EXCLUSIVE: Menemsha Films has acquired US rights to Lauriane Escaffre and Yvo Muller’s Cannes premiere, Women On Trial, from France’s Gaumont.
Deals have also been secured to Canada (TVA Films), Australia and New Zealand (Moving Story/ Rialto), Germany (Wild Bunch), Switzerland (Pathe), Japan (At Entertainment), Hong Kong (First Distributors), Italy (Bim), Hungary (Cirko), India (Vr Films), Benelux (Athena), Israel (Nachshon), and Portugal (Nos).
The film, which debuted in Cannes Special Screenings last month, stars Charlotte Gainsbourg as lawyer and activist Gisele Halimi and centres on the landmark 1972 “Procès de Bobigny” trial of 16-year-old Marie-Claire Chevalier, whose case of illegal abortion shook France and made major headway in advancing reproductive rights in the country.
The film also stars Saül Benchetrit, Cecile de France, Gregory Gadebois, and Florence Loiret Caille. It is produced by the prolific French company Quad. Gaumont is a co-producer alongside France 3 Cinema and is handling international sales and the French release on November 4.
The real Halimi died in 2020 after a long career stacked with cases that shifted French laws and attitudes about reproductive rights and also injustices against women in countries such as Tunisia and Algeria.
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