Cannes 2024 Sales: Andrea Arnold’s ‘Bird’ Goes to MUBI
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Cannes is over, the prizes have been given out at Saturday’s awards ceremony., and buyers have gone home, but the deals haven’t stopped. Some of the buzziest titles ahead of the festival are still are awaiting buyers. This year’s market hasn’t been weighed down by the writers or actors strikes in the same way as last year, meaning companies like A24, Neon, Apple, and more have jumped in on exciting packages of possibly future contenders, while art house, specialized distributors like Sideshow and Janus Films, MUBI, and Metrograph have been especially active.
Below we’re tracking everything that gets acquired throughout the festival and beyond.
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Films Acquired After the Festival
“Gazer”
Section: Director’s Fortnight
Director: Ryan J. Sloan
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Date Acquired: May 29
Cast: Ariella Mastroianni
Buzz: As IndieWire exclusively reported, Metrograph went big on this neo-noir thriller with a unique concept from a debut director who along with the film’s star self-funded the movie and shot it in between working shifts as an electrician.
“Bird”
Section: Competition
Director: Andrea Arnold
Buyer: MUBI
Date Acquired: May 26
Cast: Barry Keoghan, Nykiya Adams, Franz Rogowski, Jasmine Jobson, James Nelson-Joyce
Buzz: MUBI’s third buy out of the main competition after “The Substance” and “The Girl with the Needle,” Andrea Arnold’s latest coming-of-age story follows a 12-year-old girl’s (Nykiya Adams) journey to self-acceptance in northern Kent. She copes with a tense relationship with her father, Bug (Barry Keoghan), and forms a friendship with a drifter named Bird (Franz Rogowski). MUBI already had UK rights and now has added North America. IndieWire spoke to the lead actors out of the festival here.
Films Acquired During the Festival
“It’s Not Me”
Section: Cannes Premiere
Director: Leos Carax
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Date Acquired: May 24
Buzz: Sideshow and Janus won’t stop. Their latest pickup featured the biggest director yet in Carax but perhaps the strangest film, with the French auteur doing his best Jean-Luc Godard impression in this experimental “self-portrait” that plays like a collage of silent films, Old Hollywood classics, and home movies.
“Miséricorde”
Section: Cannes Premiere
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Date Acquired: May 24
Cast: Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Jacques Develay and David Ayala
Buzz: Sideshow and Janus Films’ third acquisition out of Cannes is for a film IndieWire has a sweet spot for, the dark comedy and genre film “Miséricorde” (aka “Misericordia”) from the director of “Stranger By the Lake.” The distributors are planning a theatrical release and picked up North American rights to the film that tells the story of a man who returns to his hometown for the funeral of his former boss and stay with his boss’ widow, only to encounter a mysterious disappearance, a threatening neighbor, and a priest with strange intentions. IndieWire talked with Guiraudie about everything from “gay angst” to penises on screen in a wide-ranging interview out of the festival.
“Night Call”
Section: Completed Film
Director: Michiel Blanchart
Buyer: Magnet Releasing
Date Acquired: May 23
Cast: Jonathan Feltre, Jonas Bloquet, Romain Duris
Buzz: Magnolia’s genre arm picked up this thriller that screened at the market and is the story of a locksmith on the run from a mob boss after he opens a lock allowing someone to steal the mobster’s bag of cash. Magnet plans to release the film later this year. Blanchart is making his feature debut on the project, but his recent short film “You’re Dead Helene” was shortlisted for an Oscar and is being adapted into a feature as produced by Sam Raimi.
“Emilia Pérez”
Section: In Competition
Director: Jacques Audiard
Buyer: Netflix
Date Acquired: May 23
Cast: Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofia Gascon
Buzz: Could Netflix have a Palme d’Or winner on its hands? Variety first reported that Netflix is nearing a deal for the Jacques Audiard film that’s earned raves and had the starriest cast out of the competition lineup. But Netflix reportedly only picked up U.S. and UK rights along with some other territories rather than the world for $12 million. Netflix had no comment. The acquisition along with the earlier “Monsanto” news would be a big stake in the ground for Netflix’s new film chief Dan Lin.
“Monsanto”
Section: Package
Director: John Lee Hancock
Buyer: Netflix
Date Acquired: May 23
Cast: Glen Powell, Laura Dern, Anthony Mackie
Buzz: One of the biggest splashes out of Cannes so far is Netflix taking a worldwide deal on one of the hotter packages on the market, the legal drama “Monsanto” based on a true story of an upstart lawyer taking on the American chemical giant over whether the weed killer Roundup was safe. Michael Wisner, Alexandra Duparc, Ned Benson, and John Lee Hancock wrote the script, and Rocket Science and CAA handled the sale. The project reunites Netflix with Powell ahead of him starring in “Hit Man” from Richard Linklater. Deadline reported that Netflix acquired the film for roughly $34 million, just a little shy of what Apple also reportedly spent on “Tenzing.”
“Flow”
Section: Un Certain Regard
Director: Gints Zilbalodis
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Date Acquired: May 22
Buzz: Sideshow and Janus Films wasted no time in making yet another splash in Un Certain Regard (their second acquisition) after the animated apocalyptic cat movie “Flow” received a standing ovation after its premiere earlier in the day. “Flow” is already scheduled to play next at Annecy next month, and the distributors are planning a theatrical release.
“The Kingdom”
Section: Un Certain Regard
Director: Julien Colonna
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Date Acquired: May 21
Cast: Ghjuvanna Benedetti
Buzz: Metrograph’s second acquisition out of Cannes also came from Un Certain Regard, and this time the distributor picked up a very commercial mob thriller from the debut filmmaker Colonna. IndieWire’s review called it an “intense coming-of-age crime saga” and compared it to the 1980 crime classic “The Long Good Friday.” Metrograph is planning a theatrical release and will announce plans at a later date.
“The Death of Robin Hood”
Section: Package
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Buyer: A24
Date Acquired: May 21
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer
Buzz: One of the hottest packages to hit the Cannes market, A24 beat out other buyers for the U.S. rights in a competitive situation for this new take on Robin Hood. The official synopsis reads: “Grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, an aging Robin Hood finds himself gravely injured after a battle he thought would be his last. In the hands of a mysterious woman, he is offered a chance at salvation.” Production is expected to begin February 2025 with A24 planning a theatrical release. Lyrical Media is fully financing the film.
“Sentimental Value”
Section: Package
Director: Joachim Trier
Buyer: Neon
Date Acquired: May 21
Cast: Renate Reinsve
Buzz: Neon is reuniting with the director and star of its Cannes hit “The Worst Person in the World” for their next film “Sentimental Value,” which is a family drama that Neon will release theatrically in 2025. Trier co-wrote the screenplay with Eskil Vogt. Principal photography will begin in August in Norway and France.
“Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat”
Section: Completed Film
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Buyer: Kino Lorber, with Kanopy
Date Acquired: May 21
Buzz: This documentary first premiered at Sundance and won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize. The film is an essay film blending jazz and politics while examining the assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. It will be released theatrically this fall followed by a home video and educational release from Kanopy.
“Santosh”
Section: Un Certain Regard
Director: Sandhya Suri
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Date Acquired: May 20
Cast: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar
Buzz: Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, who previously won the World Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for “I For India,” made her narrative-feature directorial debut on this police procedural about a widow who inherits her husband’s job as a police constable and is brought under the wing of a feminist inspector to investigate the murder of a girl. IndieWire’s review called it a “master class of subtlety” and a no-frills thriller. A theatrical release is being planned, but there’s no release date yet.
“All We Imagine as Light”
Section: In Competition
Director: Payal Kapadia
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Date Acquired: May 20
Cast: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon, Azees Nedumangad
Buzz: “All We Imagine As Light,” the first film in 30 years to play in competition from India, was acquired by Sideshow and Janus Films ahead of its premiere on Thursday. After previously nabbing “Drive My Car” and “EO,” Sideshow and Janus picked up rights for North America to the Indian drama and are planning a theatrical release. The film is set in Mumbai and follows a nurse who becomes troubled when she receives a gift from her estranged husband. Kapadia, just one of four women competing for the Palme this year, previously directed the 2021 documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing” that played in Director’s Fortnight. Check out the trailer for “All We Imagine As Light” here.
“The Entertainment System Is Down”
Section: Package
Director: Ruben Östlund
Buyer: A24
Date Acquired: May 19
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, Nicholas Braun, Daniel Brühl, Samantha Morton
Buzz: Two years after winning his second Palme d’Or for “Triangle of Sadness,” Ruben Östlund returned to Cannes with one of the hottest packages for sale at the festival. His latest project, “The Entertainment System Is Down,” appears to be another satire of opulent living in the vein of “Triangle of Sadness.” The film follows a group of passengers on a lengthy flight who react in horror after finding out that the entertainment system has crashed. IndieWire can confirm that A24 acquired the rights to the film after a competitive bidding war at Cannes.
“The Girl With the Needle”
Section: In Competition
Director: Magnus von Horn
Buyer: MUBI
Date Acquired: May 19
Cast: Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm
Buzz: MUBI’s second acquisition of a competition title (it has a third with UK rights for Andrea Arnold’s “Bird”) this time came in the form of the chilling, black and white true story about a Danish serial killer. IndieWire’s B+ review called it “handsome and captivating” with a “rug-pull” moment of a twist.
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
Section: In Competition
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Buyer: Neon
Date Acquired: May 18
Cast: Setareh Abdolmaleki, Zahra Rostami, Amineh Mazroei Arani
Buzz: The international film community watched in horror this month as Mohammad Rasoulof, who has faced years of legal harassment from Iranian authorities over his provocative filmmaking, was sentenced to eight years in prison and a flogging just days before his new film was slated to premiere at Cannes. He eventually escaped Iran and plans to come to Cannes with his latest film, which offers his perspective on the country’s oppressive legal system. The film’s topicality could make it a major player in the Palme d’Or race when it premieres on Friday.
“The Monkey”
Section: Post-Production
Director: Osgood Perkins
Buyer: Neon
Date Acquired: May 18
Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood
Buzz: In yet another pre-sale for Neon, the distributor bought the next film from director Osgood Perkins (“Longlegs”) after already launching sales on another film from Perkins at the Cannes market, “Keeper.” “The Monkey” is a horror film adaptation of a Stephen King short story from 1980. Production wrapped in March, and the film will be released theatrically in 2025.
“The Unknown”
Section: Package
Director: Arthur Harari
Buyer: Neon
Date Acquired: May 17
Cast: Léa Seydoux
Buzz: It’s no surprise Neon would want a reunion with Harari, the co-writer of last year’s Palme winner “Anatomy of a Fall.” But a team-up with Seydoux is even more exciting, even if plot details are still as unknown as the film’s title. Harari is writing and directing the feature, his first feature since 2021’s “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle,” and Neon is already eyeing a 2026 theatrical release for the film.
“Memoir of a Snail”
Section: Completed Market Title
Director: Adam Elliott
Buyer: IFC Films
Date Acquired: May 16
Cast: Sarah Snook, Jacki Weaver, Eric Bana, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Buzz: “Memoir of a Snail” is just the second stop-motion animated feature from the director of the acclaimed “Mary and Max,” and it’s also the first animated voice role for “Succession” star Sarah Snook. The film is about a lonely misfit girl who falls into anxiety and depression when she’s separated from her twin brother.
“Tenzing”
Section: Package
Director: Jennifer Peedom
Buyer: Apple
Date Acquired: May 14
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe
Buzz: The first competitive deal out of the Cannes market was a worldwide buy from Apple for this Mt. Everest thriller about the true story of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay from Tibet, who in 1953 after six failed attempts became the first person to summit Mt. Everest alongside New Zealander Edmund Hillary (Hiddleston). Casting is underway for the role of Tenzing. Luke Davies (“Lion,” “Beautiful Boy”) wrote the script, and Peedom, known for her mountaineering documentaries “Sherpa” and “Solo,” has a close relationship with the Tenzing family and Sherpa community.
“Alpha”
Section: Package
Director: Julia Ducournau
Buyer: Neon
Date Acquired: May 14
Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Tahar Rahim
Buzz: Described as another “genre-defying” film in a reunion between the “Titane” director and Neon, Julia Ducournau’s next feature “Alpha” will begin shooting this fall and was one of IndieWire’s hot package titles heading into the Marché du Film. Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are selling the movie for the rest of the world.
Films Acquired Before the Festival
“The Substance”
Section: In Competition
Director: Coralie Fargaet
Buyer: MUBI
Date Acquired: May 8
Cast: Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Demi Moore
Buzz: Just one of four films playing for the Palme coming from a female director in 2024, “The Substance” is a body horror film from the director of “Revenge” with an elusive premise about a revolutionary new product designed to make a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” you. “What could possibly go wrong,” the synopsis reads.
“Parthenope”
Section: In Competition
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Buyer: A24
Date Acquired: May 3
Cast: Gary Oldman
Buzz: A24 didn’t wait to jump into the Palme d’Or race, acquiring what will be Sorrentino’s seventh film in competition over a week before its festival premiere. The film stars Gary Oldman and was shot in Capri and Naples with Sorrentino’s “Hand of God” cinematographer Daria D’antonio.
Films Arriving with Distribution
“Anora”
Section: In Competition
Director: Sean Baker
Distributor: Neon
Cast: Mikey Madison, Ivy Wolk
Buzz: Described only as a story about a sex worker that’s also an adventure rom-com, Baker’s eighth feature was shot on 35mm and is his second to compete for the Palme after 2021’s “Red Rocket.”
“Kinds of Kindness”
Section: In Competition
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, Hunter Schafer
Release Plans: June 21, 2024
Buzz: Fresh off winning Emma Stone her second Oscar, Lanthimos’ triptych anthology film, previously titled “AND,” is a welcome return for the director to a contemporary setting.
“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
Section: Un Certain Regard
Director: Rungano Nyoni
Distributor: A24
Cast: Henry B.J. Phiri
Buzz: Filmed in Zambia with the backing of A24, BAFTA winner Rungano Nyoni is returning to Cannes for just her second feature after she competed for the Golden Camera in 2017 for her debut “I Am Not a Witch.”
“Universal Language”
Section: Director’s Fortnight
Director: Matthew Rankin
Distributor: Oscilloscope
Buzz: The director of 2019’s “The Twentieth Century” returns with this surreal comedy of intertwining stories across Winnipeg, in which he directs, writes, and this time around even stars. Oscilloscope’s head of acquisitions Aaron Katz tells IndieWire the film is “weird and kooky,” and like an Iranian movie that was actually made in Canada, and thus an homage to Iranian cinema and its auteurs. It also reunites O-Scope with Rankin and pairs him with a producer who is a Cannes veteran and Xavier Dolan collaborator.
“Ernest Cole: Lost and Found”
Section: Special Screenings
Director: Raoul Peck
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Cast: LaKeith Stanfield, as the voice of Ernest Cole
Synopsis: Magnolia picked up Raoul Peck’s (“I Am Not Your Negro”) latest documentary about the Black freelance photographer Ernest Cole as a package back at least year’s Cannes and are premiering it finally this year. The film explores how Cole fled South Africa in 1966 and found exile in the U.S. to become a seminal figure in photographing New York City and the American South, leading him to publish his book “House of Bondage.” It also uncovers 60,000 of his 35mm film negatives previously thought to be lost.
“Rumours”
Section: Out of Competition
Director: Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson, Evan Johnson
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Cate Blanchett
Buzz: Executive producer Ari Aster described Maddin’s “Rumours” — incredibly, the eccentric Canadian filmmaker’s first formal trip to Cannes — as “stoopid, hilarious, and wonderful.” Let’s just say it’s better suited for the Croisette than TIFF.
“Horizon: An American Saga”
Section: Out of Competition
Director: Kevin Costner
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Michael Angarano, Jena Malone, Dale Dickey
Release Plans: June 28, 2024
Buzz: It’s been 20 years since Costner was last in Cannes, and he’s returning with his long-gestating Western passion project. Each of the two films set for release this summer will screen at the festival.
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
Section: Out of Competition
Director: George Miller
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Plans: May 24, 2024
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth
Buzz: We would’ve loved to see George Miller in competition with “Furiosa,” but we’re happy to see some vehicular carnage on the Croisette regardless. The early hype for the movie is ecstatic.
“Good One”
Section: Director’s Fortnight
Director: India Donaldson
Distributor: Metrograph Pictures
Cast: Lily Colias
Buzz: This family drama and coming-of-age story set amid a forest backpacking trip first premiered in competition at Sundance earlier this year. IndieWire had the exclusive first-look at the trailer released ahead of its Cannes debut.
“Ghost Cat Anzu”
Section: Director’s Fortnight
Director: Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita
Distributor: GKIDS
Buzz: This Japanese anime first screened as a work-in-progress at last year’s Annecy Film Festival and tells the story of an 11-year-old girl sent to live with her grandfather, a monk who asks his ghost cat to watch over her.
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