May 23rd, 2018: Thunderbird Releasing has acquired Hirokazu Kore-eda’s
family drama SHOPLIFTERS for the UK, following its premiere in
competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
SHOPLIFTERS- the seventh film directed by Kore-eda to screen at Cannesscooped the top prize at the festival amid fierce competition from Spike Lee and Jean-Luc Godard among others – marking just the second time this century that an Asian film has won the Palme d’Or. It follows a ragtag family of petty crooks who take in a young girl after finding her abandoned in the street.
The deal was negotiated by Kevin Chan, Acquisitions Manager of Thunderbird Releasing, and Olivier Barbier at Wild Bunch. Of the acquisition, Chan commented: “We immediately fell in love with Kore-eda’s Shoplifters when we saw it. We are delighted to continue our growing partnership with Wild Bunch to bring this bittersweet modern family drama to a UK audience.”
Barbier added: “We’re delighted to welcome Thunderbird Releasing as a new member of the Kore-eda family. We are sure this powerful and tender film has found the right home to reach a wide audience in the UK.” The acquisition marks another successful Cannes for the UK indie distributor, who also acquired Christopher Honore’s romantic drama Sorry Angle.
ABOUT THUNDERBIRD RELEASING
Thunderbird Releasing is an all-rights film distribution company based in London. Canadian media group Thunderbird Entertainment, who Executive Produced Blade Runner 2049, acquired established UK indie Soda Pictures in 2015, relaunching it this year as Thunderbird Releasing.
Upcoming releases include The Heiresses, The Kindergarten Teacher and Vita & Virginia. Recent releases include Redoubtable, Toni Erdmann, A Quiet Passion, My Life As A Courgette, I Am Not Madame Bovary, A Man Called Ove, Land of Mine, Una, Brimstone and the documentary David Lynch: The Art of Life.
ABOUT WILD BUNCH
Wild Bunch is one of the world’s leading players in the field of international sales, its position strengthened by both a wealth of experience recognized by foreign distributors world-wide, and a broad, artistically diverse selection of the best of director-led international cinema.
Currently handling an international sales catalog of around 450 titles, Wild Bunch has established a reputation for both professionalism and provocation with distributors worldwide. Characterized by its diverse editorial policy, the company offers a constantly renewed and always innovative slate of films from all over the world: director-driven, arthouse, genre or commercial; features, documentaries, regularly honored at both European and international festivals.
For further press information please contact Saffeya Shebli at Thunderbird Releasing saffeya.shebli@thunderbirdreleasing.com/0207 377 1407 www.thunderbirdreleasing.com