CANNES: Sundance Selects Takes U.S. Rights To Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘Like Someone In Love’
On the final day of the Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Selects has picked up all U.S. rights to Abbas Kiarostami‘s competition title “Like Someone In Love.”
The film — starring Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno and Ryo Kase — marks one of many Cannes titles Sundance Selects and sister company IFC Films have acquired. Others include “On the Road,” “Beyond the Hills” and “The Angels’ Share,” all also in competition.
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films, with Victoire Thevenin of MK2 on behalf of the filmmakers.
Full press release below.
CANNES, FRANCE (May 27, 2012) – Sundance Selects announced today from the 2012 Cannes Film Festival that the company is acquiring all US rights to LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE directed and written by former Palme d’Or winner Abbas Kiarostami (CERTIFIED COPY, THE TASTE OF CHERRY). The film is an MK2 and Eurospace Production. It stars Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno and Ryo Kase. It was produced by Marin Karmitz (MK2) and Kenzo Horikoshi (Eurospace), and associate produced by Nathanael Karmitz and Charles Gillibert. LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE made its world premiere in competition earlier in the week at the Cannes Film Festival.
In his follow-up to the stateside hit CERTIFIED COPY (which starred Juliette Binoche), Abbas Kiarostami’s returns with yet another dazzling cinematic puzzle. An old man and a young woman meet in Tokyo. She knows nothing about him. He thinks he knows her. He welcomes her into his home. She offers him her body. Soon it becomes apparent that the web that is woven between them in the space of 24 hours bears no relation to the circumstance of their encounter.
Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: “It’s a great honor to continue our relationship with Abbas Kiarostami after our successful collaboration with him on CERTIFIED COPY. His latest film is a beautiful, mysterious masterpiece that we hope to continue to build his following with in the US. We are also clearly very happy to be working with our good friends at MK2 and also with Eurospace.”
IFC Films/Sundance Selects recently announced that it had acquired Walter Salles’ ON THE ROAD which is an MK2 production. The film screened to acclaim earlier in the week at Cannes in Competition. The two companies have previously collaborated on Gus Van Sant’s PARANOID PARK, Olivier Assayas’ SUMMER HOURS, Abbas Kiarostami’s CERTIFIED COPY and the upcoming Assayas’ film SOMETHING IN THE AIR.
Sundance Selects/IFC Films is already a major American presence at Cannes this year with several films already screening at the festival: Walter Salles’ competition film ON THE ROAD which the company acquired right before the festival began and will release jointly under IFC Films and Sundance Selects; Cristian Mungiu’s competition film BEYOND THE HILLS which is being releasedunder the Sundance Selects label; Adam Leon’s SXSW-winner GIMME THE LOOT which is also being released under Sundance Selects and is screening in Un Certain Regard; Rodney Ascher’s Sundance sensation ROOM 237 which was acquired for IFC Midnight and is screening at Director’s Fortnight; Ken Loach’s competition film THE ANGELS’ SHARE which Sundance Selects acquired during the festival; Ben Wheatley’s dark comedy SIGHTSEERS which is screening in Director’s Fortnight, and was acquired by IFC Films during the festival; and IM Sang Soo’s competition film THE TASTE OF MONEY which the company acquired yesterday for its IFC Midnight label.
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Victoire Thevenin of MK2 on behalf of the filmmakers.
Sundance Selects is a sister label to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.
