Four Film4-backed films selected In Competition at Cannes

16 April 2015

 

Four Film4-backed films – Todd Haynes’ Carol, Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster, Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth and Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth – have been invited into official selection at this year’s Cannes film festival.

All four films will have their World Premieres In Competition, a record number for Film4-backed films in Cannes.

David Kosse, Director of Film4, says: “It’s a very special year for us with four extraordinary films premiering In Competition at this year’s festival. Cannes is the perfect stage for such visionary work from these world-class directors."

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel, Carol stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in the throes of love in 1950s New York.  It was developed by Film4 and is co-produced by Liz Karlsen and Stephen Woolley at Number 9 Films, and Christine Vachon at Killer Films.

Yorgos Lanthimos returns to Cannes following his 2009 Prix Un Certain Regard win for Dogtooth with The Lobster, starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw, Leo Seydoux, Olivia Colman and John C. Reilly.  The Lobster is co-financed by Film4 and co-produced by Element Pictures, Scarlet Films and Limp.

Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, sees Justin Kurzel return to Cannes following his debut feature Snowtown which screened in Critics’ Week in 2011. Co-developed by Film4 and See-Saw Films, Macbeth is produced by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman at See-Saw Films, and Laura Hastings-Smith, and majority co-financed by STUDIOCANAL and Film4.

Youth, starring Michael Caine, Rachel Weisz, Harvey Keitel, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda, will also screen in Competition, and will be Sorrentino’s sixth film to screen at Cannes. It is produced by Indigo Films, Number 9 Films are co-producers with Film4 co-financing.

 

Carol

Set in 1950s New York, two women from very different backgrounds find themselves in the throes of love. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.

A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens.

While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) threatens her competence as a mother when Carol’s involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) comes to light. As Carol leaves the comfort of home to travel with Therese, an internal journey of self-discovery coincides with her new sense of space.

International sales handled by HanWay Films.

 

Macbeth

The story of a fearless warrior and inspiring leader brought low by ambition and desire. A thrilling interpretation of the dramatic realities of the times and a reimagining of what wartime must have really been like for one of Shakespeare’s most famous and compelling characters, a story of all-consuming passion and ambition set in war-torn 11th Century Scotland.

International sales handled by STUDIOCANAL

The Lobster

A love story set in the near future where single people, according to the rules of The City, are arrested and transferred to The Hotel.  There they are obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days.  If they fail, they are transformed into an animal of their choosing and released into The Woods.  A desperate Man escapes from The Hotel to The Woods where The Loners live and falls in love, although it is against their rules.

International sales handled by Protagonist Pictures.
 

Youth

Springtime. Fred and Mick, two old friends now approaching 80, are on vacation together in an elegant hotel at the foot of the Alps. Fred, a composer and conductor, is now retired. Mick, a film director, is still working.
The two friends know that their time is quickly running out, and they decide to face their future together. They look with curiosity and tenderness on their children’s confused lives, Mick’s enthusiastic young writers, and the other hotel guests, all of whom, it seems, have all the time that they lack.
And while Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred, who gave up his musical career long ago, has no intention of returning to it.
But someone wants at all costs to hear his compositions and to see him conduct again.

International sales are handled by Pathé International.