IFC Films has acquired US rights to Bertrand Tavernier’s Cannes competition entry The Princess Of Montpensier. The company will release the film theatrically and via its IFC in Theaters on-demand platform.

Set in sixteenth century France against a backdrop of religious wars and intrigue, Tavernier’s dramatic love story stars Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Gaspard Ulliel, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet and Raphael Personnaz. Jean Cosmos, Francois-Olivier Rousseau and Tavernier wrote the screenplay based on the novel by Madame de la Fayette. The film was produced by Eric Heumann and co-produced by StudioCanal.

Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Entertainment, said in a statement: “We see many, many films but it has been a long time since we have seen a period costume drama that is as beautifully crafted as Bertrand Tavernier’s The Princess Of Montpensier. It’s perfect on so many levels, and Tavernier is really a master film-maker. It is always a great pleasure for us to do business with StudioCanal, especially on such a masterwork.”

The deal was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, senior vice president of acquisitions and co-productions for IFC Films and, on behalf of the film-makers, Harold Van Lier and Anna Marsh of StudioCanal.

Princess joins a list of acquisitions made by IFC at this week’s Cannes festival. Other buys have included Xavier Dolan’s Heartbeats, Antoine Blossier’s Prey and Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy.

IFC is also partnering with Sundance Channel on a multi-platform release for Olivier Assayas’ Carlos. Following a premiere on the Sundance Channel in October, IFC Films will distribute both the extended, three-part version of the film as well as a theatrical version nationally in theatres. The theatrical version will also be available nationally on video-on-demand.

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