Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired the North American rights to Alain Guiraudie’s queer crime thriller “Misericordia,” starring Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Jacques Develay and David Ayala. The film was a selection of the Cannes Premiere section at this year’s festival.
The film follows Jérémie (Kysyl), a man returning to his hometown for the funeral of his former employer. After a mysterious disappearance, a priest and a townsperson make Jérémie’s short stay take an unexpected turn.
Guiraudie wrote and directed the film, produced by Charles Gillibert of CG Cinema. Janus Films and Sideshow are planning a theatrical release.
The deal was negotiated by Alice Lesort for Les Films du Losange on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films. The film is a CG Cinéma, Scala Films, Arte France Cinéma, Andergraun Films and Rosa Filmes co-production with the participation of Arte France, OCS and Les Films du Losange.
Sideshow and Janus Films have been major participants in the Cannes market over previous years, with their acquisitions of international features having resulted in six Oscar nominations and one win. Prior titles include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” Jerzy Skolimowski’s “EO” and Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes,” released with Submarine Deluxe and HBO Documentary Films. The company recently distributed Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” which won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, as well as with Bertrand Bonello’s time-traveling horror thriller “The Beast.” The two companies also recently acquired Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light” which screened In Competition at Cannes, as well as Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow,” which screened in Un Certain Regard.