Newen Connect has trotted Christian Duguay’s equestrian drama Ride Above across the globe, announcing sales just before the start of AFM.
The drama, produced by Paris-based Nolita Cinema, has sold throughout Europe to Germany’s DCM Film Distribution, Austria’s Polyfilm, Spain’s Deaplaneta, Portugal’s Lusomundo, Italy’s Eagle Pictures, Switzerland’s Pathé, Belgium’s Vertigo, Poland’s Best Film, Czech and Slovak Republic’s AQS and Bulgaria’s Beta Film.
The film will also jump across continents to Canada (Films Opale), Australia (Madman), Singapore (Shaw Renters), Latin America (CDC United Networks) and Skeye (Airlines).
Pathe will release the film in France on December 21, 2022.
Ride Above stars French director-actress Mélanie Laurent, whose credits include Mia And the White Lion, 6 Underground and Oxygen, alongside Pio Marmai who is set to star in Pathé’s upcoming €60m The Three Musketeers. Carmen Kassovitz also stars as a young girl born and raised among horses at her parents’ racehorse stable who forges a deep bond with one of the horses. When tragedy strikes, she and her family spend the next 15 years overcoming the odds of the devastating accident. The actress is notably the daughter of acclaimed French actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz.
The €15m production was shot between the Paris region and Normandy. Coproduced by TF1 Studio, France 2 Cinema and Pathe film, the film was also pre-sold to Canal+ and France 2 which will air the title following its theatrical end of year release.
French-Canadian director Duguay is behind successful French films such as 2013’s Jappeloup starring Guillaume Canet, Daniel Auteuil and Marina Hands, another human-animal bonding drama Belle & Sebastien about a boy and his dog, and 2016’s A Bag of Marbles set in occupied France.
The production team worked hand in hand with local handicap organisations to maintain a sense of verisimilitude when shooting such a sensitive subject. France Handicap, an association representing which represent people with disabilities, supervised the project and brought together professionals including ergotherapists, physiotherapists, and handicapped sports managers. On the equine side, the producers brought in former renowned jockey and coach Pierre Levesque, who is credited as trot advisor on the film, and Mario Luraschi, a dressage expert, as stunt and horse training specialist.
Sabine Chemaly, Newen Connect’s EVP international distribution, said the film “beautifully illustrates how humans, animals and nature are connected to each other, and how this indefectible bound makes us stronger. Together the horse and the girl will conquer the impossible. Passion, resilience, and courage are inspiring values nowadays and we are delighted to work with such great partners across the world.”
This will be Duguay’s first time working with Maxime Delaunay and Romain Rousseau’s Nolita Cinema, the French production company behind Netflix local language breakout hits No Limit and The Mad Women’s Ball, Jane Birkin - Charlotte Gainsbourg doc Jane by Charlotte, and French comedy and drama such as The Invitation, Memories and Boomerang.
Newen Connect, the distribution arm of Newen Studios, has finalised the integration of its sales teams and now operates international film sales under its own brand, replacing that of TF1 Studios. The newly- named film sales team, led by Chemaly, will be at AFM with several high-profile titles this year including English-language drama Funny Birds starring Catherine Deneuve and the just-announced On the Wandering Paths with Jean Dujardin.
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