Cannes Drama ‘Portrait Of A Lady On Fire’ Sells To NEON & Hulu

Céline Sciamma’s (Girlhood) well-received Cannes Competition drama Portrait Of A Lady On Fire has sold to NEON and Hulu for North America in a competitive situation.

Adèle Haenel (The Unknown Girl), Noémie Merlant (Heaven Will Wait), Luana Bajrami (School’s Out) and Valeria Golina (Human Capital) star in the French-language film about a female painter commissioned to paint a wedding portrait of a young, reluctant bride on an isolated island in Northern France at the end of the eighteenth century. The painting must be done without the subject’s knowledge.

Pic was sold by mk2 and the pact falls into the output deal between NEON and Hulu. NEON is planning a theatrical release, which is set to include an awards campaign in all categories.

The deal was negotiated by Jeff Deutchman on behalf of NEON and Hulu and Fionnuala Jamison from mk2 films on behalf of the filmmakers. mk2 films has world rights. Producer is Bénédicte Couvreur.

NEON and Hulu remarked, “From the moment we saw this beautiful and captivating love story, we knew we had to release this film. From Céline’s writing and directing, to the absolutely absorbing performances, we couldn’t be more excited for audiences to experience this sensationally moving piece of cinema on the big screen.”

Mk2 added, “We are thrilled by how audiences and buyers from around the world have responded to the ground breaking and emotionally gripping Portrait Of A Lady On Fire. It is sure to cement Céline Sciamma’s reputation as one of the most exciting directors of her time. We are thrilled to be partnering with NEON to bring this progressive and potent piece of cinema to the big screen across the country. They are one of the most dedicated and passionate distribution teams in North America.”

Mk2 films has an impressive five films competing for the Palme d’Or this year including Mati Diop’s Atlantics, Xavier Dolan’s Matthias and Maxime, Corneliu Porumboiu’s The Whistlers and Justine Triet’s Sybil.