Mubi has snapped up rights to the acclaimed feature Fallen Leaves, written and directed by Aki Kaurismäki, in a competitive situation, following its world premiere in Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
While specifics as to the release plans have yet to be announced, aside from the fact that the title will go to theaters, Mubi said on Wednesday that it’s picked up rights for North America, UK, Ireland, Latin America and Turkey.
The 20th feature from Kaurismäki, whose Cannes prize winner The Man Without a Past went on to nab a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination in 2003, Fallen Leaves tells the story of two lonely people (Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen) who meet each other by chance in the Helsinki night and try to find the first, only, and ultimate love of their lives. Their path towards this honorable goal is clouded by the man’s alcoholism, lost phone numbers, not knowing each other’s names or addresses, and life’s general tendency to place obstacles in the way of those seeking their happiness.
Described in the review of Deadline’s Pete Hammond as “a flat-out gem” that’s “wonderful, wryly funny, and poignant,” Fallen Leaves is also the fourth film in a working-class film series from Kaurismäki, coming on the heels of the films Shadows in Paradise, Ariel and The Match Factory Girl.
The film, also starring Janne Hyytiäinen and Nuppu Koivu, was produced by Sputnik Oy and Bufo and co-produced by Pandora Film. It was made with the support of the Finnish Film Foundation, Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, ZDF/ARTE, ARTE G.E.I.E, Filmförderungsanstalt, and Film-und Medienstiftung NRW.
The post ‘Fallen Leaves’: Mubi Acquires Aki Kaurismäki’s Acclaimed Tragicomedy – Cannes appeared first on Deadline.
