London and Paris based production, finance and sales outfit Film Constellation have revealed the first look of “Bonjour Tristesse,” which just wrapped principal photography. The adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s novel is directed by Durga Chew-Bose. Film Constellation is showing exclusive first promo footage to buyers during the European Film Market.
Academy Award nominee and Golden Globes winner Chloë Sevigny stars alongside Claes Bang with rising talent Lily McInerny in the role of Cécile. McInerny received a best breakthrough performance nomination at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
This contemporary adaptation also stars Aliocha Schneider (“Greek Salad”) and Naïlia Harzoune (“Patients”).
The film is produced by Babe Nation Films’s Katie Bird Nolan and Lindsay Tapscott, Elevation Pictures’ Noah Segal and Christina Piovesan, Wolfgang Mueller and Benito Mueller of Barry Films, and executive produced by Fabien Westerhoff for Constellation Prods., Suzanne Court, Elevation’s Omar Chalabi, Jesse Weening and Emily Kulasa, and Françoise Sagan’s son, Denis Westhoff.
Published in 1954 when Sagan was only 18 years old, “Bonjour Tristesse” shocked critics for its frank account of female sexuality over 2 million copies, one of the biggest bestsellers in the history of French publishing. A classic in feminist literature, it has beentranslated into 22 languages and isincluded in Le Monde’s 100 Books of the Century.
This year marks the book’s 70th anniversary, with Éditions Julliard rolling out an anniversary special edition globally.
This contemporary adaptation marks the debut feature of Montreal-based writer Chew-Bose, whose work has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Artforum and Harper’s Bazaar. Her collection of essays, “Too Much and Not the Mood,” was published in 2017 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
UTA Independent Film Group is representing domestic sales alongside Film Constellation and Elevation Pictures.
