IFC Films have picked up U.S. rights to Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan’s sophomore directorial effort and Cannes entry “Heartbeats” as well as Antoine Blossier’s creature-feature “Prey.”
Acquired from French-based shingle Rezo, IFC will now release “Heartbeats” through its ‘IFC in Theaters’ program — which equates to a simultaneous theatrical and On-Demand release — while “Prey” will be unveiled by its newly formed genre subsidiary, IFC Midnight (which will also feature Gasper Noe’s “Enter The Void” in September and Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Valhalla Rising” on June 4).
Dolan’s film, his second Cannes entry in two years, follows two friends whose friendship becomes threatened by the introduction of a young country boy with whom they both fall in love. The film features in the Un Certain Regard category at this year’s Cannes with early reviews generally coming in favorably with comparisons to Francois Truffaut’s “Jules Et Jim” and the works of Wong Kar-Wai. Dolan also stars in the film as a member of the trio along side Monia Chokri and Niels Schneider.
Blossier’s “Prey,” meanwhile, centers on a countryside family reunion which is turned on its head with the members of the party becoming the target of unknown predators. Berenice Bejo, Gregorie Colin, Isabelle Renauld, Francois Levantal, Fred Ulysse and Joseph Malerba star in something that is already drawing comparisons to the likes of “Jaws,” “The Descent” and “Deliverance.”
“It’s with great pleasure that we continue our relationship with Rezo with ‘Heartbeats’ and ‘Prey,’” IFC’s Jonathan Sehring said in a statement. “Xavier Dolan is one of the most exciting young talents working in cinema today and we couldn’t be happier to bring ‘Heartbeats’ to America. We also think audiences are really going to love ‘Prey’ which is an inventive and wild ride, as well as an impressive debut by Antoine Blossier.”
No word yet on potential release dates for either film.
