27/08/2014 - 16 French international sales agents have at least one film being showcased at Venice – and business looks set to boom

The major commercial operations of the late summer have kicked off for the go-getting French international sales agents at the 71st Venice Film Festival, which begins today, with the Venice Film Market officially opening its doors from 28 August to 2 September. It is a chance for the French sales outfits to strike up some good deals and to create a certain “buzz” before they then go on immediately to the Toronto (4-14 September) and San Sebastian (19-27 September) Film Festivals. On the firms’ line-ups is some solid ammunition being showcased on the Lido, including eight out of the 20 contenders for the 2014 Golden Lion and a total of 24 feature films in the various selections of the Venetian event.

Coproduction Office stands out with two competition titles in its line-up: A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roy Andersson
film profile] by Swedish director Roy Andersson and Fires on the Plain by Japan’s Shinya Tsukamoto. Interestingly, Philippe Bober’s team will also be selling In the Basement [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl, which will be unveiled in the Official Selection, out of competition.

Six other French sales agents are involved in the race for the Golden Lion. On the Lido, Pyramide International will be pinning its hopes on Le dernier coup de marteau [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Alix Delaporte (read the article), Pathé International on Loin des hommes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by David Oelhoffen (read the article), Funny Balloons on Abel Ferrara’s Pasolini [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Abel Ferrara
film profile], Elle Driver on 3 Hearts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benoît Jacquot
film profile] by Benoît Jacquot (read the article), and Wild Bunch on La rançon de la gloire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Xavier Beauvois
film profile] by Xavier Beauvois (read the article). Lastly, Paris-based company Noori Pictures will be selling Tales by Iranian director Rakhshan Banietemad. 

Funny Ballons has two other aces up its sleeve at Venice: NDE (Near Death Experience) [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern, which will be presented in the competitive Orizzonti section; and the eagerly awaited Return to Ithaca [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laurent Cantet
film profile] by Laurent Cantet (see the news), which will be screened in the Venice Days.

The Orizzonti section has also been kind to Indie Sales, which sees two feature films from its line-up featured on the programme: Reality [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Quentin Dupieux (read the article) and Senza nessuna pieta [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Italy’s Michele Alhaique. Another point of interest within Orizzonti is that Bac Films is negotiating deals for The President [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
film profile] by Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, UDI is in attendance with These Are the Rules [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Croatian filmmaker Ognjen Svilicic, DreamLab Films with Nabat by Azerbaijan’s Elchin Musaoglu, and Films Distribution with the Austrian feature Goodnight Mommy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Severin Fiala and Veronika …
film profile] by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (produced by Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion).

Films Distribution boasts two other Venetian gems on its line-up, with Terre battue (40-Love) [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Stéphane Demoustier (read the article) and Céline Sciamma’s Cannes selection, Girlhood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Céline Sciamma
interview: Céline Sciamma
film profile], which is among the three finalists for the LUX Prize awarded by the European Parliament and will be screened on this basis in the Venice Days.

Still in the Venice Days parallel section, Le Pacte will be there, all guns blazing, with Les Nuits d'été [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Fanfani
film profile] by Mario Fanfani (read the article), as will MK2 International with Métamorphoses [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christophe Honoré
film profile] by Christophe Honoré (read the article), and Wild Bunch with The Smell of Us [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pierre-Paul Puljiz
film profile] by Larry Clark (read the news). Also of interest in Venice Days is the fact that Le Bureau will be selling British film The Goob by Guy Myhill (read the article). 

Lastly, Premium Films will be selling Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere by Vietnamese director Nguyen Hong Diep, selected in the Critics’ Week.

(Translated from French)