Sideshow, Janus Films Acquire North American Rights to Alain Guiraudie’s ‘Misericordia’ Out of Cannes

EXCLUSIVE: Abramorama has acquired North American theatrical distribution rights to the award-winning documentary Join or Die, a film about community in America, the loneliness epidemic and Robert Putnam’s famed “Bowling Alone” research on civic decline and renewal. Directed by sister-brother team Rebecca Davis (Netflix’s Explained) and Pete Davis (author of Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing).

Gkids has acquired theatrical, videogram and digital transactional rights to the new anime series Dan Da Dan. The acquisition serves as Gkids’ first engagement with a first-run series, following North American distribution of various famed retrospective series work. No release date is set.

EXCLUSIVE: Abramorama has acquired North American theatrical distribution rights to the Michael Douglas-narrated documentary America’s Burning, directed by bestselling writer David Smick and produced by Ian Michaels.

After premiering in competition at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Catherine Breillat‘s first film in a decade, “Last Summer,” finally hits US theaters. Granted, it only screens at Angelika Film Center and Film At Lincoln Center in NYC, but after the stir the film caused on the Croisette, New Yorkers should seek it out next month.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Montreal-based distributor K-Films Amérique has acquired Canadian rights to Algerian multi-hyphenate Chakib Taleb Bendiab’s upcoming thriller “Algiers” that delves into the local phenomenon of child abduction. “Algiers,” which will go by the title “196 métres” in France, is set to have its theatrical release in movie theatres in Québec in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to a statement. K-Films Amérique is an indie distributor which services the Canadian province of Quebec where French is the official language.

Jessica Kiang Marking a welcome re-embrace of the streamlined murdery perversities of his terrific “Stranger by the Lake,” Alain Guiraudie gives the Cannes Premiere section one of its darkly sparkling standouts with the unsettlingly offbeat “Misericordia.” In the director’s best work, Guiraudie’s trademark is to infuse genre dalliances with mordant wit and a deliciously peculiar, defiant queerness. And while it may initially appear to be straightforward — and while it thankfully avoids the wild tonal swings of muddy tragicomedy “Staying Vertical” (2016) and rather baffling terrorism sex-farce “Nobody’s Hero” (2022) — nobody could ever accuse this increasingly twisted psychodrama of playing it straight.

Grindstone Entertainment Group has bought North American rights to Uppercut, a boxing thriller starring Ving Rhames, for Hello Moment Productions.

Jack Dunn Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired North American rights for Gints Zilbalodis’ animated adventure film “Flow,” which premiered in Un Certain Regard at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. “We were so excited to see what Gints Zilbalodis would do after his surprising debut feature ‘Away’ in which he did almost all of the work single-handedly,” said Sideshow and Janus Films in a joint statement.

Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired the North American rights for Gints Zilbalodis’s animated feature Flow, following an enthusiastic standing ovation at its world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard on Wednesday.

EXCLUSIVE: Neon has prebought North American rights to Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, the latest project from the Norwegian director that stars Renate Reinsve. 

EXCLUSIVE: Altered Innocence has picked up all North American rights to Iranian filmmaker Kaveh Daneshmand’s first feature film Endless Summer Syndrome which debuted last year at Tallinn Black Nights before playing Raindance, Goa IFF, and Fantaspoa. 

EXCLUSIVE: ITN Distribution has picked up the holiday rom-com Christmas Overtime starring Meghan Carrasquillo, Adam Brudnicki, and Jadon Cal for North America. 

Katcy Stephan Indian Paintbrush founder Steven Rales has purchased Criterion and Janus Films. The mission and leadership of the companies will not change following the private transaction.

An hour into “Misericordia,” there is a scene so shocking that it might leave viewers’ mouths agape in disbelief. Only it is a mere conversation between two people.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sideshow and Janus films (“Drive My Car”) have acquired all North American rights to Payal Kapadia‘s “All We Imagine as Light,” the first Indian film to screen in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 30 years. The movie will world premiere on Thursday, May 23. It’s also one of only four films in the Competition directed by a woman.

Selena Kuznikov Neon has acquired the North American rights to “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. The thriller is set to premiere In Competition in Cannes on May 24, and marks Rasoulof’s first return to the Cannes Film Festival, after being barred from traveling.

Neon has grabbed North American rights to The Seed of the Sacred Fig, the latest film from Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof (There Is No Evil, Manuscripts Don’t Burn). 

Neon has picked up North American rights to The Unknown, the next feature from Anatomy of a Fall writer Arthur Harari. 

EXCLUSIVE: Focus Features has acquired U.S. rights and select international territories on upcoming thriller Last Breath, starring Woody Harrelson, Finn Cole and Simu Liu. Focus will distribute the Alex Parkinson-directed title in the U.S. with Universal Pictures International handling select territories including France, Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Vietnam. 

EXCLUSIVE: Quiver Distribution announced today the acquisition of North American rights to the upcoming psychological thriller Detained directed and co-written by Felipe Mucci (Two Deaths of Henry Baker) and Jeremy Palmer and starring Abbie Cornish (Amazon’s Jack Ryan, Bright Star, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Laz Alonso (Amazon’s The Boys, Avatar, Fast & Furious).