M-Appeal Scores Further Deals for Romantic Drama ‘Let Me Go,’ Starring Cesar Winner Jeanne Balibar (EXCLUSIVE)
Maxime Rappaz’s debut film “Let Me Go,” which plays in the Cannes ACID sidebar, has been sold to Brazil and Taiwan. The film stars Cannes regular Jeanne Balibar in the lead role as a fiftysomething woman torn between her family commitments and pursuing her own desires.
Every Tuesday, a neighbor takes care of Claudine’s son while she goes to a mountain hotel to meet men passing through. When one of them decides to extend his stay for her, Claudine is confused and finds herself dreaming of another life.
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Imovision has acquired all rights for Brazil, and will release the film in cinemas after a Brazilian festival premiere. “The mise en scène is excellent and Jeanne Balibar is extraordinary,” Jean-Thomas Bernardini, president of Imovision, commented.
Andrews Film has acquired all rights for Taiwan, where the film joins a distribution slate including “Aftersun,” “One Fine Morning’ and “Drive My Car.”
The film has already been acquired in Germany (Alamode), Japan (Mimosa Films) and South Korea (PoongKyung SoRi/Scene & Sound). Eurozoom is handling the release in France.
Speaking to Variety about how she approached the role, Balibar explained: “I deliberately played all the scenes in the mountains in a very different manner [compared to] the ones in the valley. It shows that Claudine’s personality can’t express itself fully in just one place: she needs both of them. The valley is all about motherhood and her paying attention to others. The mountain – about her own body and the sense of freedom.”
A regular on the Croisette and a well-known figure of French cinema, Balibar won the César best actress prize for Cannes Un Certain Regard title “Barbara,” directed by Mathieu Amalric (2017). She was on the Cannes Competition Jury in 2008, and has starred in “Cold War,” “Les Misérables” and “Memoria.” She starred in the HBO TV series “Irma Vep,” her third collaboration with Olivier Assayas following his 1998 film “Last August, Early September” (for which Balibar won the best actress award at San Sebastian Film Festival), and his 2004 Cannes Competition title “Clean.”
“Let Me Go” is produced by Gabriela Bussman and Yan Decoppet of Switzerland’s GoldenEggProduction, co-produced with France’s Paraíso Production and Belgium’s Fox the Fox Productions. The film is supported by France’s CNC, Switzerland’s Office Federal de la Culture, Cinéforom and Swiss Television.
M-Appeal has also closed distribution in Mexico and Argentina for “Valeria Is Getting Married,” by Michal Vinik, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year. Mirada Distribution will release the film theatrically in both countries in the last quarter of 2023. In Germany, the film will be released by W-Film in cinemas across the country on May 25.
The sales outfit also secured German distribution with GMfilms for Tallinn title “A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On,” by Gentian Koçi, with a theatrical release planned for fall 2023.
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