Wild Bunch International (WBI) has acquired worldwide rights to Salam, about former French rap star Diam’s, ahead of its world premiere as a special screening in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival (May 17-28).
The festival announced the title as a late addition to the line-up at the end of April but released few details for the work apart from the fact that it is co-directed by Diam’s, 2016 Caméra d’Or winner Houda Benyamina (Divines) and Anne Cissé.
Diam’s (aka Mélanie Georgiades) was a huge star in France in the 2000s, selling some four million albums at home and racking up hundreds of millions of YouTube views. She suddenly withdrew from public life at the height of her success in 2008, having just won a slew of awards including the MTV European Music Award for best French artist.
For the first time, Diam’s speaks candidly about her tortured and suicidal past and how she found salvation.
WBI is handling all territories apart from France which has already been acquired by Pan Distribution which is planning a release on 500 screens this summer.
It is produced by burgeoning French short video platform Brut, which is an official partner of Cannes for the first time this year, and French production companies Black Dynamite Production and M by MY Productions.
New familly drama
WBI has also announced it will launch sales on veteran French director Philippe Garrel’s new feature The Plough. The family drama revolves around three siblings, a father and a grandmother who run a travelling puppet show. When the father dies during a performance, the remaining family members try to keep his legacy alive.
Garrel has long cast his children Esther and Louis Garrel in his features. For the first time, his youngest daughter Lena Garrel, who has appeared in features by other directors, will also join her siblings on the big screen. The film is now shooting and is produced by Paris-based company Rectangle Productions as a co-production with Arte France Cinéma and Close Up Films.
Rectangle’s recent credits include Venice Golden Lion winner Happening and Garrel’s last film The Salt Of Tears, which premiered in Competition at Berlin in 2020.
Ad Vitam has taken French rights.
WBI’s Cannes slate features 14 titles in Official Selection and the parallel sections as well as new projects from Ken Loach and Maïwenn.
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