Cologne, 26 May 2010. The Palme d'Or for Apichatpong Weerasethakul's UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES is the second main award on an A-Festival in 2010 for a film represented by The Match Factory. BAL (Honey) by Semih Kaplanoglu was already awarded with the Berlin Golden Bear in February this year. These consecutive major awards along with two nominations in the Oscar® Foreign Language category (THE MILK OF SORROW and AJAMI) mark an outstanding success for the company in the first half of 2010.
Furthermore, UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES is the second co-production in the history of The Match Factory after PANDORA'S BOX by Yesim Ustaoglu. PANDOPRA'S BOX won the Golden Shell in San Sebastian two years ago.
"The Palme d'Or for UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES is a huge acknowledgement for everybody involved in the film and encourages us in our aim to look out for the best projects and films available in the market that fit into our profile", states Michael Weber, Managing Director of The Match Factory. "Furthermore, we are very glad that the two hand-selected co-productions we did so far, work so well in the international market place."
Already during the market in Cannes, UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES was sold to numerous territories. Pyramide Distribution bought the French rights, while New Wave Films took the film for UK, Karma Films for Spain and BIM Distribuzione for Italy. Further deals were closed with Contact Film (Benelux), Trigon (Switzerland), Stadtkino Wien (Austria), Sunrise Distribution (Denmark), Arthaus (Norway), Folkets Bio (Sweden), Artcam (Czech and Slovak Republic), Ama Films (Greece), AP Mañana (Poland), Midas Films (Portugal), Independenta Films (Romania), MCF Megacom (Former Yugoslavia), Artcinema (CIS and Baltic States), United King (Israel), ABMIC (Brasil), Filmswelike (Canada), Zeta Films (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay) and Hiatus (Taiwan).
Contemplating his serious illness, Uncle Boonmee makes a momentous trek with his loved ones through the jungle to a mysterious hilltop cave -- the birthplace of his first life...
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES is a co-production between UK/ Thailand/ France/ Germany and Spain. The film was produced by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Kick the Machine, Thailand), Simon Field and Keith Griffiths (Illuminations Past Lives, UK) in co-production with Charles de Meaux (Anna Sanders Film, France), Michael Weber (The Match Factory, Germany) Hans W. Geißendörfer (GFF Geißendörfer Film- und Fernsehproduktion KG, Germany) and Luis Miñarro (Eddie Saeta, Spain), in association with Caroleen Feeney, Joslyn Barnes and Danny Glover (Louverture Films) and ZDF/Arte.
Gaining the interest of press, audience and the buyers, The Match Factory films screening in the several sidebars of Cannes were sold to a number of territories.
THE CITY BELOW by Christoph Hochhäusler had its world premiere in Un Certain Regard this year. The film was picked by Bodega Films for France, by ABC Distribution for Benelux and by United King for Israel.
Screening in the Director's Fortnight, THE LIGHT THIEF by Aktan Arym Kubat was sold to ZED Distribution (France), Trigon (Switzerland), Filmswelike (Canada) and ABMIC (Brasil).
For further information please contact:
Philipp Hoffmann
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Phone: +49-221-539 709 30
The Match Factory
