EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of its world premiere at Toronto this weekend, we can reveal that HanWay Films has closed key international sales on Couture, Alice Winocour’s high-fashion drama, starring Oscar winner Angelina Jolie.
International sales confirmed include: Airlines & Ships with Cinesky Pictures, Baltic States with ACME Film, Benelux with Case Départ, Bulgaria with Beta Film, Czechia & Slovakia with AQS, Former-Yugoslavia with MegaCom Film, Greece with The Film Group, India/Pakistan with Lionsgate Play, Italy with Plaion Pictures Italy, Switzerland with Pathé Films AG, Portugal with NOS Lusomundo Audiovisuais, Scandinavia with Mis. Label, Spain with Avalon, Poland with Monolith Films, Latin America with Synapse Distribution, Malaysia with Golden Screen Cinemas, The Middle-East with Frontrow Films, Singapore with Shaw Renters, Turkey with Bir Film and Ukraine with Greenlight Films.
UTA Independent Film Group is handling North American rights, with HanWay Films representing international. Pathé, who previously collaborated with Winocour on her Cannes Directors’ Fortnight premiere Revoir Paris, will handle distribution in France.
Jolie plays the lead role of Maxine, and Louis Garrel (Little Women) and Ella Rumpf (Raw) star alongside her. The film marks international model Anyier Anei’s feature film debut.
The synopsis reads: “Set during the frenzy of Paris Fashion Week, three women’s lives intersect in Paris: Maxine (Angelina Jolie), an American filmmaker discovers she has breast cancer and is drawn into an unexpected connection with a familiar collaborator (Louis Garrel); Ada (Anyier Anei), a fresh face in modeling, is escaping a predetermined future back home in South Sudan; and Angèle (Ella Rumpf), a makeup artist works in the shadows of the catwalks.”
French born Winocour (Proxima), teamed up with cinematographer Andre Chemetoff (The Happening), multi-César nominated costume designer Pascaline Chavanne (Becoming Karl Lagerfeld), and multi-César nominated production designer Florian Sanson (Holy Motors).
The film is produced by Charles Gillibert (Bergman Island) of CG Cinéma alongside Zhang Xin (History Of Sound) of Closer Media, William Horberg (The Talented Mr Ripley) and Angelina Jolie (Unbroken). Bob Xu serves as an executive producer.
The project is a co-production with France 3 Cinéma and received funding from La Région Île-de-France, Canal+, Ciné+ OCS, France Télévisions and Chanel.