The Orchard Acquires Pablo Larrain’s Neruda From Participant Media
The Orchard has acquired all North American distribution rights from Participant Media to director Pablo Larraín’s NERUDA, which premiered on May 13 in Cannes in the lauded Directors' Fortnight section. The Orchard plans a fall release for the film with an awards push.
Larraín was last in Cannes with No, which went on to be nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film. Written by Guillermo Calderon, NERUDA stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Chile’s Luis Gnecco (HBO’s “Profugos”), and Mercedes Moran (The Motorcycle Diaries), and is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín.
It’s 1948 and the Cold War has reached Chile. In congress, Senator Pablo Neruda accuses the government of betrayal and is swiftly impeached by President Videla. Police Prefect Óscar Peluchonneau is assigned to arrest the poet. Neruda tries to flee the country with his wife Delia del Carril, but they are forced into hiding. In the struggle with his nemesis Peluchonneau, Neruda sees an opportunity to reinvent himself. He plays with the Prefect, leaving clues designed to make their game of cat-and-mouse more dangerous, more intimate. In this story of persecution, Neruda recognizes his own heroic possibilities: a chance to become both a symbol for liberty and a literary legend.
NERUDA was co-financed by Participant Media, in association with Chile’s Fabula, France’s Funny Balloons, Argentina’s AZ Films, and Spain’s Setembro Cine. Producers are Juan de Dios Larraín, Peter Danner, Renan Artukmaç, Alex Zito, Juan Pablo García, Ignacio Rey, Gastón Rothschild, and Fernanda del Nido, and executive produced by Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King of Participant Media, Marc Simoncini, Mariane Hartard, and Rocio Jadue. Funny Balloons is handling international sales.
The deal was negotiated by The Orchard with CAA and Participant Media on behalf of the filmmakers. Pablo Larraín is represented by Management 360 and CAA.
"Neruda blew us away, full stop. Pablo has created a lush, layered film of beauty filled with amazing performances and a style so unique and compelling," said Paul Davidson, EVP of Film and TV at The Orchard. "We are ecstatic to have the opportunity to be a part of this film's journey to audiences and work with Pablo and our good friends at Participant."
"Pablo has made another extraordinary film that grapples with art, politics and love in a way that defies all expectations. We are incredibly proud of our continuing partnership with our friends Pablo and Juan. Paul and his team at The Orchard stepped up immediately after our first screening, and we are confident they will deliver the film to the widest possible audience," said Jonathan King, EVP of Narrative Films at Participant Media.
The Orchard will also release Participant Media’s THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS: YO-YO MA AND THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE in early June.
Pablo Larraín was born in Chile in 1976. He is a founding partner, with his brother Juan de Dios Larrain, in the production company Fabula. His feature films include Fuga, Tony Manero (Directors’ Fortnight), Post Mortem (Venice), No (Directors’ Fortnight and Academy Award nominee as Best Foreign Language Film), The Club (Berlinale Grand Jury Prize Silver Bear and Golden Globes nominee as Best Foreign Language Film). NERUDA is his sixth feature film.
Source: Participant Media
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