Somewhat uncertain before embarking upon the unprecedented experience of the Cannes Film Festival’s Online Marché du Film, the French international sales agency Alpha Violet - a dedicated discoverer of young, international and high-potential film auteurs - has swiftly found its feet in this virtual environment and has already struck a number of high notes, closing sales in the opening days of the Market.

Indeed, the team led by Virginie Devesa and Keiko Funato has sold Uncle [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Danish director Frelle Petersen (an 88 Miles production) to HBO Eastern Europe, and to Alfhaville Cinema for Mexico; Motherland [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by the American of Lithuanian origin Tomas Vengris, for Japan (Uzumasa); Identifying Features [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Fernanda Valadez (awarded Sundance’s Audience Award with its screenplay scooping a Special Prize from the World Cinema Dramatic jury) for the Benelux countries; the Love Trilogy (Stripped [+lee también:
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entrevista: Yaron Shani
ficha de la película], Chained [+lee también:
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entrevista: Yaron Shani
ficha de la película] and Beloved [+lee también:
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ficha de la película]) by Israel’s Yaron Shani to AMC Sundance and Alekino (Poland), and Monsters [+lee también:
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entrevista: Marius Olteanu
ficha de la película] by Romania’s Marius Olteanu for Mexico.

Alpha Violet is also pressing ahead with presales, on the basis of a trailer, for two first feature films in post-production. On the one hand, Apples [+lee también:
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entrevista: Christos Nikou
ficha de la película] by Greece’s Christos Nikou, is causing quite a favourable buzz (with Yorgos Lanthimos’ former assistant director having just inked a deal with CAA and already in the process of developing his next film, set to unspool in English) and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this production steered by Boo Productions and Polish firm Lava Films (with Slovenian group Perfo Production in co-production) enjoying its world premiere at an upcoming large-scale festival. Curiosity and interest are likewise running high for Turkish director Bariş Sarhan’s The Cemil Show, a black comedy veering towards genre film, and a nod to B movies and cult, black and white cinema.

The Online Marché du Film has also seen Alpha Violet adding to its line-up and kicking off presales in terms of another highly promising first feature film: the Israeli-French co-production Abu Omar by Roy Krispel, starring Kais Nashif in the lead role (crowned Orizzonti’s Best Actor in Venice 2018 for his performance in Tel Aviv on Fire [+lee también:
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entrevista: Sameh Zoabi
ficha de la película] and stealing similar focus in Paradise Now [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], among other works). Steered by the Israeli firm Laila Films, the title was co-produced by French group Da Prod (Fred Bellaïche and Jérémy Sahel). Described by Virginie Devesa as “a bitter-sweet [film] on a serious subject tackled with subtlety and humour through a story unfolding over three days and telling the tale of a heart-warming encounter”, this film in post-production follows in the footsteps of Salah, a grieving father who takes to the road during a strict military curfew in order to cross the Israeli border, with his dead son in a bag. Miri, a single, pregnant woman, decides to do everything in her power to help him...