With fashion-themed films and series building momentum on the festival circuit, Kevin Macdonald’s “High & Low — John Galliano” has been sold by Newen Connect in major territories ahead of its premiere at Telluride.
The documentary portrait of the controversial fashion designer is produced by Chloe Mamelok and Macdonald through KGB Films, in association with Condé Nast Entertainment.
Following a sale to Mubi, “High & Low — John Galliano” has been picked up in 10 major markets across Europe and Asia, including Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Scandinavia (Non Stop Entertainment), Spain (Filmin), Switzerland (Pathe Films), Bulgaria (Beta), Australia and New-Zealand (Kismet), Japan (Kinoshita), Hong Kong (Edko), Indonesia (Falcon) and Israel (Lev Films). TF1 Studio will release the film in France with UGC as its theatrical partner.
“Newen Connect is thrilled that ‘High & Low — John Galliano’ will be premiering at the Telluride Film Festival in such an important anniversary year. It is testament to the brilliant storytelling of director Kevin Macdonald and our continuing fascination with an iconic character like John Galliano. This interest is reflected in the wide-ranging sales to global film distributors announced today, along with our previously announced partnership with Mubi, and we look forward to announcing more deals in the future,” said Alice Damiani, senior VP of international film sales at Newen Connect.
Galliano dressed the most influential men and women in the world for almost 15 years at Givenchy and Dior, reviving those legacy houses and disrupting the way fashion shows presented clothes. In 2011, Galliano’s career abruptly ended after being caught on video using shocking anti-Semitic and racist insults. Macdonald’s film investigates the multiple facets and contradictions of Galliano’s character and the context, including decades of industry pressure and drug and alcohol addiction that surrounded his downfall and ongoing recovery. Through interviews with his closest friends and family, as well as some of the most well-known celebrities of the fashion and pop world, and with Galliano himself, Macdonald portrays the man behind the fashion genius and his search for redemption.
The doc features conversations with Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz, Charlize Theron, Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, Boris Cyrulnik, Hamish Bowles and Sidney Toledano, among others.
Further deals for the film are in negotiation, while additional opportunities for North America, U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America, Benelux, Turkey and India are being managed by Mubi after it was announced earlier this year that the film distributor, streaming service and production company had snapped up the film rights for these markets from Newen Connect.
