IFC Films

Sundance Selects Takes US Rights to Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love

Acquisition Marks 7th Film in Sundance Selects/IFC Films Family
To Be Screening At Cannes Film Festival This Year

CANNES, FRANCE – May 26, 2012 – Sundance Selects announced today from the 2012 Cannes Film Festival that the company is acquiring all US rights to LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE directed and written by former Palme d’Or winner Abbas Kiarostami (CERTIFIED COPY, THE TASTE OF CHERRY).  The film is an MK2 and Eurospace Production.  It stars Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno and Ryo Kase.  It was produced Marin Karmitz (MK2) and Kenzo Horikoshi (Eurospace), and associate produced by Nathanael Karmitz and Charles Gillibert.  LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE made its world premiere in competition earlier in the week at the Cannes Film Festival.

In his follow–up to the stateside hit CERTIFIED COPY (which starred Juliette Binoche), Abbas Kiarostami’s returns with yet another dazzling cinematic puzzle.  An old man and a young woman meet in Tokyo.  She knows nothing about him.  He thinks he knows her.  He welcomes her into his home.  She offers him her body.  Soon it becomes apparent that the web that is woven between them in the space of 24 hours bears no relation to the circumstance of their encounter.

Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: "It’s a great honor to continue our relationship with Abbas Kiarostami after our successful collaboration with him on CERTIFIED COPY.  His latest film is a beautiful, mysterious masterpiece that we hope to continue to build
his following with in the US.  We are also clearly very happy to be working with our good friends at MK2 and also with Eurospace."

IFC Films/Sundance Selects recently announced that it had acquired Walter Salles’ ON THE ROAD which is an MK2 production.  The film screened to acclaim earlier in the week at Cannes in Competition.  The two companies have previously collaborated on Gus Van Sant’s PARANOID PARK, Olivier Assayas’ SUMMER HOURS, Abbas Kiarostami’s CERTIFIED COPY and the upcoming Assayas’ film SOMETHING IN THE AIR.

Sundance Selects/IFC Films is already a major American presence at Cannes this year with six films already screening at the festival: Walter Salles’ competition film ON THE ROAD which the company acquired right before the festival began and will release jointly under IFC Films and Sundance Selects; Cristian Mungiu’s competition film BEYOND THE HILLS which is being released under the Sundance Selects label; Adam Leon’s SXSW–winner GIMME THE LOOT which is also being released under Sundance Selects and is screening in Un Certain Regard; Rodney Ascher’s Sundance sensation ROOM 237 which was acquired for IFC Midnight and is screening at Director’s Fortnight; Ken Loach’s competition film THE ANGELS’ SHARE which Sundance Selects acquired during the festival; and Ben Wheatley’s dark comedy SIGHTSEERS which is screening in Director’s Fortnight, and was acquired by IFC Films during the festival.

The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Victoire Thevenin of MK2 on behalf of the filmmakers.

Sundance Selects is a sister label to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

About SUNDANCE SELECTS
Established in 2009 and based in New York City, Sundance Selects is a leading U.S. distributor of prestige films focusing on American independents, documentaries and world cinema. In 2011, the label distributed the year’s 3 highest independently released documentaries including Werner Herzog’s CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (also the highest grossing film of his career), Cindy Meehl’s BUCK and Wim Wenders’ Academy Award® nominated PINA.  The company also released the Dardennes Brothers THE KID WITH A BIKE which won the Grand Prix at Cannes and Abbas Kiarastami’s CERTIFIED COPY for which Juliette Binoche won the Best Actress at Cannes. Upcoming releases include:  Maiwenn’s POLISSE which won the Jury Prize in Cannes, David France’s HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE, Adam Leon’s SXSW winner GIMME THE LOOT, Julia Loktev’s AFI winner THE LONELIEST PLANET, Alison Klayman’s Sundance Jury Prize winner AI WEIWEI:  NEVER SORRY; Olivier Assayas’ SOMETHING IN THE AIR and Walter Salles’ Cannes competition film ON THE ROAD starring Kristen Stewart, Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund (which will be released jointly with IFC Films.  Sundance Selects is a sister label to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

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