Monster

Source: ©️2023 Monster Film Committee

‘Monster’

Gaga Corporation and Goodfellas have jointly pre-sold Cannes Competition title Monster, directed by Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters), to territories across Europe, Asia and the Middle East ahead of its premiere.

The film sold to Italy (BIM), Spain (Vertigo), France (Le Pacte), Germany (Wild Bunch Germany), South Korea (MediaCastle), Hong Kong (Edko Films), Taiwan (MovieCloud), Singapore and Vietnam (Clover Films), Thailand (Sahamongkolfilm International), Indonesia (Falcon), India (Impact Films), Benelux (September Film), Switzerland (Cineworx), Greece (Spentzos), Portugal (Midas), Scandinavia (Triart), Bulgaria (Beta Film), Yugoslavia (MCF), Hungary (Cirko), Baltic States (Kino Pavasaris), Poland (Best Film), CIS (Russian Report), Israel (Lev Cinemas), Turkey (Filmarti), Middle East (Teleview), and Australia and New Zealand (Madman).

The films centres on a mother who demands answers from a teacher when her son begins acting strangely, and reunites the Japanese auteur with Shoplifters star Sakura Ando.

The script is from TV writer Yuji Sakamoto, marking only the second feature by Kore-eda to be scripted by another writer since his 1995 debut drama Maborosi.

The score is by Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March, and previously wrote the music for Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, which played in Competition at Cannes in 1983.

Monster premieres today (May 17) in Cannes. It marks the seventh time Kore-eda has played in Competition at the festival, winning the Palme d’Or with Shoplifters in 2018.