Michel Gondry’s ‘The Book Of Solutions’ Acquired In English-Language Territories By AI Firm Flawless, XYZ Films & Tea Shop After Deal With Kinology — Cannes Market

Andreas Wiseman

23 May 2024 at 12:15 pm·3-min read

EXCLUSIVE: AI firm Flawless, distributor-financier XYZ Films (Mandy), and producer Tea Shop Productions (The Fall) have acquired Michel Gondry’s 2023 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight movie The Book Of Solutions for all English-speaking territories.

Directed and written by Gondry, the French-language comedy is the first film in seven years from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep filmmaker.

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It will be releases simultaneously in the original French language and converted to a director-approved English-language version using Flawless’ TrueSync AI technology, which became known after movies like The Fall. You can read about Flawless’ “visual translation” techniques and acquisitions strategy in our story here.

Pic stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Francoise Lebrun and Vincent Elbaz and was produced by George Bermann at Partizan.

In the film, Marc (Niney), a bipolar and paranoid filmmaker, is having trouble with his latest project. With his editor as an accomplice, he manages to spirit away the rushes to his aunt’s place in the Cévennes, to finish the film as he envisions it. Instead, its completion is constantly postponed, as he creates endless diversions and impasses, which alternate between the comic and the downright disturbing.

Flawless launched a partnership with XYZ Films and Tea Shop Productions last Cannes to acquire rights to foreign-language films, converting them to English for distribution in relevant markets. The companies will partner up with third party distributors in some markets. Umbrella is the Australia partner on this release, for example.

Flawless will implement its TrueSync technology to create lip-synced “visual translations” of acquired titles, while XYZ will leverage its distribution and sales resources to maximize each title’s theatrical, VOD, and OTT opportunities in English-speaking markets. The idea behind the tech is to minimize need for subtitles and dubs.

James Emanuel Shapiro, EVP of US Distribution for XYZ Films, Ryan Black, Head of Acquisitions for Flawless, and James Harris of Tea Shop negotiated the deal with Kinology on behalf of the filmmakers.

“There is no greater privilege than working on a Michel Gondry film. He is a true artist and The Book Of Solutions is a personal journey which allows audiences a glimpse directly into his thinking and his process. Grateful to him, Kinology and Flawless for giving XYZ the opportunity to share the film with film lovers,” said XYZ’s Shapiro.

Flawless’ Black added: “At Flawless, our goal is to make great films global, and no filmmaker is more deserving of a global audience than Michel Gondry. We are eager to bring this film to English-speaking markets, and to continue to expand our portfolio with many more similarly great films.”

Flawless, XYZ Films, and Tea Shop Productions’ upcoming slate of releases includes Victor Danell’s UFO Sweden, Stéphan Castang’s Vincent Must Die, Ryoo Seung-wan’s Smugglers and Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi’s Tatami.

Flawless recently launched a production company, Flawless Productions, which will partner with Tea Shop Productions on some projects. It is looking to finance up to ten films in its first year.

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