Rosalie Varda, a seasoned French film producer who is the daughter of late New Wave filmmaking icons Agnes Varda and Jacques Demy, has been appointed senior advisor at MK2 Films.
MK2 Films is part of the arthouse production, sales and exhibition group headed by Nathanael and Elisha Karmitz which had five movies in competition at Cannes last year and in 2018.
Under this newly-created position, Varda will be advising Nathanael Karmitz at MK2 Films on the acquisition and distribution strategy, in France and abroad, with regards to the company’s prestigious library which boasts more than 800 movies, including many classics by François Truffaut, Charlie Chaplin, Alain Resnais, as well as Varda and Demy, among others.
Activities linked to its library are a significant part of MK2 Films’ business. MK2 Films recently signed a non-exclusive deal with Netflix in France giving the streaming service access to 50 movies from MK2’s library, notably pics by Truffaut, Chaplin and David Lynch, in 2020.
Aside from her work at MK2 Films, Varda will maintain her role at Ciné-Tamaris, the Paris-based company founded by Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy in 1954. Rosalie Varda and her brother Mathieu Demy, a filmmaker, are now spearheading the banner.
MK2 Films’ managing director Juliette Schrameck recently stepped down and won’t be replaced, Nathanael Karmitz told Variety. MK2 Films’ staff include Fionnuala Jamison who heads international sales with Ola Byszuk, and French distribution.
The company’s current slate includes Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World,” and Alex Helfrecht’s hybrid feature “A Winter’s Journey,” adapted from Franz Schubert’s “Winterreise.”