Films Distribution showcases 14 titles at Venice and Toronto

by Fabien Lemercier

30/08/2011 - With three films in its line-up selected at Venice and 11 at Toronto, French international seller Films Distribution has no shortage of assets set to attract buyers. On the Lido, Nicolas Brigaud-Robert and François Yon’s team will be hoping for success withVincent Garenq’s Guilty [trailer] (see news - pictured) and Jean-Marc Vallée’s Café de Flore [trailer] (a French co-production by Monkey Pack Films starring Vanessa Paradis) in Venice Days, as well as Cyril Mennegun’s Louise Wimmer [trailer] (see news) in Critics’ Week.

According to Yon, "Venice is a very strong place artistically, one of the best selections in the world in terms of its coherence. And the work accomplished in Venice is completed in Toronto. At Venice, we’ve always done very well in the parallel sections with Cell 211 [trailer, film focus] and C.R.A.Z.Y. for example. Although there obviously isn’t the same number of buyers as at Toronto, there is nonetheless a considerable number (Germans, Italians, Australians on their way to Toronto…). It’s not a structured market due to lack of space, but Toronto is no longer structured in this sense with an informal market and sales in hotel lobbies. People have been writing off Venice for the past ten years, but for a challenger scheduled just after a heavyweight like Cannes which dominates on all levels, its track record is excellent."

At Toronto (September 8-18), Films Distribution will be counting on Café de Flore, Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar and Wang Xiaoshuai’s 11 Flowers in the Special Presentations section; and Guilty, Jens Lien’s Sons of Norway [trailer] (international premiere) and Mia Hansen Love’s Goodbye First Love [trailer, film focus] (prize-winner at Locarno) in the Contemporary World Cinema section. Other noteworthy titles are French director Emmanuelle Millet’s Twiggy (see news) in world premiere and Austrian helmer Karl Markovics’s Breathing [trailer] (Europa Cinemas Label in the latest Cannes Directors’ Fortnight) in the Discovery line-up.

Three other titles unveiled at Cannes have also been selected: Robert Guédiguian’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro will be presented in the Masters programme; Bertrand Bonello’s House of Tolerance [trailer] in the Visions section; and Rithy Panh’s documentary Duch, Master of the Forges of Hell in the Real to Reel line-up.

Films Distribution will also continue sales for other films including Julie Delpy’s Skylab [trailer] (see news), which will have its world premiere at San Sebastian; Danielle Arbid’s Beirut Hotel (unveiled at Locarno); and three Cannes titles: Philippe Ramos’ The Silence of Joan [trailer], Delphine and Muriel Coulin’s 17 Girls [trailer] and Israeli director Hagar Ben Asher’s German co-production The Slut [trailer].

(Translated from French)