Palme d’Or Whisperer Neon Nearing North American Deal With The Match Factory For Wim Wenders’ Cannes Competition Movie ‘Perfect Days’
EXCLUSIVE: Neon is nearing a deal for North American rights to Cannes competition entry Perfect Days from The Match Factory in a deal pegged in the mid-to-high six figures.
The parties declined to comment.
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Wim Wenders’ well-received Japan-set movie debuted today on the Croisette. The official synopsis for the movie reads: Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.
Starring are Koji Yakusho (Babel), newcomer Arisa Nakano, Tokio Emoto (Norwegian Wood), Yumi Aso (Carnation), Sayuri Ishikawa (Run, Truck Rascal, Run!), Tomokazu Miura (Adrift in Tokyo), Aoi Yamada (Netflix series First Love) and veteran actor and dancer Min Tanaka (The Twilight Samurai).
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Producers are Koji Yanai, alongside filmmaker Wenders and co-writer Takuma Takasaki (Honokaa bôi). Lead actor Yakusho serves as executive producer.
We hear the North America deal was negotiated by Neon’s Jeff Deutchman with The Match Factory’s Thania Dimitrakopoulou.
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Neon — like Mubi — has bought North American rights to three movies playing at this year’s Cannes. The company picked up Justine Triet’s Competition feature Anatomy of a Fall, and last week announced a deal for Pablo Berger’s animated Cannes title Robot Dreams. Tom Quinn’s outfit has acquired the three previous Palme d’Or winners: Triangle of Sadness, Titane and Parasite.
The Match Factory has a company-record four films in Competition this year. Perfect Days played alongside the lauded duo of Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki and Kidnapped by Marco Bellocchio, while La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher debuts Friday.
Wenders is also in Cannes with the Special Screening of documentary Anselm, a portrait of German artist Anselm Kiefer.
Wenders, a three-time Oscar nominee for The Salt of the Earth, Pina and Buena Vista Social Club whose credits also include Wings of Desire, has debuted 12 movies on the Croisette, winning the Palme d’Or for Paris, Texas in 1984.
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