Cannes Winner ‘The Worst Ones’ Picked Up by Kino Lorber

Kino Lorber has acquired the French-language Cannes award winner “The Worst Ones” for a U.S. and Canada theatrical release following its North American premiere at the Toronto film festival in September.

The French drama marks the feature debut of Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, the directing duo behind the 2016 short film “Chasse Royale.” It premired earlier this year at Cannes, where it took top honors in the Un Certain Regard category.

“The Worst Ones” follows the production of a feature film whose director seeks to cast actors from a housing project in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France. Four working class teenagers, considered “the worst ones” by the locals,” are chosen to star in the project. Throughout the process of auditioning, rehearsing and shooting, “jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise, with thought-provoking and at times darkly funny results,” the official description puts reads.

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The film stars Mallory Wanecque, Timéo Mahaut, Johan Heldenbergh, Loic Pech, Mélina Vanderplancke, Esther Archambault, and Matthias Jacquin. Along with Akoka and Gueret, “The Worst Ones” was written by Eleonore Gurrey and produced by Marine Alaric and Frédéric Jouve for Les Films Velvet.

“We could not be happier that our movie is being distributed in the US and has the opportunity to be seen by the American public,” Akoka and Gueret said. “We hope that viewers will be touched by the universal message of the film, although it is deeply based in the north of France. We are also honored that the movie is being distributed by the amazing Kino Lorber, which has distributed some of the best French filmmakers and more globally the new generation of innovative cinema.”

“One of the finest films in this Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, and its top prize winner, ‘The Worst Ones’ is an impressive debut from Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, two astute, insightful filmmakers whose sharp eye for talent is on display in the incredible performances from their young cast of non-professional actors,” Kino Lorber president and CEO Richard Lorber said.

The deal was negotiated by Kino Lorber senior vice president Wendy Lidell and Agathe Mauruc for Pyramide Films.

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