EXCLUSIVE: Arizona Distribution has acquired French rights for Argentinian director Federico Luis’s first feature Simon of the Mountain ahead of its world premiere in Cannes Critics’ Week in May.
The coming-of-age tale stars rising Argentinian actor, singer and song writer Lorenzo Ferro as a young man grappling with the challenges of a mental disorder.
Cannes Critics’ Week Artistic Director Ava Cahen has described the film as a deeply human drama challenging the misperceptions around disability.
French arthouse distributor Arizona has a track record in handling independent Argentinian cinema having previously released Rodrigo Moreno’s The Delinquents, which debuted in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2023.
“Federico Luis’ first feature film is an intense, masterful work of rare power. Its discovery was an emotional explosion for us, and we can’t wait to share it with French audiences,” said Arizona Distribution CEO Bénédicte Thomas.
“We’re delighted to once again be supporting an Argentinian film, after Rodrigo Moreno’s The Delinquents, and to return to Critics’ Week, a magnificent showcase for debut films at Cannes.”
Paris-based Luxbox, which is handling sales on the film and brokered the deal, has also released a trailer for the work.
The film is lead produced by Patricio Alvarez Casado at Argentinian production house 20/20 in coproduction with Fernando Bascuñan at Chilean company Planta, Ignacio Cucucovich’s Uruguayan company Mother Superior and L.A. and Mexico City based producer Carlos Rincones at Twelve Thirty Media
