Why Distributors Like Neon and MUBI Won Cannes

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival hasn’t yielded huge buys out of its competition sections and sidebars so far. However, a smarter post-strike market thrived, offering packages that had nothing to do with the Cannes Film Festival selection proper. Read a rundown of all the film acquisitions out of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival here.

Distributors that thrived at this year’s edition on the Croisette included MUBI, Metrograph Pictures, and Sideshow and Janus. During this woeful moment for theaters, art films and originals pose too great a risk for the major studios and tech companies. Netflix’s acquisition of “Emilia Pérez,” in fact, remains the weightiest buy out of the competition, and it was not without a bidding war. MUBI debuted “The Substance” to rave reviews and a Best Screenplay win, and will take the extreme body horror movie as wide as possible starting September 20. Is it an Oscar contender? “Screen Talk” hosts Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio discuss that and more on the latest episode of IndieWire’s podcast.

Sideshow and Janus meanwhile took “All We Imagine as Light,” Payal Kapadia’s Grand Jury Prize winner and the first Indian film in the main competition in 30 years. India is unlikely to submit “All We Imagine” for International Feature Oscar contention for the same reasons why Iran will never submit Mohammad Rasoulof’s special jury winner “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (another Neon release) — both films take aim at their respective patriarchies.

At the same time, Sideshow and Janus bought North American rights to animated feature “Flow,” which with its adorable main character, dialogue-free story, and stunningly inventive visuals could be a massive hit with both kids and adults regardless of whatever nation it plays in.

Elsewhere at Cannes, Neon took the Palme d’Or for the fifth year in a row with Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which will be an indie hit in theaters when it inevitably releases this fall. And another Cannes premiere that’s now out in the world, “Furiosa,” is flopping in theaters. We consider why what is undeniably a niche, cult property did not translate to big numbers in the years since “Fury Road.”

After wrapping up Cannes, “Screen Talk” pivots to finally talking about another festival: Tribeca, happening throughout New York City June 5 through 16. To preview this year’s selection of docs, talks, and narrative features, “Screen Talk” brings Tribeca Festival director and VP of programming Cara Cusumano onto the podcast. The buzziest events include a sitdown with Alex Gibney and David Chase and the cast of “The Sopranos” for a 25th-anniversary reunion. Gibney directed the documentary “Wise Guy: David Chase & The Sopranos,” which will premiere at Tribeca alongside a Q&A with Chase and actors, including Edie Falco and Michael Imperioli, for a wide-ranging conversation.

Watch the full episode above or listen to it below.

Screen Talk is produced by Azwan Badruzaman and available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify, and hosted by Megaphone. Browse previous episodes here, subscribe here, and be sure to let us know if you’d like to hear the hosts address specific issues in upcoming editions of Screen Talk.