At Cannes Marché du Film, Mario Martone’s ‘Fuori’ lands strong international sales

CANNES – The conclusion of the Cannes Marché du Film marks the moment when distributors and sales agents review their most significant deals. For 2025, international sales are in excellent shape, with Ferzan Özpetek’s Diamanti (sold almost everywhere by Vision) and Mario Martone’s Fuori (handled by French company Goodfellas) leading the pack.

For Italy’s sole film in competition, the Marché served as an excellent launchpad, confirming support across nearly all of Europe (Germany is still pending) and opening new horizons after the positive critical reception following its premiere at the festival. Interest is also growing in Asia and Eastern Europe.

Among the emerging companies making headlines for their dynamism are Gianluca Curti’s Minerva Group and, especially, the new international division of Rai Cinema. Leading their sales are the surprise hit of the year, Gloria! by Margherita Vicario, and Paolo Genovese’s Madly, both already with over 40 signed deals. They are followed by Testa o Croce? by Matteo Zoppis and Alessio Rigo de Righi (Un Certain Regard), Naples to New York by Gabriele Salvatores, which begins its international journey from Cannes, and the surprise An Ode to Naples by Trudie Styler, a documentary already sold in over 30 countries.

Most of the competition films are expected to reach theaters between summer and autumn, following Fuori, which has been in cinemas since May 22. Two companies are vying for the “top” acquisitions: Lucky Red has confirmed the highly acclaimed titles Two Prosecutors by Sergei Loznitsa and It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi. The acquisition of Nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater, which has divided critics but received standing ovations from audiences, also seems to be in the works.

I Wonder continues to pursue surprises with Sound of Falling by Mascha Schilinski, Ari Aster‘s Eddington, Alpha by Julia Ducournau (already a winner at Cannes with Titane), Romeria by Carla Simón and the hypnotic Résurrection by China’s Bi Gan.

Teodora has remained faithful to its historical line with acquisitions of Dossier 137 by Dominik Moll and Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier (with lead actress Renate Reinsve among the critics’ favorites); while Bim Distribuzione is expected to bring the Dardenne brothers to the cinema with Young Mothers.

An experienced talent scout like Stefano Jacono of Movie Inspired returns home with confirmations from Tarik Saleh, with the third thriller chapter of his Egyptian investigation, Eagles of the Republic, and the other Iranian film in competition, Woman and Child by Saeed Roustaee; while Minerva has secured a political thriller that could appeal to a wide audience, O Agente Secreto by Brazilian Kleber Mendonça Filho.

If there are no doubts about the Italian distribution fate of Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, Oliver Hermanus’s The History of Sound (distributed by Universal), and Scarlett Johansson’s debut Eleanor the Great (presented at Un Certain Regard), confirmations are awaited for Oliver Laxe’s Sirât and Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind.

Finally, noteworthy is the success of independent distributor Europictures, that will bring two of the most acclaimed French films out of competition to Italy: A Private Life by Rebecca Zlotowski with Jodie Foster in a European role and The Richest Woman in the World with Isabelle Huppert.