Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all North American rights for Catherine Breillat’s explosive drama “Last Summer” which competed at the Cannes Film Festival.
Produced by Said Ben Said at SBS, the film stars Léa Drucker as Anne, a brilliant lawyer who lives in perfect harmony with her husband Pierre and their six and eight‐year‐old daughters in the suburbs of Paris. One day, Theo, 17, Pierre’s son from a previous marriage, moves in with them. Anne is troubled by Theo and gradually engages in a passionate relationship with him, putting her career and family life in danger.
Drucker stars opposite Samuel Kircher (“Animal Kingdom”) and Olivier Rabourdin. Breillat wrote the film with the collaboration of Pascal Bonitzer. It’s an adaptation of May el-Toukhy’s “Queen of Hearts” which won the Audience Award at Sundance in 2019. Sideshow and Janus Films are planning a theatrical release following fall festivals.
“Catherine Breillat is one of the boldest and most thought-provoking directors on the subject of desire. It’s exciting to have her back after 10 years with one of her best films,” said Sideshow and Janus Films. “We are looking forward to introducing her to an entire new generation of moviegoers,” the company continued.
The acquisition represents Sideshow and Janus Films’ second pickup from this year’s Cannes festival, following Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses” which won the best actress prize for Merve Dizdar. Past Cannes acquisitions have included Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive my Car” which won the Oscar for best international feature, and Jerzy Skolimowski’s “EO,” which was nominated for best international feature at this Oscars this year.
The deal for “Last Summer” was negotiated by Pyramide International on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films.