Cannes Competition Title Stars Oscar-Winning Actress Juliette Binoche
Cannes, FRANCE (May 20, 2010) – IFC Films, the leading American distributor of independent and foreign films, announced today that the company is acquiring U.S. rights to famed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s CERTIFIED COPY, which is screening in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film, which was written and directed by Kiarostami, stars Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche (THE ENGLISH PATIENT, CHOCOLAT, SUMMER HOURS) and British opera singer William Shimell making his onscreen debut.
CERTIFIED COPY was produced by Marin Karmitz, Nathanael Karmitz, Charles Gillibert, and Angelo Barbagallo. The film was executive produced by Gaetano Daniele. IFC Films will release CERTIFIED COPY via its IFC in Theaters platform which brings critically-acclaimed independent movies to on-demand viewers at home the same day they premiere in theaters.
CERTIFIED COPY is the story of a meeting between a man and woman in a small Italian village in Southern Tuscany. The man is a British author who has just finished giving a lecture at a conference. The woman, from France, owns an art gallery. This is a common story that could happen to anyone, anywhere.
Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Entertainment said, “For all of us at IFC Films, CERTIFIED COPY is the discovery of the Cannes Film Festival. We are honored to bring what we think will be Abbas Kiarostami’s most successful American release, featuring an absolutely radiant performance by Juliette Binoche, to audiences. We are also very happy to be working with our friends at MK2 again after our successful collaborations on SUMMER HOURS and PARANOID PARK.
“We really couldn’t have hoped for a better distributor to guide Abbas Kiarostami’s film to U.S. audiences. In light of our past history of successful releases such as last year’s Summer Hours’, we are more than confident that this film will gain from IFC Films’ capacity to unite European films with a large audience. This bridge uniting Europe and the U.S. gives hope to uncompromising directors everywhere, says producers Nathanal Karmitz and Charles Gillibert of MK2.
The deal was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, SVP of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for IFC Films, and with Matthieu Giblin of MK2, on behalf of the filmmakers.
Abbas Kiarostami is one of the most revered filmmakers in the world today. His deeply humanist films have challenged viewers expectations and balance a narrative and documentary style. Born in Tehran on June 22, 1940, Kiarostami made his debut with a short film in 1970 called THE BREAD AND ALLEY. He first earned international acclaim and recognition in 1987 with WHERE IS THE FRIEND’S HOME? He won the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for A TASTE OF THE CHERRY and the Golden Lion in 1999 for THE WIND WILL CARRY US. CERTIFIED COPY is the first film he shot outside of Iran and is currently in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
About IFC Entertainment
A leader in the independent film industry, IFC Entertainment consists of multiple brands that are devoted to bringing the best of specialty films to the largest possible audience: IFC Films, Festival Direct, IFC Productions, and the IFC Center. IFC Films is a leading distributor of independent film. Its unique day and date distribution model, IFC In Theaters,’ makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them simultaneously in theaters as well as on cable’s On Demand platform and through Pay-Per-View, reaching 50 million homes. IFC Festival Direct’ features a wide selection of titles acquired from major international film festivals and offers them exclusively through Video on Demand. IFC Center is a five screen, state-of-the-art cinema with luxurious seating and HD digital and 35mm projection that shows art-house films in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village. IFC Entertainment’s companies are subsidiaries of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC.