Bac Films has scooped up Hélène Merlin’s feature debut “Cassandre,” with the Gallic outfit set to launch international sales at next week’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris.
Set in a rural idyll during the summer of 1998, the coming-of-age drama casts rising star Billie Blain (“The Animal Kingdom”) opposite screen stalwart Zabou Breitman (“The New Look”), following an adolescent girl as she forges a new sense of self post-puberty.
“In the family’s small manor, her parents and older brother notice that her body has changed,” reads the description. “Fortunately, Cassandre is passionate about horses, and she joins a small riding center for the holidays, where she’s embraced as an odd but endearing character. Here, she discovers a different kind of normal, one that gradually frees her from the family dynamic that threatens to engulf her…”
“We are thrilled to have taken on Hélène Merlin’s debut,” says Bac Films’ Vincent Llobell. “We were captivated by the script right from the start, and seeing the finished product only confirmed our intuition. Working on a first film is always both a challenge and a privilege – and this bet paid off. Given the results, we hope to develop strong bonds with this filmmaker.”
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This latest acquisition kicks off a period of more forceful activity for the sales outfit, which had been focusing on four to five acquisitions a year since the pandemic. Going forward, Bac Films now aims to nearly double those numbers; they’ll launch two titles at next month’s EFM in Berlin while looking to acquire two more, and will attend Cannes with a similar remit.
“The company’s acquisition strategy is shifting from a more compact approach to a more aggressive one,” says Llobell, noting that Bac Films is above all looking to acquire first or second features and to help nascent auteurs break into the arthouse market.
“The objective in the next couple of years is to have seven to eight titles a year, all while sticking to our credo of discovering new French and international arthouse auteurs,” Llobell adds. “So we’re on the lookout for a lot of projects, and especially those that showcase new talents – really, a lot like Hélène Merlin.”