The VOD platform has pulled off an impressive move by acquiring three French films that were showcased at the recent Cannes Film Festival: Divines by Houda Benyamina, Mercenary by Sacha Wolff, and Journey to Greenland by Sébastien Betbeder.
This year's Cannes Film Festival has yielded a rich harvest for Netflix, with the acquisition of a string of auteur films that are scheduled for release on the platform in 2016. The most impressive acquisition is that of Divines (photo), sold by Films Boutique. This film by Houda Benyamina, which was presented at the Directors' Fortnight, was this year's winner of the prestigious Camera d'Or, although Netflix's chief content officer director Ted Sarandos affirms that the sale had been completed prior to the awards ceremony.
Netflix has additionally bought the rights to Mercenary by Sacha Wolff, which was also included in the Directors' Fortnight selection. This film is tells the tumultuous story of a young New Caledonian man who comes to France in the hope of becoming a professional rugby player. Its sales are handled by Be For Films.
And finally, Netflix has acquired Journey to Greenland by Sébastien Betbeder (with international sales handled by Cercamon). This film continues the adventures of Thomas and Thomas, characters who first appeared in Inupiluk, a medium-length film directed by Betbeder in 2014. Voyage to Greenland was presented at Cannes in the ACID program.
The question now is what kind of international career awaits these films. It is clear that Netflix is currently opening up new channels of distribution with the acquisition and programming of many so-called "festival films" on its SVOD platform.
