Alchemy have snapped up the Cannes Competition title.

the lobster 2

Alchemy has acquired all US distribution rights to Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster, the dark satire starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, which received its world premiere in Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Jeff Deutchman, Alchemy’s vp of acquisitions, negotiated the deal with Mike Goodridge of Protagonist Pictures and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.

The film co-stars John C. Reilly, Lea Seydoux, Olivia Colman and Ben Whishaw.

The Lobster is a love story set in the near future where single people, according to the rules of The City, are arrested and transferred to The Hotel. There they are obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days. If they fail, they are transformed into an animal of their choosing and released into The Woods. A desperate Man escapes from The Hotel to The Woods where The Loners live and falls in love, although it is against their rules.

Lanthimos penned the script with Efthimis Filippou and produced the film along with Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Ceci Dempsey. Sam Lavender, Andrew Lowe and Tessa Ross executive produced.

Element Pictures, Scarlet Films, Faliro House, Haut et Court, Lemming Film produced in association with Protagonist Pictures and Limp.

Protagonist Pictures is handling international sales.

The Irish/UK/French/Greek/Dutch production is financed by Film4, Bord Scannan na hEireann/Irish Film Board, the BFI Film Fund (the first film through its minority co-production strand), Eurimages, Greek Film Centre, CNC, the Dutch Film Fund and Canal+.