“Wild Diamond,” the feature debut of Agathe Riedinger which competed at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has been acquired by Strand Releasing for North American rights.
The critically acclaimed film tells the story of Liane, a 19-year old girl whose quick rise to fame in the world of social influencers and media explodes when she gets cast in a reality TV show entitled Miracle Island.
“We’re thrilled to be handling the debut feature by Ms. Riedinger, we were entranced by this directorial new voice appearing in competition at the Cannes main slate,” said Strand Releasing’s Jon Gerrans who negotiated the deal and Agathe Mauruc at Pyramide International. Gerrans added that “Wild Diamond” “will resonate with audiences in North America as the film addresses our fascination and obsession with popularity on social media.”
“Wild Diamond” has sold in the following territories, Baltics, Benelux, Brazil, Bulgaria, CIS, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ex Yugoslavia, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Latin America, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
“Wild Diamond” expands on “Waiting for Jupiter,” Riedinger’s critically acclaimed 2018 short. “Waiting for Jupiter” follows a young woman’s pursuit of fame through reality TV. In an interview with Variety on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, the filmmaker said she was fascinated by reality TV “because of the violence of the extremely reactionary values conveyed, the grandeur that unfolds, and the bodies of the contestants who are hyper-feminized and hyper-sexualized. The entertainment relies a lot on women’s body image.” Riedinger worked with many non-professionals on the film, including Malou Khebizi, who plays the lead part and appears in nearly every frame of the movie.
The long-gestating French film was produced by Priscilla Bertin and Judith Nora at Paris-based Silex Films.
Strand will theatrically release the film in early 2025. The company’s current slate of films also includes Fatih Akin’s “Rhinegold,” Brad Rust Gray’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror” and Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well.”