The U.S. rights for Cannes Film Festival award winner “About Dry Grasses” have been acquired by Sideshow and Janus Films.
“About Dry Grasses” follows Samet, a young art teacher who is finishing his fourth year of compulsory service in a remote village in Anatolia. After a turn of events he can hardly make sense of, he loses his hopes of escaping the grim life he seems to be stuck in. But an encounter with another teacher named Nuray offers a chance to help him overcome his angst.
The film, which screened in Competition to rave reviews and won the Best Actress honor for Merve Dizdar’s performance, has a screenplay written by Akin Aksu, Ebru Ceylan and Nuri Bilge Ceylan. In addition to Dizdar, the film stars Deniz Celiloglu, Musab Ekici and Eve Bagci. NBC Film, Memento Production and Komplizen Film Production serve as producers.
Sideshow and Janus Films will release “About Dry Grasses” in theaters following fall festivals.
The acquisition represents Sideshow and Janus Films’ first pickup in their third year at Cannes.
Past acquisitions have included Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and Jerzy Skolimowski’s “EO,” which was nominated for Best International Feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.
“This is truly grand cinema in every way. Nuri Bilge Ceylan has made a thrilling, playful, visually stunning film that tries to make sense of the world we live in now,” Sideshow and Janus Films said in a statement. “We are honored to work with him for the first time, and are so excited that Merve Dizdar was recognized for her phenomenal performance by the Jury. We look forward to introducing her, Denis Celiloglu, Musab Ekici, the rest of the stellar cast, and Ceylan’s rapturous vision to theaters across the US.”
The deal was negotiated by Playtime on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films.
