Shellac has boarded “La Mer et ses vagues” as both the international sales agency and the French distributor, ahead of its world premiere on Friday in the ACID sidebar in Cannes.
The Lebanese film, directed by Liana and Renaud, follows the young Najwa and the musician Mansour as they cross the Lebanese border and reach Beirut on a full moon night. They follow the trail of smugglers hoping to join a woman, Haifa, on the other side of the sea. A few streets away, Selim, the old lighthouse keeper, tries to repair the electricity in his neighborhood.
The cast is led by Mays Mustafa, Roger Assaf, Mohammed Al Ammari and Hanane Hajj-Ali. The producer is Mathieu Mullier-Griffiths for Kafard Films. The co-producer is Monkey Business Virals.
Shellac’s Thomas Ordonneau said: “Liana and Renaud have delivered a wonderful, poetic first film – a night exploration of Beirut by two Syrians – which almost becomes an anticipation tale in a way. The film is textured and unfolds almost like a dream. We the viewers are just like the film’s characters, on their way through the city in the most beautiful and poetic way possible.
“We are more than happy to be part of Liana and Renaud’s journey with this first feature film here in Cannes, and we are looking forward to creating a long-term relationship with them. Trusting us for a global distribution including all territories will allow us to build the film the reputation it deserves.”
Mullier-Griffiths said: “We are lucky to have Shellac on board with us – after a long discussion with Thomas Ordonneau, we realized we had the same views, hopes and dreams for the future of ‘La Mer et ses vagues.’ We are looking forward to our world premiere this coming Friday, to finally have the public take possession of the film. We are also hoping for the best with the future sales wordwide of course! I strongly believe that the themes brought up by Liana and Renaud concern our time as a whole, wherever we are in the world.”
