How Pathe Films Aided ‘CODA’ on Its Oscar Journey
variety.comElsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSian Heder’s heartwarming family film “CODA” not only scored a historic Oscar for Deaf actor Troy Kotsur, it’s also the first English-language remake of a French film to win the best picture Academy Award.Acquired by Apple Studios at the 2021 Sundance in a record-breaking $25 million deal, “CODA” is based on the 2014 French box office hit “La Famille Bélier,” about a teenage girl with a singing talent who is the only hearing member of a Deaf family.
Like most remakes, the underdog movie could have died off after sitting on a shelf for too long had it not been for the all-star team of French producers with U.S.
ties who shepherded the project.Besides Jérôme Seydoux at Pathé Films, which fully financed the movie, “CODA’s” lead producers are Philippe Rousselet, who worked for many years at Warner Bros.
in L.A. and produced “Lord of War” and “Source Code” via his banner Vendôme Group, and Patrick Wachsberger, the former co-chairman of Summit and Lionsgate who now runs Picture Perfect Federation. “If you look at other remakes of French movies that have been made, they were often backed by U.S.
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