François Scippa-Kohn’s Distrib Films has acquired US rights to French coming-of-age drama Block Pass (La Pampa), Antoine Chevrollier’s debut feature that first premiered at Cannes’ Critics’ Week.
Pulsar Content is handling international sales for the film that has sold some 154,000 tickets (and grossed approximately €1.1mn) since its February 5th release for local distributor Tandem.
The LGBTQ+ story focuses on the long friendship between two teenage boys in a small town – one a daredevil motocross competitor hiding a secret, and his friend and loyal sidekick who is mourning the death of his father. Sayyid El Alami and Amaury Foucher star as the young duo alongside Damien Bonnard and Artus.
Chevrollier is best known for directing police brutality drama Oussekine, TV spy thriller series The Bureau and political drama Baron Noir. Block Pass is produced by Agat Films – Ex Nihilo. The film won a special jury prize for directing and the best male performance award for El Alami at Cinemania in addition to a trio of awards at Angers’ Premiers Plans film festival.
Distrib Films’ CEO Scippa-Kohn called the film “an absolute shock,” and adds: “The movie mixes various genres and has kept us on edge from the first to the last minute.” Distrib Films plans to launch the film at springtime international and LGBTQ+ festivals in the US before “securing venues in main US markets keen for foreign language movies.”
Pulsar Content’s slate also includes Chloé Robichaud’s Sundance competition jury prize-winning Two Women, feature documentary The Musician And The Whale, Alice Douard’s Love Letters starring Ella Rumpf and Monia Chokri, Damien Dorsaz’s biopic Lady Nazca, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jane Goodall exec-produced adventure film Howl, and French actress Joséphine Japy’s feature debut The Wonderers starring Mélanie Laurent.
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