Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s psychological thriller “Everybody Knows” will go on French screens after it has its world premiere while opening the 71st Cannes Film Festival on May 8.
On May 9, Memento Films International will release the movie in France, at 400 cinemas across the country, ISNA reported.
Written by Farhadi and shot entirely in Spanish on the Iberian Peninsula, “Everybody Knows” follows the journey of Laura (played by Penelope Cruz), who travels with her family from Buenos Aires to her native village in Spain for a celebration.
An unexpected event disrupts the reunion and changes the characters’ lives. The family, its ties and the moral choices imposed on them lie at the heart of the plot.
The film’s public screening is also scheduled in Argentina, Spain and Russia. On September 13, Argentinean cinemas will start showing the movie.
On the following day (Sept. 14), its screening will start in Spain. Universal Pictures International will distribute the film in the country under the title “Todos Lo Saben.”
Russia will be the next host of the movie to screen it from Sept. 20.
The film is produced by Alexandre Mallet-Guy at Memento Films Production and Alvaro Longoria at Morena Films.
“This is Asghar Farhadi’s most ambitious film yet,” said Mallet-Guy. “It is not only a gripping thriller with multiple twists, but also an amazing ensemble portrait dominated by the (powerful) performances of Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Ricardo Darin.”
The French producer-distributor added that the film “combines suspense and emotion within a tense narrative” and will surely “find Farhadi his widest audience yet”.
Farhadi achieved worldwide critical acclaim in 2011 with “A Separation”, which garnered the Golden Bear at Berlin and went on to win the Golden Globe, César and Oscar for best foreign film. He later fielded two films in Cannes competition, “The Past” in 2013 and “The Salesman” in 2016.
Two years ago “Salesman” won two awards for the best screenplay for Farhadi and best actor for Shahab Hosseini at Cannes before taking home the Oscar for the best foreign language film.
“Past” had also won two awards at Cannes: the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury for Farhadi and the best actress award for Argentine French actress Berenice Bejo.
In the upcoming edition of Cannes Festival, Farhadi will compete with acclaimed filmmakers Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard and Pawel Pawlikowski as well as his compatriot Jafar Panahi to win the coveted Palme d’Or.
