Need to know: This is an auspicious year for Paris-based Maneki Films. It will have four productions in French cinemas in 2022, spanning David Moreau’s lion-cub adventure King (its most commercial production to date), Etienne Comar’s Singing Jailbirds, Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre’s first French-language feature Petite Fleur and Brazilian director Joao Paulo Miranda Maria’s Cannes 2020 label selection Memory House. Founding CEO Didar Domehri entered the film industry via sales and acquisitions at Playtime (then Films Distribution), before moving over to producing with Maneki’s creation in 2009. She enjoyed a breakthrough moment in 2012 when two productions she was involved in — White Elephant and 7 Days In Havana — were selected for Un Certain Regard. Directors she has followed from early on include Mitre, for whom Domehri also produced Paulina and The Summit, and Eva Husson, producing her debut feature Gang Bang (A Modern Love Story) and Cannes 2018 Competition title Girls Of The Sun.
Key personnel: Didar Domehri, CEO and producer; Marc Nicolaieff, business affairs, production manager; Clément Le Bras, production manager; Constance Lapeyre, head of development.
Incoming: Maneki is a co-producer on Un Certain Regard title Godland and producer on Directors’ Fortnight selection Under The Fig Trees. It is also involved in L’Atelier selection Cotton Queen by Qatar-based Sudanese-Russian director Suzannah Mirghani. Other projects in development include Pascale Lamche’s documentary Soul Sisters and new features by Husson, Ari Folman, Karim Aïnouz, Marion Vernoux, Eric Caravaca and Alex Lutz.
Didar Domehri says: “This year has been quite incredible when I look at all our films being released as well as what we have at Cannes. It also illustrates what I want to achieve with the company, in terms of working both with French directors and international talents.”
Contact: info@maneki-films.com
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