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Playtime (“Goodnight Mommy”) is producing and repping international sales on Safy Nebbou’s “Nobody’s Son,” a heart-wrenching adoption drama starring Romain Duris (“The Animal Kingdom”), at the Cannes film market.

Co-produced by Mandarin & Compagnie, the project has been boarded by Sony Pictures International Productions which will handle the release in the U.S., Canada, South America and France. Playtime is handling sales in the rest of the world.

The film, penned by Nebbou, revolves around Thomas and his wife, Mathilda, who finally adopted four-year-old Mapring from Thailand. “But just as their new life begins, Mathilde dies in a tragic accident, leaving Thomas alone with a child he barely knows and never truly wanted. Lost and grieving, he

decides to return to Thailand in search of Mapring’s roots and biological mother—and perhaps, in the process, heal both their fractured hearts,” reads the synopsis.

Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, François Yon at Playtime Production,...

Denis Imbert’s hiking drama has sold to Canada, Spain and Germany.

TF1 Studios-owned Newen Connect has unveiled new sales on Denis Imbert’s hiking drama On the Wandering Paths and Philippe Lacheau’s wacky wedding comedy Alibi.com 2.

On The Wandering Paths stars Jean Dujardin as a celebrated writer who decides to hike alone across France after falling from a building and waking up from a coma.

Following market screenings at Unifrance’s January Rendez-Vous in Paris, Newen has sold the film to Tva in Canada, Vercine in Spain and X Verleih in Germany and Austria, New Cinema in Israel,...

A breakdown of all 16 films screening at the 11th Panama Int’l Film Festival:

“Aftersun,”

Winner of the French Touch prize at Cannes’ Critics Week this year, “Aftersun” turns on Sophie who recalls her precious last holiday with her father when she was 11. Decades later, she reflects on their relationship and tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t. Produced by “Moonlight’s” Barry Jenkins along with Adele Romanski, Amy Jackson and Mark Ceryak.

Aftersun

“Argentina 1985,”

Winner of the Audience Award at the 2022 San Sebastian Film Festival and Argentina’s submission to the Oscars, drama is inspired by the true story of lawyers Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo and their young legal team who dared to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship and bring justice to the victims of the Military Junta. AA critics’ favourite and box office phenomenon in Argentina.

“Bratan” (“Brother”), Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov,...

Newen Connect also launching international sales on ’The Madness Express’ starring Elsa Zylberstein.

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TF1 Studios-owned Newen Connect is launching international sales on Denis Imbert’s On The Wandering Paths and Olivier Van Hoofstadt’s The Madness Express at this year’s American Film Market.

On The Wandering Paths is an adaptation of Sylvain Tesson’s book of the same name and stars Jean Dujardin alongside a cast of local young actors including Jonathan Zaccai, Joséphine Japy and Izïa Higelin. A first look image from the project has also been revealed (see above).

The film is produced by Radar Films.

‘The Velvet Queen: Snow Leopard’, ‘Casablanca Beats’ land in cinemas.

Universal’s Downton Abbey: A New Era looks to revive a flagging box office this weekend, as the second-widest opening of all time in the UK and Ireland.

The film will start in 746 locations, behind only the 772 of Universal stablemate No Time To Die from September 2021, and ahead of previous record holder Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker from 2019.

Those films started with £21m and £14.4m respectively. Despite the wide opening, an eight-figure start is probably beyond A New Era; the first Downton Abbey film started with £5.2m from 732 sites...

There are believed to be fewer than 7,000 snow leopards alive in the world today. It’s hard to be certain because they live in some of the world’s most remote regions, rarely coming into contact with humans. Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier’s documentary, best seen on the biggest available screen, sees Munier accompanying novelist and adventurer Sylvain Tesson on a journey across the desolate landscape of the Tibetan plateau in search of these magnificent animals, hoping to capture them on film.

The quest is a difficult one, not just because of the rarity of the animals and the ruggedness of the terrain, but for a very mundane, practical reason. This is some of the highest land on the face of the Earth. It rises up into the clouds and, as such, it is often enveloped in them. To search for anything there is to spend much of one’s time blundering through.

This account of a photography expedition in Tibet goes beyond usual nature documentary territory in its writerly contemplation of the wild

In 2019, French travel writer Sylvain Tesson published The Art of Patience: Seeking the Snow Leopard in Tibet – an account of his travels with the equally renowned wildlife photographer Vincent Munier, searching for the near-legendary snow leopard, as well as foxes, bears and other marvellous animals in the stunningly stark and remote landscape. This is the film which Munier was co-directing at the time with Marie Amiguet about their experiences together, with music by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave.

The relationship between the two men could easily have been an insufferable teaming-up of macho guys congratulating themselves on their superiority to big city folks and their primal connection to magnificent beasts (and all films like this stand in the shadow of Herzog’s Grizzly Man). But their images have real power,...

Do you see the Tibetan snow leopard in Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier’s majestic documentary The Velvet Queen (La Panthère Des Neiges)? Photo: Haut et Court

In 2021, Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier’s majestic documentary The Velvet Queen (La Panthère Des Neiges) with commentary by Sylvain Tesson, an unwavering dramatic score by Warren Ellis, and the haunting ‘We Are Not Alone’ sung by Nick Cave, had a World Première Special Screening at the Cannes Film Festival.

The three amigos, Vincent Munier with Marie Amiguet and Anne-Katrin Titze on the Nick Cave, Warren Ellis song We Are Not Alone and the score: “I followed their art for a long time and we tried by sending a draft of the movie and they accepted.”

In 1962, French structural anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss in his work on totemism, coined the phrase that “animals are good to think with.” In the mountains of Tibet, the...

Adult demos slow to embrace cinemas might be even slower this holiday weekend amid a barrage of breathless Omicron headlines — that aren’t all bad. It spreads fast but seems less virulent than previous strains and might burn out faster.

“I think we might get dinged a little bit,” said one distribution executive. However, “This not like 2020. We are in a much different world. Then, I felt like I was rightfully terrified.” Execs are hopeful that a nascent specialty uptick in recent months – recovery might be too strong – only will be diverted short term before resuming course. “These doomsday headlines are pretty temporary,” said one. “I think January will be very interesting.”

Venturing out for the holidays, we have Joel Coen’s acclaimed The Tragedy of Macbeth in black and white from A24 and Apple opening Saturday at 30 theaters in North America, with a limited expansion in January to 125-200 screens.

Reflections on nature, humanity’s negligence, and mortality, as well as an inquiry into the righteousness of restraint, all propel “The Velvet Queen” (“La Panthère des Neiges”), a new documentary from director Marie Amiguet. Part travelogue, part meditation, it’s a journey in search of the elusive Tibetan snow leopard, “the spirit of the mountain” high in the Himalayas, a quest guided by Vincent Munier, a life-long naturalist, and professional wildlife photographer. Accompanying him at 16,400 ft in subzero temperatures is globetrotter and writer Sylvain Tesson, who also narrates.

The two venture into the wild, beautiful, yet daunting region “unmarked by human hand,” where the simple act of waiting is explored as a cure for the hysteria of modern society. A requiem for the call of the wild, if it’s philosophizing paints a cynical picture of humanity’s plight, its breathtaking images overpower it.

While the film’s synopsis suggests...

A svelte, slinky figure in spotted silvery blond, the snow leopard is one of the great haughty glamazons of the animal kingdom — a status suitably acknowledged in the English-language title of “The Velvet Queen,” French docmaker Marie Amiguet’s lovely, unexpected screen ode to the little-seen feline. (The original French title is the rather more prosaic “La panthère des neiges.”) Yet if the title implies the naturalist’s equivalent of diva worship, the film’s approach surprises us, fixating less on the furry dazzle of the snow leopard in her natural Tibetan habitat than on the very act of looking at nature in the first place. Joining two compatriots — leading wildlife photographer Vincent Munier and adventurer Sylvain Tesson — on an arduous trek to catch sight of the beast, the doc thoughtfully ponders the conflicted nature of a one-way relationship between watcher and watched.

More art-house than Animal Planet, complete with...

It follows photographer and explorer Munier and writer Sylvain Tesson as they attempt to track down elusive snow leopards in the heart of the Tibetan highlands.

Modern Films has secured UK and Ireland rights to French documentary The Velvet Queen (La Panthère des Neiges), which debuted at Cannes and played in the Best of Fests section at International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) this week.

The UK distributor plans to release the feature theatrically in early 2022.

Directed by Marie Amiguet, whose credits includeThe Valley Of The Wolves, and Vincent Munier, and produced by Paprika Films, best known for March Of The Penguins and Amazonia,...

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have shared “We Are Not Alone,” the first single from their original soundtrack for the upcoming documentary Les Panthére Des Neiges. The album arrives on Dec. 17 via Invada Records/Lakeshore Records. The film will be released in the U.S. on Dec. 22.

The accompanying video for the single (which is a different edit than what will appear on the album) features footage from the Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier-directed film. In the documentary, wildlife photographer Munier and novelist Sylvain Tesson explore valleys on the...

"We are so indifferent to the world around us. Hardly aware of it." Madman Films has unveiled an official trailer for a nature documentary called The Velvet Queen, made by French filmmaker Marie Amiguet. It first premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in their newest climate section. In the heart of the Tibetan Plateau, photographer Vincent Munier brings along the writer Sylvain Tesson in his search for the snow leopard. Throughout the two months of this hypnotic journey, Marie Amiguet films the two men up close & captures these suspended moments of the celebration of the world's beauty. A poetic film featuring "deeply moving images of pristine landscapes and the marvelous creatures populating Tibet with original music by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis. The Velvet Queen film is... an exquisitely beautiful experience that leaves us questioning where humans belong in nature." I love a good nature documentary that let's us simply bask...

Last year, the pandemic forced organizers to call off the full-fledged Cannes Film Festival. This year, the festival staged a comeback and welcomed industry players, including distributors looking for completed films at the buzzy festival, back to the Croisette July 6-17.

There was plenty of market activity from the start. Some of the buzzy titles that scored early distribution include Leos Carax’s English-language debut and festival opener “Annette.” Amazon scooped that up four years ago. Another Cannes favorite director, Paul Verhoeven, saw his latest effort, lesbian nun drama “Benedetta,” acquired by IFC Films.

IFC announced another acquisition, Mia Hansen-Løve’s”Bergman Island,” the day after the festival lineup was announced.

Last year’s Cannes included a list of official selections that allowed films to display the festival’s laurels, including Oscar winner “Another Round.” But actual activity was limited to a very abbreviated “special edition” staged in October, plus...

Mediawan Group has acquired a majority stake in Hugo Selignac’s Chi-Fou-Mi, the thriving Paris-based outfit behind Cedric Jimenez’s “Bac Nord” which world premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

The deal follows Mediawan & Leonine Studios’s joint acquisition of Drama Republic, a major U.K. TV production banner, which was announced the start of Cannes by Mediawan’s co-founder Pierre-Antoine Capton and Leonine Studios CEO Fred Kogel.

The acquisition of Chi-Fou-Mi underscores Mediawan’s drive to become a major purveyor of premium content; and will solidify Mediawan’s footing in the French film business.

Chi-Fou-Mi is a 10 year-old company boasting an access to A-list French talent and a track record with popular and ambitious French films such as Gilles Lellouche’s “Le Grand Bain,” Antonin Baudry’s Omar Sy starrer “Le chant du Loup,” Jeanne Herry’s “Pupille,” Romain Gavras’ “Le Monde est à toi” and...

Radar Films, the Mediawan-owned production banner, is reteaming with “The Deep House” filmmakers Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo on “North Sentinel.” The well-established company, which is headed by Clement Miserez and Matthieu Warter, is developing several other English-language projects including a genre twist on “The Phantom of the Opera” directed by Xavier Gens (“The Divide”).

Rolling off “The Deep House,” an underwater horror film that was just acquired by Blumhouse and Epix, Maury and Bustillo will next direct “North Sentinel.” Pic is inspired by the true story of an explorer who set off to visit a dangerous island located deep in the Indian Ocean, where a tribe of indigenous people live, and was killed. Visiting the island or going anywhere near it has been banned by the Indian government. “North Sentinel” will revolve around a young American woman who embarks on a journey to the island in order find her missing brother.

The Cannes Film Festival has added seven films addressing environmental concerns to its 2021 line-up.

“La Croisade” by actor-director Louis Garrel, stars himself, Laetitia Casta and Joseph Engel. It was co-written by legendary screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière who died last year. The festival describes the film as: “A fiction in which the children take the reins to protect the planet. A tale of anticipation equally urgent, funny and charming. A story about the alienation of adults from the concerns of children who want to save themselves.”

In “Marcher sur l’eau”, filmed in a village in Niger, director Aïssa Maïga follows a little girl who, while waiting for a well to be built, must travel several kilometres for water every day. The film also explores the question of whether access to water co-relates with access to education for girls in Sub-Saharan African countries.

From India, Rahul Jain, director of Sundance-winning documentary “Machines” (2016), returns with “Invisible Demons,...

Six documentaries also selected for the festival’s inaugural environmental strand.

The Cannes Film Festival has revealed the seven titles selected for its first ‘cinema for the climate’ section – part of a new focus by the festival to address environmental issues.

Comprised of one scripted film and six documentaries, the selection is led by comedy The Crusade, by French actor and filmmaker Louis Garrel.

The film revisits the family unit of his 2018 feature A Faithful Man and sees Garrel star opposite Laetitia Casta as a couple who discover their teenage son has been secretly selling the family possessions to fund an ecological project in Africa.

The film follows award-winning French nature photographer and explorer Vincent Munier.

The Bureau Sales has acquired international rights to documentary The Velvet Queen following award-winning French nature photographer and explorer Vincent Munier as he attempts to track down the elusive snow leopard in Asia.

Paris-based Paprika Films is producing with Munier’s publishing and production house Kobalann in co-production with Le Bureau – the French production arm of Bertrand Faivre’s Paris and London-based film company. Haut et Court has pre-bought French rights.

French-Swiss biologist and filmmaker Marie Amiguet, whose credits include The Valley Of The Wolves, has signed to direct.