SPC takes US on Palme d'Or hopeful Footnote

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North and Latin American rights for Joseph’s Cedar’s Palme d’Or contender Footnote from WestEnd Films in a pre-emptive bid, prior to the film’s official premiere Saturday.  The deal was brokered by WestEnd and ICM, the agents for Joseph Cedar.

Footnote marks the third deal between WestEnd and SPC, who also bought Stephen Frears’ Tamara Drewe and Rodrigo Garcia’s Mother And Child from the London-based sales agent and financier.

“Sony pictures Classics represents the best in world cinema”, explained WestEnd chairman and co-founder Sharon Harel. “They are the perfect home for this wonderful film and very special director.”

Sony Pictures Classics expressed their enthusiasm for the project: “When we met Joseph Cedar a few years ago, we knew he was a director of extraordinary talent. We are thrilled that he and our friends at WestEnd have agreed to be partners with us on what promises to be a major American release.”

Cedar’s film, which follows a great rivalry between a father and his son, their need for each other and their need for respect and recognition in the world, is the much anticipated fifth feature from Cedar, whose last film Beaufort was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 2008. Foonote stars Shlomo Bar Aba and Lior Ashkenazi, and was produced by David Mandil and United King.

This year’s festival marks three years of business for WestEnd, who launched in Cannes 2008.