Amidst an extremely competitive landscape, NEON and Hulu have acquired North American rights to Céline Sciamma’s highly acclaimed film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, at the Cannes Film Festival as part of their exclusive film and content output licensing agreement. The groundbreaking and unforgettable love story that critics have been hailing as a masterpiece is screening In Competition.  NEON is planning a traditional theatrical release for the film this year, which will include an awards campaign in all categories.

Brittany, 1770. Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a painter, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), a young woman who has just left the convent.  Héloïse is a reluctant bride to be and Marianne must paint her without her knowing.  She observes her by day, to paint her secretly.

NEON and Hulu remarked “From the moment we saw this beautiful and captivating love story, we knew we had to release this film.  From Celine’s writing and directing, to the absolutely absorbing performances, we couldn’t be more excited for audiences to experience this sensationally moving piece of cinema on the big screen.”  

“We are thrilled by how audiences and buyers from around the world have responded to the ground breaking and emotionally gripping Portrait of a Lady on Fire.  It is sure to cement Céline Sciamma’s reputation as one of the most exciting directors of her time.  We are thrilled to be partnering with NEON to bring this progressive and potent piece of cinema to the big screen across the country.  They are one of the most dedicated and passionate distribution teams in North America,” mk2 films remarked.

The film stars Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luana Bajrami and Valeria Golino.  It is produced by Bénédicte Couvreur and is a Lilies Film production.  The deal was negotiated by Jeff Deutchman on behalf of NEON and Hulu and Fionnuala Jamison from mk2 films on behalf of the filmmakers. mk2 films is selling the world.