Cinema Guild Takes N. America On Pedro Costa’s Cannes Title ‘The Daughters Of Fire’; Plots Hong Sangsoo’s ‘In Water’ Double Bill

Melanie Goodfellow
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Cinema Guild has acquired North American distribution rights for Portuguese director Pedro Costa’s short film The Daughters of Fire, following its buzzy world premiere in Cannes this year.

Set against the backdrop of Costa’s stomping ground of the Atlantic Ocean island of Cape Verde, the film follows three sisters who are separated by the eruption of the local Fogo Volcano.

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They remain bound in spirit, singing the same words: one day, we will know why we live and why we suffer.

The Daughters of Fire received an enthusiastic reception in Cannes when it played as Special Screening Jean-Luc Godard’s Trailer of the Film that Will Never Exist: “Phony Wars” and Wang Bing’s 2023 Palme d’Or contender Man in Black.

For its North American theatrical release in late 2023 or early 2024, Cinema Guild is planning to play the short alongside Korean director Hong Sangsoo’s Berlinale 2023 Encounters title In water, for a Fire+Water double bill.

“There are too few opportunities for short films to play theatrically, but no recent short is more demanding of a theatrical experience than Pedro Costa’s monumental new work,” said Cinema Guild President Peter Kelly.

“We think audiences will be thrilled by the pairing of these two powerhouse filmmakers, each presenting one of their most daring offerings.”

The deal was negotiated by Kelly and Tom Sveen of Cinema Guild with Clarão Companhia, the film’s production company.

The film marks the first collaboration between Costa and Cinema Guild since 2014’s Horse Money. While in Cannes, Costa mentioned that the film is a test in preparation for a forthcoming feature film.

Cinema Guild’s further releases include Claire Simon’s Our Body and Angela Schanelec’s Music. Recent releases include Laura Citarella’s Trenque Lauquen, Helena Wittmann’s Human Flowers of Flesh and Hong Sangsoo’s Walk Up.

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