Memento Films International (MFI) has acquired international sales rights to US filmmaker Michael Covino’s comedy-drama The Climb ahead of its premiere in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25).
Born out of Covino’s short film of the same name, which screened in Sundance in 2018, the feature revolves around the enduring but tumultuous relationship between best friends Kyle and Mike.
The pair share a life-long close bond but this is shaken to the core when Mike sleeps with Kyle’s fiancée.
Covino co-wrote the screenplay with Kyle Marvin. The pair also co-star in the film. Other cast members include Gayle Rankin (The Greatest Showman), Judith Godreche (L’Auberge Espagnole) and Talia Balsam (Mad Men) in the cast.
Key crew include cinematographer Zach Kuperstein and editor Sara Shaw.
Topic Studios (Spotlight, Leave No Trace, The Report) and Watch This Ready produced the film.
Covino and Marvin take producer credits alongside Noah Lang with Michael Bloom, Ryan Heller and Adam Pincus on board as executive producers.
“Michael and Kyle have turned a modern-day friendship - and all that goes with it - into an incredibly heartfelt and singular film,” said Michael Bloom, CEO of Topic Studios and First Look Media.
Paris-based MFI is handling international sales and festivals, and Endeavor Content is covering North American sales.
Other Cannes titles on the MFI slate include Chinese filmmaker Diao Yinan’s The Wild Goose Lake which premieres in Competition.
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