A24 has unveiled a raft of key territory deals for Jonathan Glazer’s hotly tipped Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or frontrunner The Zone Of Interest ahead of the awards ceremony on Saturday.
The film has sold to Austria and Germany (Leonine), Benelux (Cineart), France (Bac), Greece (Spentzos), Italy (I Wonder), Japan (Happinet Phantom Studios), Scandinavia (SF Studios), Spain (Elastica) and Switzerland (Filmcoopi).
Other distributors include Poland’s Gutek, which pre-bought the film in a deal not brokered by A24.
The holocaust drama stars Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller as Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig as they strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
The film is Glazer’s first feature in a decade – since the Scarlett Johansson-starring sci-fi drama Under The Skin – as well as his first film to premiere in Cannes.
The drama is based on the novel of the same name by Martin Amis, who died just one day after the film premiered to rave reviews in Competition at Cannes.
Deadline’s Pete Hammond said of the film: “The Zone of Interest takes its place among the great films made on the Holocaust and will probably haunt you long after seeing it.” Read the full review here.
It is produced by the U.K.’s James Wilson, who previously worked with Glazer on Under The Skin, and Poland’s Ewa Puszcyńska (Ida, Cold War), with the backing of A24 and Film 4.