Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s prison film “No Bears” sells out in North America, with Sideshow and Janus Films acquiring US rights, and Films We Like buying the film for Canada.
“No Bears,” which premiered earlier this month at the Venice Film Festival, depicts two parallel love stories. An official summary reads: “In both, lovers are disturbed by inescapable hidden obstacles, the power of superstition and the mechanisms of power.”
The film is written, produced and directed by Banahi, and starring Banahi, Nasser Hashemi, Wahid Mabasri, Bakhtiar Benji, Mina Cavani, Narges Dalaram and Reza Haidari.
The pic won a Special Jury Prize in Venice before appearing as a special presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival. It will then be shown at this month’s New York Film Festival and at the BFI London Film Festival.
Iranian authorities recently ordered Panahi to serve a six-year prison sentence handed down in 2010, after he was arrested this year while protesting against the Iranian government.
Panahi had previously been sentenced to six years in prison and a 20-year ban from directing films, writing screenplays, or giving any form of interviews to Iranian or foreign media. He continued to produce films despite government attempts to censor.
His recent feature films include This Is Not a Film, a special screening at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival; “Closed Curtain”, winner of the Silver Bear Award for Best Screenplay at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival; “Taxi”, winner of the Golden Bear Award at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival; and “3 Faces”, Best Screenplay Winner at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Sideshow and Janus Films are planning an Oscar campaign for Best Director for Panahi. The film, which is being sold by Celluloid Dreams, will receive a theatrical release.
Sideshow and Janus Films helped Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” — which premiered at Cannes in 2021 — garner four Academy Award nominations in total, including Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay. It was the first Japanese film ever to be nominated for Best Picture and grossed over $2.3 million in North America, while sweeping the Critics’ Awards.
Head of Celluloid Dreams, Hengameh Panahi, said: “I’ve been working with Jafar since his debut, ‘The White Balloon’, which was the first significant North American release of an Iranian film and the only Jafar movie released in his country due to his subsequent refusal to comply with censorship requests.
“His entire life has been focused on making films and he continues despite all the obstacles and limitations,” Hengameh Panahi continued. Cinema is his inspiration and making films is his life. I am so happy to have found such a good home for “No Bears”, with distributors who care so much and do such an exceptional job. The film is a resounding human response to an inhumane situation.”
Jonathan Syring of Sideshow added: “Jaafar Panahi is considered one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. He has delivered a series of astonishing novels with very limited means and with great constraints. His films are highly entertaining acts of political resistance and “La Beers” is his crowning masterpiece. We are very excited to show this film to the world and also make sure it gets serious interest from the directors branch of the academy.”
The deal was negotiated by Celluloid Dreams on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films.
[ad_2]
