“Funny Birds, a heartwarming comedy-drama starring Andrea Riseborough, Catherine Deneuve and Morgan Saylor, has sold in key territories ahead of AFM.
The film is executive produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by Marco La Via and Hanna Ladoul. Newen Connect is representing the film in international markets and will host a market screening for buyers at the AFM.
Exploring three generations of women and their last chance for reconciliation, “Funny Birds” has been sold to Australia and New Zealand (Kismet Movies), Germany (Filmwelt), the Middle East (Grand Entertainment), Spain (Selecta Vision), Austria (Filmladen), Bulgaria (Beta Film), Switzerland (Pathé Films) and Ukraine (Svoe Kino), as well as to global airlines (Ricochet). In France, Funny Birds will be released by UGC Distribution and TF1 Studio.
“Funny Birds” follows Charlie (Saylor), who returns from boarding school to the New Jersey countryside to care for her estranged mother, Laura (Riseborough), who runs a small chicken farm. Her tense daily life on the farm is turned upside down when Laura’s mother, Solange (Deneuve), an eccentric French feminist, arrives unannounced. When a bird flu epidemic threatens the farm, they are forced to rise above their conflicts and heal old wounds.
“With a stellar cast that includes French cinema royalty and the industry’s most exciting female talents, ‘Funny Birds’ tackles the importance of family and relationships with understated charm,” said Alice Damiani, SVP International Film Sales at Newen Connect. She added: “The pedigree of those in front of the camera is matched by those behind it.
“They have done a masterful job of putting together a project that is both captivating and uplifting and has already generated a lot of interest among film buyers,” Damiani added.
La Via and Ladoul previously directed “Anywhere With You”, which opened at Cannes in the ACID section and went on to play at a number of international festivals.
“Funny Birds” is produced by Julien Madon (“Through the Fire”, “Dalida”), Aimée Buidine (“Brothers by Blood”), Melita Toscan Du Plantier (“In The Fade”) and Raphaël Gindre (“Anywhere With You”), with Scorsese executive producing and TF1 Studio co-producing.
