23/02/2012 - French international sales agency Memento makes impressive sales at the European Film Market, starting with Sister

French international sales agency Memento Films International has returned to Paris smiling after its best ever Berlinale European Film Market. The team led by Emilie Georges and Tanja Meissner notably did very well selling Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
interview: Ursula Meier
film profile] by Ursula Meier, a film crowned in competition with a Special Mention, and that was acquired by France (Diaphana - to be released on April 18), the United Kingdom (Soda), Spain (Alta Classics), Italy (Teodora), the Benelux (O’Brother), Austria (Thin Film), Greece (Seven Films), Sweden (Folkets Bio), Norway (Europa), Israel (Lev Cinema), Iran (IRIB), Brasil (Esfera Filmes), Australia (Palace) and the United States (Adopt Film).

Elles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Malgorzata Sumowska
film profile] by Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska, a film presented at the Panorama and that has already been bought for many territories since its worldwide premiere in Toronto, further sold to Italy (Officine Ubu), Bulgaria (Pal 20), the Commonwealth of Independent States (Maywin), Turkey (Kurmaca), Mexico (Mantarraya), Venezuela (Cines Unidos) and Japan (Klockworx). Kino-Lorber will release the film in the United States at the end of April.

Also shown in the Panorama after a premiere in Toronto, le dark thriller Headshot by Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang (French co-production by Memento and Wild Side Films) was bought in Berlin for Germany (Koch Media), Norway (Europa), and Australia (Madman).

Memento, who also made deals for the American feature film For Ellen by So Yong Kim (projected at the Forum after its premiere at Sundance) for several territories (among others, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Benelux, Turkey, and South Korea), also did very well with the rest of its line-up.

Foxfire by Laurent Cantet, for which a promoreel was shown in Berlin, continued to pre-sell extremely well. Already acquired by the filmmaker’s usual distributors (Golem, Non-Stop, Cinéart, Filmcoopi, Artificial Eye, Imovision, Midas…), it was also sold for Scandinavia (NonStop), Greece (Seven Films), Italy (Teodora), the Commonwealth of Independent States (Maywin), Venezuela (Cines Unidos), Brasil (Imovision), and Argentina (Energia Entusiasta).

Under The Rainbow by Agnès Jaoui, for which filming starts on March 5 (read more) was pre-bought based on its script in Berlin for Scandinavia (NonStop), Austria (Filmladen), Brasil (Providence), and South Korea. We What We Are, an American remake of the Mexicain cannibal film Somos lo que hay that Jim Mickle will start filming this June, was acquired for Germany, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and France.

Finally, from its finished film section, Memento sold The Monk [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Dominik Moll and The Woman in the Fifth [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Pawel Pawlikowski, both bought for Japan, but also A Separation by Asghar Fahradi, a film to compete next Sunday for two Oscars, one for best foreign film and the other for best original screenplay, for China.

(Translated from French)