Luxbox Sells French Distribution Rights of Portuguese Master Manoel de Oliveira’s Oeuvre to Capricci Films (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comAnna Marie de la Fuente Paris-based sales agency and production company Luxbox has sold the French distribution rights to 12 pics of the late Portuguese maestro filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira to Capricci Films, which plans to release the restored films in cinemas across France from 2024.
Expressing his pride at adding some of Oliveira’s best films to its catalog, Capricci’s Louis Descombes said: “We had long hoped to be able to give new life to the unique, mischievous and incredibly modern work of the Portuguese filmmaker.” The Bordeaux-based distributor aims to kick off the releases with “Val Abraham” in the spring.
Bringing back Oliveira’s films to French cinemas “wouldn’t be possible without the work of the Portuguese Cinematheque which already restored ‘Abraham’s Valley’ and will continue the digitization and restoration of the rest of the films in 2024, including Oliveira’s first film, ‘Aniki-Bóbó,’” said Luxbox CEO, Fiorella Moretti.
Inspired by Gustave Flaubert’s classic tale Madame Bovary, “Abraham’s Valley” was given a special screening at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight this year, which also paid tribute to the director with its official poster featuring an image of Portuguese actress Leonor Silveira as it feted the 30th anniversary of its selection at the sidebar.
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