Match Factory Boards Cannes Directors’ Fortnight U.S. Indie Title ‘The Sweet East’

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Sales agency The Match Factory is launching the trailer (below) of Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s “Fallen Leaves,” which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in Competition. This gentle tragicomedy is the fourth part of Kaurismäki’s working-class quartet, following “Shadows in Paradise,” “Ariel” and “The Match Factory Girl,” which The Match Factory, the company, is named after. The film tells the story of two lonely people (played by Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen) who meet each other by chance in the Helsinki night. They then try to re-find each other: the first, only, and ultimate love of their lives. Their path toward this goal is clouded by the man’s alcoholism, lost phone numbers, not knowing each other’s names or addresses, and life’s tendency to place obstacles in the way of those seeking their happiness.

Marta Balaga The Fantastic Pavilion, a new hub for the genre community set to make its debut at this year’s Cannes’ Marché du Film, has revealed its seven Gala screenings. Over May 16-21, industry professionals will get to “appreciate the diversity of genre offerings coming from all over the world,” tease the organizers. They will also be able to create new alliances and acquire titles from companies like Raven Banner, MPI Media, Screenbound and Mantícora. “The reason for the Pavilion is that we needed space to do better business and help newcomers integrate more easily, and faster, into this constantly growing industry,” says Fantastic Pavilion executive director Pablo Guisa Koestinger. “Genre needs to take the place it deserves and it’s Fantastic Pavilion’s mission to help to achieve this.”

Nine months after reality star Khloé Kardashian announced she and ex-partner Tristan Thompson had welcomed their second child via surrogate, it seems fans are finally (or potentially) in the know when it comes to the youngster’s name. To recap, the 38 year old shared the news of her new baby boy via social media in August 2022, and during season two of The Kardashians, opened up about the drama surrounding the birth. FYI, we’re talking about Tristan’s cheating and baby scandal.

 alum Lindsay Arnold is officially a mother of two! Arnold shared on Instagram that she gave birth to a baby girl Wednesday afternoon.Arnold initially shared an update Wednesday saying that «contractions are slowing down now like 20-25 mins apart!» She then added another Story on her Instagram, writing, «Soooo we are heading to the hospital! Contractions are in full effect and about 2-3 minutes apart.»In her third Story, Arnold is seen lying in her hospital bed holding her baby girl. She wrote, «She is here and healthy arrived this afternoon will share more soon.»Then, on Thursday morning, Arnold posted two photos of herself in the hospital bed in what appears to be just moments after she gave birth, via c-section.

Gkids has snapped up North American rights to Toei Animation’s film The First Slam Dunk, an adaptation of the hugely popular Takehiko Inoue manga, which Inoue wrote and directed for the screen. The film which has already proven a smash hit in other territories, grossing over $212M globally, will hit theaters in the U.S. and Canada in both its original Japanese language and an all-new English-language dub later this summer.

EXCLUSIVE: Black Bear International and UTA Independent Film Group have launched world sales on On Swift Horses, the buzzy project we told you about two months ago starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where The Crawdads Sing), Jacob Elordi (Euphoria), Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Diego Calva (Babylon) and Sasha Calle (The Flash). The film is currently in post-production.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Magnolia Pictures International has acquired worldwide sales rights — including U.S. sales rights — to heist comedy-drama “The Delinquents” from Argentinian writer-director Rodrigo Moreno (“The Custodian”). The film will world premiere as part of the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. In “The Delinquents,” the routine lives of two bank employees, Morán and Román, break down when Morán steals a small fortune from the bank’s vault. On the run, he glimpses a possible alternative to the gray life he’s been living and, in addition, falls in love. But he is forced to choose between this radical alternative and following through on his heist plans, so he resigns himself to a short prison stint. His colleague Román, unwillingly in possession of the stolen money, feels trapped by the secret he’s keeping; his paranoia increases until he too finds a way out, and also discovers a new love. But, bound by their common destiny (highlighted by the similarity of their names), the two protagonists are inevitably drawn together again.

Sean Prince Williams made his name with cinephiles as the DP on several recent movies like the Safdie Brothers‘ “Good Time,” Alex Ross Perry‘s “Her Smell,” “Tesla,” and Abel Ferrara‘s “Zeroes And Ones.” Now it’s his turn to sit in the director’s chair.  The Match Factory brings Williams’ directorial debut, “The Sweet East,” to the Cannes Film Festival this year, where it has its world premiere as part of the Directors’ Fortnight.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Match Factory has boarded Sean Price Williams’s “The Sweet East,” which has its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival in May. It is the first feature film directed by Price Williams, the cinematographer of Owen Kline’s “Funny Pages” (2022), Abel Ferrara’s “Zeros and Ones” (2021), Michael Almereyda’s “Tesla” (2020), Alex Ross Perry’s “Her Smell” (2018) and the Safdies’ “Good Time” (2017). The screenplay is by film critic and programmer Nick Pinkerton. “The Sweet East” is a picaresque journey through the cities and woods of the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. undertaken by Lillian, a high school senior from South Carolina, who gets her first glimpse of the wider world on a class trip to Washington, D.C.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Quentin Tarantino has been named honorary guest at the upcoming edition of Directors’ Fortnight, the selection running alongside the Cannes Film Festival. The tribute will take place on May 25, on the closing of Directors Fortnight. “As an exceptional and generous cinephile, Tarantino is at home at the Fortnight. He will be our guest this year to present a secret screening and discuss his counter-history of cinema,” said Directors’ Fortnight in a statement. Tarantino was recently in Paris to promote his first non-fiction book, “Cinema Speculation,” which tells his coming-of-age as a director through a look at iconic American films from the 1970s era.

Quentin Tarantino will attend Cannes Directors’ Fortnight as a guest of honor on May 25 for a special event consisting of a secret screening and a discussion on his counter-history of cinema, the parallel sidebar has announced.

Last week, the initial lineup for the Cannes Film Festival was released. There were some heavy hitters involved in that announcement, as per usual when it comes to one of the biggest showcases of cinema in the world.

Incoming Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Delegate General Julien Rejl has unveiled his inaugural line-up for the 55th edition of the parallel sidebar, running May 17 to 26.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Tribeca Festival has announced the lineup of its 2023 festival, which includes new films from actors Chelsea Peretti and David Duchovny and documentaries about Rock Hudson and news anchor Dan Rather. This year’s event, which takes place from June 7-18, will feature 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries. There will be 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and six New York premieres. Among the lineup, there are offerings from 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. For the first time, more than half of feature films in competition (68%) are directed by women, while 41% (45) of all feature films are directed by women. Additionally, 36% (39) of feature films are directed by BIPOC filmmakers, including two indigenous filmmakers.

Last week, the initial lineup for the Cannes Film Festival was released. There were some heavy hitters involved in that announcement, as per usual when it comes to one of the biggest showcases of cinema in the world.

Christopher Vourlias Paris-based sales outfit Totem Films has acquired “A Song Sung Blue,” by Chinese director Zihan Geng, and “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry,” from Georgian filmmaker Elene Naveriani. Both films will premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. “A Song Sung Blue” is the feature debut of the Beijing-born Geng. The coming-of-age story follows 15-year-old Xian, who’s left in the care of her estranged father, a struggling photographer, after her mother is compelled to travel to Africa for work. Over the course of a restless summer, Xian befriends 18-year-old Mingmei, the daughter of his father’s assistant-turned-girlfriend, and soon finds herself looking up to the older girl.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Dubai-based sales agency Cercamon has picked up international rights to “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” by first-time feature director Pham Thien An. The film will have its global premiere next month in the Directors Fortnight section of the Cannes film festival. Pham Thien An previously made short films “The Mute” in 2018 and the one-take “Stay Awake, Be Ready” in 2019. Both enjoyed a busy festival career, with “Stay Awake” earning the Illy Prize in Cannes followed by additional awards at the Palm Springs, Busan, Kyiv and Flickerfest events. “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” follows the emotional journey of Thien, who is entrusted with the responsibility of delivering his sister-in-law’s body to their hometown after a tragic motorcycle accident in Saigon. Amidst this heartbreaking task, Thien also takes care of his nephew, Dao, a five-year-old survivor of the accident. As they traverse the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, Thien embarks on a quest to find his long-lost brother and reunite him with Dao, a journey that ultimately leads him to question his faith.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent New films from Hong Sang-soo and Michel Gondry will world premiere at Directors Fortnight, a selection running parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. This edition marks the first under the leadership of Julien Rejl as artistic director. Succeeding to Paolo Moretti, Rejl was named by the governing body of Directors’ Fortnight, the SRF (Société des réalisateurs de films), as part of a rebranding. Unlike previous artistic directors for this selection, Rejl doesn’t come from the festival circuit. He was previously in charge of distribution, international co-productions and international sales at Capricci, an arthouse film banner based in Paris.

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight has announced the selection for its 55th edition, running May 17 to 26.

EXCLUSIVE: Details are emerging about Wim Wenders’ 3D documentary Anselm, which will gets its world premiere as a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival next month.