Cannes 2022: What Has Sold So Far, From ‘Triangle of Sadness’ to ‘Corsage’ (Updating)

Cannes 2022: What Has Sold So Far, From ‘Triangle of Sadness’ to ‘Corsage’ (Updating)
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Cannes attracts a specific type of movie and film festival buyer. Rather than the crowd-pleasing Sundance film, the Neons, Sony Pictures Classics and Mubis of the world are on the hunt for the next arthouse event of the year, the movie that demands to be seen in a theater populated with other cinephiles, which led to big deals for titles like “The Worst Person in the World” and “Drive My Car.”

The 2022 competition slate, while already loaded with pre-sold films, includes some similarly auteur-driven work that should no doubt have some commercial appeal to the right buyer.

“Broker” – Neon

Neon ahead of the festival acquired competition title “Broker” from the Palme D’or-winning director of “Shoplifters,” Hirokazu Kore-eda. Kore-eda is Japanese but made his debut in Korean on “Broker” in partnership with the Korean media giant CJ ENM. The film follows Sang-hyun (Song Kang Ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong Won) as “brokers of goodwill,” who connect unwanted babies with new parents on the black market. When a new baby is dropped off, Sang-hyun and Dong-soo embark on a road trip to meet prospective parents, but are surprised when the birth mother (Lee Ji Eun) unexpectedly shows up to join them on their journey.

“Decision to Leave” – Mubi

Mubi was the surprise buyer at last year’s Cannes, and they wasted no time in 2022, picking up Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave,” a crime drama playing in the main competition that is the Korean director’s first feature film since 2016’s “The Handmaiden.” The film tells the story of a detective investigating the death of a man in the mountains, only to develop an interest in the dead man’s mysterious wife once she becomes a suspect in the case.

“The Five Devils” – Mubi

Mubi also acquired the rights to the Director’s Fortnight title “The Five Devils” from director Léa Mysius (“Ava”) and featuring star Adele Exarchopoulos (“Blue Is the Warmest Color”). The film follows newcomer Sally Dramé as a strange and solitary girl named Vicky with the magical gift of being able to reproduce and bottle any scent she finds — including that of her mother (Exarchopoulos). When her father’s sister (Swala Emati) suddenly reappears in their conservative Alpine village, Vicki finds that reproducing her aunt’s smell helps unlock a series of memories as well as secrets about her village and her family.

“All The People I’ll Never Be” – Sony Pictures Classics

Sony Pictures Classics didn’t just acquire “All The People I’ll Never Be,” but also renamed it “Return to Seoul” for its domestic release. Davy Chou directed the film that is playing in the Un Certain Regard competition of Cannes. The film is the story of a 25-year-old woman who, on an impulse, returns to her birthplace of South Korea for the first time, after being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.

“R.M.N.” – IFC Films

“R.M.N.” marks the fifth collaboration between Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu and IFC Films, which picked up his latest project ahead of its premiere in the Cannes main competition. The film stars Marin Grigore and Judith State and is the story of a man who, a few days before Christmas, returns to his multi-ethnic Transylvanian home after having quit his job and trying to become more involved with raising his son and reconnecting with his former lover.

“Enys Men” – Neon

Neon acquired the North American rights to “Enys Men,” a horror film from director Mark Jenkin that is premiering in the Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes. Mary Woodvine and Edward Rowe star in the film that was shot on 16mm color negative using a 1970s clockwork Bolex camera and post sync sound and was made to give the feel of discovering a mysterious old roll of celluloid. Inspired by “Don’t Look Now,” “The Wickerman” and “Straw Dogs,” the film is set in 1973 off the British coast at an uninhabited island and follows a wildlife volunteer who descends into a journey on the island that challenges her grip on reality.

“Corsage”

IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to “Corsage,” a costume drama starring “Phantom Thread” actress Vicky Krieps, that premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard competition. Marie Kreutzer directed the film that is a story about the Empress Elisabeth of Austria known by the name “Sissi” from the 19th Century. The film has earned rave reviews out of Cannes and is arguably one of the best reviewed films of the festival thus far.

“One Fine Morning”

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North American rights and other territories to “One Fine Morning,” the latest film from French director Mia Hansen-Løve and starring Léa Seydoux. The film played in the Director’s Fortnight section at Cannes and is the story of a young mother fighting to get her ailing father the proper care he needs while forming a passionate affair with an old friend.

“Aftersun”

A24 took the North American rights to “Aftersun,” Charlotte Wells’ tearjerker that stars Paul Mescal and played in the Critics’ Week section of Cannes. Barry Jenkins is listed as a producer on the film about a girl reflecting on her vacation with her father and the man she thinks she remembers.

“Triangle of Sadness”

In Neon’s third deal out of Cannes, the arthouse distributor acquired Ruben Östlund’s social satire “Triangle of Sadness,” which is playing in the main competition at the festival. Harris Dickinson and Woody Harrelson star in the English-language gross-out comedy about a luxury cruise for the super-rich that winds up shipwrecked on a deserted island.