Pyramide sets sights on EFM

by Fabien Lemercier

07/02/2011 - Besides Khalo Mtanabe’s South African/French co-production State of Violence, selected in the Forum section at the Berlinale (February 10-20, 2011), French international seller Pyramide intends to make the most of the European Film Market to negotiate deals for several titles in post-production that have a good chance of being showcased at forthcoming major festivals.

Eric Lagesse and Yoann Ubermulhin’s team will unveil a trailer for Elena by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev (Golden Lion at Venice in 2003 for The Return and in competition at Cannes in 2007 with The Banishment which won Best Actor); and footage for Ismaël Ferroukhi’s Free Men, starring Tahar Rahim (see news). They will also sell, on the basis of the screenplay, Bruno Dumont’s L’Empire (see news); Philippe Faucon’s A Lost Son (see news); and Jean-Pierre Denis’s Ici-Bas (“Here Below”, see news).

At Berlin, Pyramide will also complete sales for Alix Delaporte’s Angèle et Tony [trailer] (see news and review of Venice screening), which has got off to a good start in French theatres and has already been bought for Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Austria, Benelux, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Slovakia, Switzerland, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Australia, China, Mexico, New Zealand and Canada.

Teddy Lussi-Modeste’s Jimmy Rivière [trailer] (see news – Audience Award winner at the recent Premiers Plans Festival in Angers) will also be screened at the market, where Pyramide will continue to sell films including Eran Riklis’s The Human Resources Manager [trailer] (already bought for 30 territories); Mahamat Saleh-Haroun’s A Screaming Man [trailer] (Cannes Jury Prize winner and bought for 21 territories); Naomi by Eitan Zur; and Sleeping Beauty by Catherine Breillat.

(Translated from French)