Bankside locks Cannes deals

UK sales outfit Bankside Films has concluded a raft of Cannes deals on its growing slate, including multiple sales on new Julianne Moore drama Freeheld and Mickey Rourke title Ashby.

Peter Sollet’s US drama Freeheld, due to shoot this summer with Julianne Moore, Ellen Page and Michael Shannon, has sold to Italy (Videa-CDE), Greece (Hollywood Entertainment), Israel (Shani Films) and South Africa (M-NET).

These are in addition to sales previously announced by Screen including Australia/New Zealand (Entertainment One), UK/Eire (Entertainment One), Benelux (Wild Bunch), Latin America (CDC United Network) and Middle East (Front Row Entertainment).

Tony McNamara’s upcoming comedy-drama Ashby, set to star Rourke, Nat Wolff, Emma Roberts and Sarah Silverman, was bought for CIS (Exponenta), Greece (Hollywood Entertainment), Middle East (Shooting Stars) and South Africa (M-NET) while Chris Smith’s new thriller Detour sold to CIS (Exponenta) and Middle East (Shooting Stars).

Steven Shainberg’s upcoming romance The Big Shoe, due to star Jim Strugess and Kristen Stewart, has inked deals in CIS (Luxor), Eastern Europe (Ablo), Israel (Forum Film), Latin America Pay TV (Ablo), Middle East (Shooting Stars), South Africa (M-NET) and South Korea (Focus & Company).

Completed titles Back Track and Hector & The Search for Happiness were also in demand.

Michael Petroni’s ghost story Backtrack, starring Adrien Brody and Sam Neill, traveled to Hungary (Cinetel), Mexico (Alebrije Entertainment), Pan Latin Pay Television (Alebrije Entertainment), Middle East (Front Row) and Peru/Bolivia/Equador (Delta Films).

Peter Chelsom’s comedy Hector & The Search for Happiness, starring Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Toni Collette, Jean Reno, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, additionally went to Japan (Transformer Inc) and Former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom).

“This year marks an important stage of growth of us and we are delighted that our slate is being so well received in the international market place,“ said Stephen Kelliher, Bankside head of sales and marketing.  “We look forward to continued growth and expansion as the year progresses.”

Bankside’s Belle continues to perform well in the US for Fox Searchlight in its fourth week, accumulating close to $4m from a limited run and recorded one of the week’s best holdover screen averages for an independent at $3,753.