08/06/2006

Unlike many professionals who returned from last month’s Cannes Film market with mixed sales results, French international sales outfit Wild Bunch made a clean sweep at the market, making the most of its impressive line-up, which included no less than seven titles in official competition (see news and article).

Besides the excellent sales of Buenos Aires 1977 by Israel Adrián Caetano, the team, headed by Vincent Maraval, sold Summer Palace by China’s Lou Ye, as well as Spanish production Pan's Labyrinth [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see news). Already pre-bought by eighteen territories, Guillermo del Toro’s film added Italy, Japan and Korea to its list of territories. Only Germany is missing from its international list of conquests, but negotiations are set to conclude in two weeks.

Sales also got off to a good start for Italian feature The Family Friend by Paolo Sorrentino (see article), which was acquired by the UK (Artificial Eye), Italy, Australia, New Zealand, France (Pyramide Distribution), Switzerland (Frenetic Films), Greece (Spenzos), Romania, Israel and Mexico. No Asian territories have yet been acquired, as buyers have not yet seen the film, which was screened in the closing days of competition.

Moreover, Wild Bunch completed its sales of The Caiman [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean Labadie
interview: Nanni Moretti
film profile] by Nanni Moretti, which was pre-sold to twenty territories and acquired in Cannes for Korea, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

As regards international productions, buyers snapped up several projects, including Woody Allen’s next film, still without a title, a Wild Bunch co-production set to begin shooting in the UK in two weeks’ time. The film has already been sold to almost all territories.

(Translated from French)