Pathe International racks up 100 deals on its Cannes slate

Pathé International is reporting brisk business in Cannes this year, with Christophe Gans’ Beauty And The Beast (La Belle et La Bête) and Denis Villeneuve’s [pictured] An Enemy leading the way.

“We have found that in the current economic climate distributors are looking for unique and intelligent projects to connect with the audiences,” said Pathé sales chief Muriel Sauzay.

The company said it had closed some 100 deals across its slate.

Beauty And The Beast, starring starring Vincent Cassel, Léa Seydoux and Gérard Depardieu, was sold to Russia (West Video), South Korea (Unikorea), Spain (Dea Planeta), China, Greece (Feel Good Entertainment), Middle East (Phars),Czech & Slovak Republic (Hollywood Classic) and Hungary (MTVA) and Indonesia (PT Amero)

Villeneuve’s mysterious thriller An Enemy was picked up for Russia (Carmen), Middle East (Phars), Turkey (BIR Films), Latin America (Imagem), Thailand (M Pictures), South Korea (Noori), Portugal (Lusomondo), Greece (Video Seven), Isreal (Orlando) and Indonesia (PT Amero).

What’s In A Name? (Le Prénom) added a slew of new territories including Russia (Daro), Greece (Filmtrade), Argentina (Telexcel) and Hungary (MTVA). The film was picked up prior to Cannes for Germany (Warner), Italy (Eagle) and Spain (Vertigo).

Romcom Happiness Never Comes Alone (Un Bonheur N’Arrive Jamais Seule), starring Sophie Marceau and Gad Elmaleh, was acquired for Germany (Senator), Russia (Daro), Spain (Dea Planeta), Turkey (Chantier), Middle East (Phars), Czech & Slovak Republic (Hollywood Classic), Portugal (Lusomondo), Greece (Video Seven), Hong Kong (Deltamac) and Thailand (M Picture).

Feature-length animation Zarafa, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, added sales to Russia (West Video), Germany (Alamode), South Korea (Uni Korea), Hungary (MTVA), Greece (FilmTrade) and Romania (Metropolis).

Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar’s comedy Bowling, about a group of women trying to save a maternity unit in Brittany, has been sold to Germany (Alamode), Middle East (Phars), Turkey (Chantier), Greece (Feel Good Entertainment) and Israel (Orlando).

Omid Nooshin’s Last Passenger also picked up sales in Cannes to Japan (CCC), Mexico (Santo Domingo) and Argentina (Dist Co). Eurofilms picked up the picture for Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Pre-Cannes sales include to the US (Cohen Media, Germany (Square one), Lusomundo (Portugal), Russia (Paradise), Poland (Best film), Brazil (Playarte), Middle East (Phras), Chantier (Turkey) and India (Picture works).

Nicholas Bary’s Bonheur Des Ogres starring Bérénice Béjo, Raphael Personnaz and Emir Kusturica, was snapped up for Italy, Middle East (Phars), Turkey (BIR Films) and Greece (Video Seven).