FILM IS INSPIRED BY THE STORY OF LEGENDARY FRENCH MIME MARCEL MARCEAU DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR
NEW YORK, NY (NOVEMBER 10, 2019) — IFC Films is acquiring U.S. Rights to RESISTANCE, written and directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz (HANDS OF STONE) starring Jesse Eisenberg (THE SOCIAL NETWORK, THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE), Ed Harris (APOLLO 13, WESTWORLD), Édgar Ramírez (CARLOS, AMERICAN CRIME STORY) Clémence Poésy (IN BRUGES) and Matthias Schweighöfer (100 THINGS) The film is produced by Claudine Jakubowicz, Dan Maag, Thorsten Schumacher, Carlos García de Paredes, Patrick Zorer and Jonathan Jakubowicz. IFC Films will release the film in 2020.
RESISTANCE is a true story of heroism in which a group of Girls and Boy Scouts created a network that ended up saving the lives of around ten thousand orphans whose parents had been killed by the Nazis in the Second World War. At the center of the movie we find an aspiring Jewish actor whose desperate need to help the children lead him into the world of pantomime, and who will later and, thanks to this experience, become the legendary French mime Marcel Marceau.
Arianna Bocco of IFC Films said, “Jonathan has assembled an amazing cast to bring this captivating and little known story to the big screen. We remain committed to supporting storytelling like this.”
Filmmaker Jonathan Jakubowicz added, “RESISTANCE is a film about heroes who in the face of the worst imaginable horror, decided to risk it all to save lives. I could not be more excited to join forces with IFC Films, a company that has distributed many of my favorite films, to inspire audiences to make a difference no matter the circumstances. In a moment when religious and ethnic intolerance have once again become threats to the world, and the USA is about to enter the most divisive and defining year in the nation’s history, it will be a humbling privilege to share one of the most uplifting stories of the Second World War”.
The deal was negotiated Arianna Bocco EVP of Acquisitions and Productions of IFC Films, Aijah Keith of IFC films and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers.
RESISTANCE is produced by Pantaleon Films GmbH in collaboration with Epicentral Studios, Rocket Science, Vertical Media, Neptune Features, Riverstone Pictures, Ingenious Media, Bliss Media and in co-production with Resistance Film US LLC and Warner Bros. Film Productions Germany.
ABOUT IFC FILMS
Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes. Upcoming releases include Hirozaku Kore-eda’s THE TRUTH starring Julitette Binoche and Catherine Deneuve, as well as the Czech Oscar entry for 2020 THE PAINTED BIRD directed by Václav Marhoul. Some of the company’s successes over the years have included BOYHOOD, THE DEATH OF STALIN, FRANCES HA, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, THE BABADOOK, TOUCHING THE VOID, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, CHE, SUMMER HOURS, ANTICHRIST, IN THE LOOP, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, TINY FURNITURE, and CARLOS. IFC Films has worked with established and breakout filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noé, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Paul Dano, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, Abdellatif Kechiche, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Abbas Kiarostami, Alfonso Cuaron, Noah Baumbach, Lena Dunham, Ethan Hawke and many more. IFC Films is a sister label to Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.