Sundance Selects has acquired U.S. rights to Roman Polanski’s “Venus in Fur” following its world premiere at Cannes.
“Venus,” adapted by Polanski and David Ives from Ives’ play, stars Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric and was produced by Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. The film follows a writer-director and a pushy, foul-mouthed actress.
The film reunites Amalric and Seigner who starred in Julian Schnabel’s “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
Scott Foundas gave the film an upbeat review for Variety: “As with his earlier “Carnage” and “Death and the Maiden,” “Venus in Fur” finds Roman Polanski transferring a New York stage hit to the screen with maximum fidelity and facility, and a minimum of fuss. Primarily a vehicle for Mrs. Polanski, Emmanuelle Seigner, who engulfs the screen with a juicy comic performance that does full justice to a demanding role, this playful and literate rumination on the fine line between passion and perversity, pleasure and pain, life and art should draw the attention of discerning highbrow auds, albeit likely falling short of the starrier, English-language “Carnage’s” $27 million worldwide haul.”
The acquisition gives Sundance Selects half a dozen titles from Cannes including Abdellatif Kechiche’s Palme D’Or winner “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Jury Prize winner “Like Father, Like Son,” Clio Barnard’s “The Selfish Giant,” Francois Ozon’s “Young & Beautiful” and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s “Two Days, One Night,” starring Marion Cotillard, which is currently in pre-production.
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Deal for “Venus” was negotiated by Arianna Bocco for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Jeff Berg at Resolution on behalf of the filmmakers.
