Dark Star Pictures has come on board to release Patricia Mazuy’s “Saturn Bowling” (“Bowling Saturne”) in the U.S.
The deal, brokered by Paris-based sales agent Totem Films, marks the first U.S. deal for a film by Mazuy, despite the filmmaker having received a retrospective at the Lincoln Center in 2019.
The pic is written by Yves Thomas and Mazuy. It is produced by Patrick Sobelman (Agat Films & Cie, Ex Nihilo). The cast includes Arieh Worthalter, Achille Reggiani, Y Lan Lucas and Leila Muse.
“Bowling Saturne” follows police officer Guillaume, who inherits his family’s bowling business following his father’s death. He decides to give it to his troubled half-brother, Armand, but Guillaume is later distracted from his work in investigating a series of murders by his sibling’s unusual management of the business along with a team of hunters and an environmental activist.
Describing the film, Mazuy said: “The adventure of the film was to follow a tragedy in the present, a ‘film noir’ that is rooted in today’s world — to bring something of today into a film that deals with heritage and violence, in a primitive way.”
Mazuy has a reputation for a singular directorial vision that she has developed over three decades across a filmography of narrative features and documentaries. “Saturn Bowling” is Mazuy’s fifth film. The director’s “Peaux de vaches” was nominated for the best feature César in 1990, while “Saint-Cyr” picked up eight César nods in 2001. Her other films include “Sport de filles” and “Paul Sanchez est revenu!”
“Saturn Bowling” will be released in France on Oct. 26. The Paris Cinémathèque is also organizing its own retrospective of Mazuy.
The director’s next project, which has ARTE on board, is set to star actors Isabelle Huppert and Hafzia Hersi, though other details about the project aren’t yet known.
“Saturn Bowling” is travelling around the festival circuit, and recently played at Busan.