26/09/2006

Films Distribution’s highly successful sales at Venice and Toronto confirms the healthy state of the world sales outfit.

A fitting example of this is sales on Days of Glory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean Bréhat
interview: Rachid Bouchareb
film profile] by Rachid Bouchareb, which are following an upward trend, picking up the following territories: (Metrodome Distribution), Spain (Notro Films), Denmark (Ost For Paradis), Sweden (Folkets Bio ), Belgium (Belga Film), the Netherlands, Poland (Gaby), Turkey, Brazil, China, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and North America (with the Weinstein Company and IFC Films).

This list could yet grow longer, as the film has been shortlisted as the Algerian candidate for the 2007 Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film.

According to Didar Domehri, head of international sales at Films Distribution, the Cannes prizewinner Flanders [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Bruno Dumont is also continuing to make excellent sales with the UK (Soda Pictures), Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, Korea, Thailand, China, Brazil, Israel and Canada.

Sales on Venice title Bare Property [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Belgium’s Joachim Lafosse (see interview) have got off to an excellent start, helped by unanimously good reviews. The film has already been acquired by Spain, Italy (BIM Distribuzione), Switzerland (Agora Films), Austria (Stadtkino Filmverleih), France (Haut et Court), Argentina and Brazil, while negotiations with the US are well underway.

Films Distribution also took advantage of Toronto to finalise sales to Brazil on The Page Turner [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Denis Dercourt
interview: Michel Saint-Jean
film profile] by Denis Dercourt (see Focus) and also to present Armenia [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Robert Guédiguian (acquired by Brazil and Canada), Cages [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Belgium’s Olivier Masset-Depasse (sold to Korea – read interview) and One To Another by the directing duo Pascal Arnold and Jean-Marc Barr (with negotiations underway for the US).

Meanwhile, Fallen [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Austria’s Barbara Albert has been acquired by Lady Film for Italy and negotiations have begun with France.

The warmly received Venice Days title The Night of the Sunflowers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alina Sigaro
interview: Belén Bernuy
interview: Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo
film profile] by Spanish helmer Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo (see Focus) has whetted the outfit’s ambitions at the American Film Market (November 1-8), which will host the world premiere of animated film Piccolo et Saxo by Eric Gutierrez and Marco Villamizar.

New projects lined-up at Films Distribution include Orsay by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, starring Juliette Binoche; Lemon Tree by Eran Riklis; and Cotex by Nicolas Boukhrief.

(Translated from French)