves transformative for both of them… Production comes courtesy of Iceland’s Pegasus Pictures in co-production with their compatriots at Halibut, as well as with Slovakia’s Nutprodukcia and France’s Jour2Fête Production.

The Party Film Sales will be wagering on a further three films in Toronto, in the form of Cannes competitor Four Daughters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] by Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania (who won the L’œil d’Or Prize for Best Documentary on the Croisette), which has been selected in the Special Presentations line-up, and two titles screening in Wavelengths: Mambar Pierrette [+see also:
film review
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interview: Rosine Mbakam
film profile] by Rosine Mbakam (discovered in the Directors’ Fortnight on the Croisette) and Orlando, My Political Biography [+see also:
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interview: Paul B Preciado
film profile] by Spain’s Paul B. Preciado (awarded the Special Jury Prize in Berlin’s Encounters section). That’s without forgetting the documentaries We Have a Dream [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (unveiled in Locarno’s Kids Screenings) and Facing Darkness [+see also:
film review
interview: Jean-Gabriel Périot
film profile] (discovered in Karlovy Vary) by French filmmakers Pascal Plisson and Jean-Gabriel Périot respectively, and Maya Kenig’s dystopic black comedy in post-production The Milky Way [+see also:
film review
film profile] (produced by Israel’s Green Productions alongside French firm Les Films du Poisson).

(Translated from French)