Cannes: Cohen Media Scoops North American Distribution for Marco Bellocchio’s ‘Kidnapped’
thewrap.comnoting that the film “doesn’t so much pit one faith against another, casting oppressors against oppressed; instead, the film sets individuals against larger institutions.” It has earned $1.14 million in Italy since opening there in late May.Marco Bellocchio, along with his contemporaries Bernardo Bertolucci and Pier Paolo Pasolini, helped redefine Italian and world cinema in the 1960s and beyond.
He created the landmark films “Fists in the Pocket,” “China Is Near,” “The Eyes, the Mouth” and “Devil in the Flesh,” among other films amid a career that spans over 50 years. “We are happy to collaborate with Cohen Media on ‘Kidnapped,'” The Match Factory’s Laura Nacher said in a statement. “Marco Bellocchio’s latest is a powerful and important story that will resonate with American audiences.”CMG’s Robert Aaronson said: “Marco Bellocchio has been revered on the world cinema stage for decades, and we are thrilled to bring to audiences this stirring work by a true master.”The grim true story was once intended to be a film directed by Steven Spielberg, with the project announced back in 2014 as what was proposed to be another collaboration with screenwriter Tony Kushner.
It was stuck in development hell for years, but at one point got so far as to have Oscar Isaac attached along with Mark Rylance starring as the Pope.
Spielberg eventually dropped the project, reportedly because he was unable to find a suitable actor to play the young Edgardo.
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