Two UK co-productions have been honoured at this year’s Cannes Film Festival including the winner of the Palme d’Or, the festival’s most prestigious prize, Ruben Östlund‘s Triangle of Sadness.
Both features were supported by BBC Film and the BFI.
Triangle of Sadness is a satire starring British actor Harris Dickinson, alongside Charlbi Dean and Woody Harrelson. It’s the first film in the English language by Ruben Östlund, who previously won the Palme d’Or in 2017 with his comedy The Square.
Aftersun, the debut feature of Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells, received the French Touch Prize of the Jury in the Critics’ Week sidebar.
Aftersun, by Scottish writer and director Charlotte Wells, stars newcomer Frankie Corio and Celia Rowlson-Hall as the child and adult versions of Sophie, who reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father, played by Paul Mescal.
Eva Yates, director of BBC Film, says: “We’re honoured at BBC Film to have backed Triangle of Sadness and thrilled that Ruben Östlund’s distinctive work has been recognised with the Palme d’Or. Congratulations to Ruben and his team, including UK producer Mike Goodridge, on this fantastic achievement.
“We’re also delighted that exciting new voice Charlotte Wells has been recognised for the brilliant Aftersun. Heartfelt congratulations to her and her team, including producers Adele Romanski and Amy Jackson.”
About the films:
Triangle of Sadness
Written and directed by Ruben Östlund, winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2017 with his comedy The Square.
Triangle of Sadness is an uninhibited satire where roles and class are inverted and the tawdry economic value of beauty is unveiled. British actor Harris Dickinson plays model Carl and Charlbi Dean Kriek plays another model Yaya are navigating the world of fashion while exploring the boundaries of their relationship. The couple are invited for a luxury cruise with a rogues’ gallery of super-rich passengers, a Russian oligarch, British arms dealers and an idiosyncratic, alcoholic, Marx-quoting captain (Woody Harrelson). At first, all appears Instagrammable. But a storm is brewing, and heavy seasickness hits the passengers during the seven-course captain’s dinner.
The cruise ends catastrophically. Carl and Yaya find themselves marooned on a desert island with a group of billionaires and one of the ship’s cleaners. Hierarchy is suddenly flipped upside down, as the housekeeper is the only one who knows how to fish.
Triangle of Sadness is produced by Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober. Among the co-producers are Marina Perales Marhuenda, Giorgos Karnavas, Per Damgaard, Julio Chavezmontes and Mike Goodridge.
Production:
Imperative Entertainment presents
In association with Film i Väst, BBC Film, 30 West
A Plattform Produktion production
In co-production with Essential Films, Coproduction Office,Sveriges Television, ZDF/Arte, Arte France Cinéma, TRT Sinema
With the support of Svenska Filminstitutet, Eurimages, Council of Europe, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, The Danish Film Institute, MOIN – Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and BFI
With the participation of Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Arte France, DR, Canal+ and Cine+
In association with Heretic, Bord Cadre films, Sovereign Films, PIANO
Aftersun
Written and directed by Charlotte Wells.
Sophie (newcomer Frankie Corio, and Celia Rowlson-Hall as adult Sophie) reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father (Paul Mescal) twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between miniDV footage as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.—
Produced by Adele Romanski, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins and Mark Ceryak, Aftersun is a Pastel/Unified Theory production presented by BBC Film, BFI and Creative Scotland in association with Tango. The film was developed with BBC Film and was selected for the Sundance Institute’s Directors and Screenwriters Labs in 2020. Sales are being handled by Charades.
Pippa Considine
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