MUBI Picks Up ‘Lover For A Day’; LevelFILM Nabs Three Titles – Cannes

MUBI has locked down the U.S., U.K. and Ireland rights to Lover For A Day (L’Amant d’un jour), the third and final installment of writer-director Philippe Garrel’s trilogy on love. The drama premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won the SACD prize from the French Writers and Directors Guild. Co-written by Garrel, Jean-Claude Carriere, Caroline Deruas and Arlette Langmann, the film follows Jeanne who, after a devastating breakup, has to stay in Paris in the small flat of her father, Giles. But when Jeanne arrives, she finds that her father’s new girlfriend has moved in too: Arianne, a young woman her own age. Each is looking for their own kind of love in a city filled with possibilities. Said Ben Said and Michel Merkt produced the film, which will be released in theaters followed by an exclusive streaming premiere on MUBI. The deal was negotiated by Sarah Borch-Jacobsen for SBS and Bobby Allen for MUBI.

Following the Cannes Film Festival, Toronto-based indie distributor LevelFILM has secured the North American distribution rights to Jordan Canning’s Suck It Up, Joyce Wong’s debut feature Wexford Plaza, and documentary Fake Blood from director Rob Grant. The company will release the films in select cities later this year. Suck It Up, which had its world premiere at Slamdance Film Festival 2017, follows Ronnie (Grace Glowicki) and Faye (Erin Carter) who, after losing loved ones, decide take off on a debaucherous road trip to the mountains to get over the death of the guy they both loved. Wexford Plaza, which premiered at the Torino Film Festival, centers on the intertwined and darkly comedic stories of the lives of a female security guard and a bartender as they try to overcome a misunderstood sexual encounter and find some sense of excitement at a deteriorating stripmall.  Fake Blood follows filmmakers Grant and Mike Kovac as they receive a disturbing fan video spawned from one of their previous horror movies, which motivates them to investigate the responsibility of filmmakers in portraying violence in movies.