08 feb 2019 Strong presence in Berlin for mk2 films

mk2 films will have a strong presence at this year’s Berlinale with the Out of Competition World premiere of VARDA BY AGNÈS by famed New Wave director Agnès Varda (recipient of the 2018 Honorary Academy Award), and European premiere of JESSICA FOREVER (Panorama) by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel which had closed TIFF’s competitive section Platform a few months back. Locarno title SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS by Virgil Vernier will also screen at the Critics’ Week.

Along with the unveiling of 8 new promos at the EFM, mk2 films will be kicking off sales on three new titles including A GIRL MISSING by Koji Fukada, THE ATLANTIDES by Mati Diop, and LOOKING FOR GILLES CARON by Mariana Otero.

mk2 films / KADOKAWA kick off sales on Koji Fukada’s A GIRL MISSING, reveals first look.

After HARMONIUM (Cannes 2016 Un Certain Regard Jury Prize), Japanese director-writer Koji Fukada returns with an off-kilter and tense portrait of a woman caught up in a spiral of defamation.

An intoxicating tale of guilt, blame, and vindictiveness, A GIRL MISSING tells the story of Ichiko (Mariko Tsutsui) a private nurse working for a family she has almost become a part of. While Ichiko cares for the grandmother, she is also a confidant to Motoko, the eldest sister. But one day, Motoko’s younger sister disappears. And the media soon reveal the kidnapper to be Ichiko’s own nephew…

“Anchored by Koji Fukada’s meticulous dissection of flawed and failing family relationships, A GIRL MISSING is a carefully crafted film which will surprise audiences as the story unfolds. The sobriety and quiet beauty of the seemingly tranquil setting and mise en scène contrast with the unwavering ambiguity that slowly creeps in, and is made all the more disquieting by Mariko Tsutsui’s wonderfully layered performance”, adds Juliette Schrameck, Managing Director of mk2 films.

mk2 films will premiere first footage at the European Film Market.

KADOKAWA, Comme des Cinémas and Tokyo Garage are producing the feature, which is due for delivery in the first half of 2019. KADOKAWA handle sales in Asia.

Mati Diop’s THE ATLANTIDES also launching sales at EFM:

THE ATLANTIDES, which is currently in post-production, is Mati Diop’s first feature following a slew of critically acclaimed short and medium-length films (SNOW CANON, A THOUSAND SUNS). Produced by Les Films du Bal (also currently producing Bertrand Bonello’s upcoming ZOMBI CHILD), in coproduction with Cinekap and FraKas Productions. The feature is set for delivery in 2019.

Set along the Atlantic coast, in a suburb of Dakar where a soon-to-be inaugurated futuristic tower looms over the city, the film follows Ada, 17, whose life is torn between the man she has been promised to marry, and the one she really loves, Souleimane, a young worker. One night, Souleimane and his co-workers disappear at sea. Yet soon after, they come back to haunt their old neighborhood by taking possession of the girlfriends they left behind. Some of the workers have come claiming revenge and threaten to burn the tower down if the developer does not pay their wages. But Souleiman has come back for Ada, so they can be together one last time.

“With a striking aesthetic and candid energy, Mati Diop has created a poetic and political fable, a tale of love rooted in Africa’s modern times. Its seductive and enigmatic pull, with promises of both life and death, of love and separation, will surely anchor Mati Diop as one of the most exciting and distinctive young voices of her generation”, says Juliette Schrameck.

mk2 films will premiere first footage at the European Film Market.

LOOKING FOR GILLES CARON by Mariana Otero closes trio of films launched at EFM:

Produced by Archipel 35 (home of films from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Laurent Cantet, Pierre Schoeller), LOOKING FOR GILLES CARON chronicles the life and work of the famed French photojournalist who went missing in Cambodia at the height of his career, age 30.

Through his iconic photographs, and the gaps between them, this film aims to restore the photographer’s presence, recounting the story of his gaze and how he managed to cover every high-profile conflict of his day in such a short period of time.

“With a keen eye for details and a strong emotional attachment to her subject, Mariana Otero takes us on a thrilling investigative journey into the life of one the most brilliant photographers of his time”, says Fionnuala Jamison, Head of Sales at mk2 films.

The film is set for delivery in 2019.