Kit Harington, Naomi Scott, Jeremy Irons Romance Epic ‘Eternal Return’ to Hit Cannes Market (EXCLUSIVE)

The official synopsis for Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” is one of those rare occasions when a tightly-described premise encapsulates the immensity of a film: a janitor in Japan drives between jobs listening to rock music. In this case, the janitor is Hirayama (Koji Yakusho), an older man whose job is cleaning Tokyo’s elegantly designed public toilets.

Hong Sangam is soo’s In Our Day, the closing night film at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight sidebar, has sold to Cinema Guild for North America.

EXCLUSIVE: V Channels And Blairwood Entertainment have formed a partnership to present a slate of genres films collected under the title ‘V Channels Originals’ for world sales at the Cannes market, which ends this week.

EXCLUSIVE: Premiere Entertainment has snapped up world rights to the action-thriller MR-9: Do Or Die, starring Frank Grillo, Michael Jai White, and ABM Sumon.

EXCLUSIVE: The rain in Cannes managed to stop for a few hours on Saturday when Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park International hosted an exclusive event for buyers on the Croisette for its upcoming project Night Boat to Tangier, with Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, director James Marsh and producers Andrew Eaton and Conor McCaughan all in attendance for the intimate event.

EXCLUSIVE: AI is in the eye of the storm in LA right now amid the writers’ strike and is also a talking point at the Cannes Film Festival due to the de-aging of Harrison Ford for Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Veteran Italian auteur Silvio Soldini (“Bread and Tulips,” “Emma”) is set to direct “The Tasters,” which will reconstruct the true untold story of the women conscripted to be Adolf Hitler’s food tasters. The Nazi-era drama — which will mark Soldini’s first foray into German-language cinema — is based on the bestselling book “At the Wolf’s Table,” by Italian author Rosella Pastorino, about a group of women who were recruited by the SS in 1943 to make sure that food to be served to Hitler was not poisoned. Forced to eat what might kill them, the tasters start to split into two factions: those loyal to Hitler, and those who insist they aren’t Nazis, even as they risk their lives everyday for the Führer.  “At the Wolf’s Table” has been translated in 46 countries.

EXCLUSIVE: UK company Architect was recently founded by sales executives Calum Gray and Max Pirkis, together with Patrick Fischer and Richard Kondal of financier Creativity Capital.

Naman Ramachandran Film and TV finance company FilmHedge has joined forces with Riveting Entertainment Group in a $25 million first-look financing production partnership to significantly expand Riveting Films. The companies will collaborate on a broad slate of feature length films with the first one planned to begin production within the year. The deal was revealed at the ongoing Cannes Film Market, where FilmHedge is a sponsor of the Producers Network and the International Film Finance Forum. In addition to the financing deal, film and TV production company Southbox Entertainment (“Collateral Data,” “Witch Hunt”) has the option to provide supplementary equity financing to the collaboration, as well as future productions from Riveting Films.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate is launching sales in Cannes on thriller Boneyard, the true crime thriller starring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Oscar winner Mel Gibson.

Naman Ramachandran Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Jay Arnold’s award-winning LGBTQ+ romantic drama feature “Shoulder Dance” and will launch sales at the Cannes film market. The film stars Matt Dallas (“Kyle XY”), Rick Cosnett (“The Flash”), Taylor Frey (“It Chapter Two”), Samuel Larsen (“Glee”) and Maggie Geha (“Gotham”). Arnold (“What Happens Next”) directed from his original screenplay. The deal was negotiated between Breaking Glass Pictures CEO Rich Wolff, Amanda Rae Simon, Esq., COO Susan Helfrich, Arnold, and Ethan Bearman, Esq., The Bearman Firm.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don’t Cry), European Film Awards best actor winner Claes Bang (The Square), Sundance 2022 breakout Lily McInerny (Palm Trees and Power Lines) and French actress Nailia Harzoune (Gone For Good) are leading an English-language contemporary adaptation of French writer Françoise Sagan’s classic novel Bonjour Tristesse.

Malina Saval Associate Editor, Features Boy George, lead singer of Culture Club, was synonymous with 1980s pop culture. Following a string of ubiquitous international radio hits such as “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon,” the Grammy-winning singer embarked on a solo career, with his recording of “The Crying Game” punctuating Neil Jordan’s Academy Awarding-winning film of the same name. A steady fixture on reality shows as host of “The Voice Australia” and “The Voice U.K.,” Boy George is hitting the big screen, playing himself in Arclight Films’ comedy adventure “Arthur’s Whiskey,” starring Oscar-winner Diane Keaton, David Harewood (“Homeland,” “Blood Diamond”) and legendary Scottish recording artist Lulu. Arclight Films is handling worldwide rights to “Arthur’s Whiskey,” directed and co-written by Stephen Cookson. Arclight Films is selling the pic at the Cannes market. 

EXCLUSIVE: New Europe Film Sales has unveiled fresh deals for Danish director Ulaa Salim’s sci-fi drama Eternal.

EXCLUSIVE: British genre specialist Tea Shop, known for 47 Meters Down and coming off breakout thriller Fall, is lining up its next survival pic in the shape of The Bayou, which Architect is launching for sales in Cannes.

EXCLUSIVE: Actors Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror, best known for their martial arts work in John Wick: Chapter 4, have signed on to star in the action pic Diablo from director Ernesto Díaz Espinoza (The Fist of the Condor, Redeemer).

EXCLUSIVE: Django Unchained and Captain Marvel star Samuel L. Jackson has been set to star in death-row drama Last Meals, joining the previously announced Boyd Holbrook (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Narcos).

EXCLUSIVE: Mel Gibson is returning to the director’s chair for the first time since 2016 Oscar winner Hacksaw Ridge with movie Flight Risk, which will star Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg.

Naman Ramachandran Juno-winning and Grammy-nominated Canadian pop singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes’ original song “Something Big” will feature on the soundtrack of upcoming 3D animated family feature, “Butterfly Tale.” Montreal and Madrid-based international sales and distribution company Pink Parrot Media will represent the film at the upcoming Cannes film market. “Butterfly Tale” is set along the diverse, picturesque, and ever-changing backdrop of the great Monarch butterfly migration. It tells the tale of Patrick, a gutsy and loveable yet inept, one-winged butterfly who stows away in a milkweed trailer in order to be part of the journey of a lifetime. With his best friend, a goofy caterpillar named Marty, and Jennifer, a butterfly who is afraid of heights, Patrick becomes an unlikely hero. But first, he must face his fear, embrace his uniqueness and triumph over adversity while battling changing weather patterns, humans and three evil birds bent on revenge.

EXCLUSIVE: Coda star Emilia Jones is set to star in romance Charlie Harper, which Picture Perfect Federation is launching for sales at next week’s upcoming Cannes market.