Neon Buys Oliver Laxe‘s Immersive Road Adventure ‘Sirât’ Following Cannes Debut (EXCLUSIVE)

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Neon recently obtained the distribution rights for Oliver Laxe’s “Sirât” across North America, following its successful premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The distributor has been quite active during the festival, also acquiring the North American rights for “The Secret Agent,” directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, and “It Was Just an Accident,” directed by Jafar Panahi – both of which are competing in the festival.

This year, Neon has been triumphant, earning an Oscar for best picture with “Anora,” which was also awarded the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes. Previously, they won in 2019 for “Parasite.” At Cannes, Neon has proven to be a dominating presence, having released the last five Palme d’Or winners. Can they do it again this year? We’ll find out this Saturday as Cannes announces its prize winners.

Sirât”

This film was jointly written by Laxe and his frequent collaborator Santiago Fillol. The cast includes Sergi López, Bruno Núñez, Stefania Gadda, and Jade Oukid. Neon has announced plans for a North American theatrical release towards the end of this year. However, the specifics of the financial aspects of the deal are yet to be disclosed.

According to the official synopsis: “‘Sirât’ tells the story of a father (López) and his son who find themselves at a rave in the mountains of southern Morocco, searching for their missing daughter (Mar). She had disappeared several months ago at one of these parties. Surrounded by the pulsating rhythm of electronic music and a raw, foreign feeling of freedom, they distribute her photo repeatedly. As hope dwindles, they persevere and join a group of revelers heading to a final party in the desert. The journey through the scorching wilderness compels them to confront their personal boundaries.

Critics lauded the movie’s unexpected twists and turns, with Jessica Kiang from EbMaster praising Laxe’s “daring directorial audacity” and describing the film as a “strikingly bizarre, cult-worthy exploration of human psychology pushed to its extremes.” The movie titled “Sirât” is produced by legendary Oscar winner Pedro Almodóvar, together with Agustín Almodóvar and Esther García under their production company El Deseo, Xavi Font and Oliver Laxe for Filmes Da Ermida, Oriol Maymó for Uri Films, Mani Mortazavi and Andrea Queralt for 4A4 Productions, and Domingo Corral for Movistar Plus+. Additional producers include Fran Araújo and Guillermo Farré for Movistar Plus+, and Holger Stern. The Match Factory handles the international sales rights to this film.

In a notable career progression, filmmaker Jalil Lakhdar first showcased his talent with the film “You All Are Captains,” which garnered the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Following this, he created the religious western “Mimosas” that was presented in the Critics’ Week section at Cannes in 2016. His third major work, “Fire Will Come,” was exhibited in Un Certain Regard at the 2019 Cannes Festival and received the Jury Prize. Lakhdar is recognized for frequently filming on-site in Morocco and incorporating non-professional actors into his productions, a practice he continues with “Sirât.

Additionally, Neon brought three more contest entries to Cannes: “Sentimental Value” directed by Joachim Trier, a film that received some of the festival’s most fervent accolades; “Alpha,” directed by Julia Ducournau; “Orwell: 2+2=5,” directed by Raoul Peck; and “Splitsville,” produced by Neon and starring Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona.

The acquisition agreement for “Sirât” was discussed and finalized between Neon’s Vice President of Acquisitions, Sarah Colvin, and representatives from The Match Factory: Agathe Valentin (Director of Sales) and Thania Dimitrakopoulou (Head of Sales), who were acting on behalf of the filmmakers.

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2025-05-23 17:46