Boutique distributor Menemsha Films has acquired U.S. rights to “The Pianist’s Choice,” a World War II-set romantic drama written and directed by Jacques Otmezguine.
Oscar Lesage, a scene-stealer in “The Substance,” stars as François Touraine, a gifted pianist forced to tour Germany performing for Nazi leaders in a desperate bid to save the Jewish woman who taught him music — and whom he has loved since childhood. When he returns to France having lost everything, an encounter with a young woman helps him rebuild his life and find his way back to music.
César winners Philippe Torreton (“Captain Conan”) and Laurence Côte (“Thieves”) co-star alongside rising talents Pia Lagrange (“Lover for a Day”) and Zoé Adjani-Vallat (“Honey Cigar”). The film was produced by Nelly Kafsky through her Mazel Productions banner. Menemsha Films plans to release the title later this year.
“’The Pianist’s Choice’ is beautifully rendered on every level by filmmaker Jacques Otmezguine,” said Menemsha Films CEO Neil Friedman. “Its relevance today makes it all the more powerful. Love and music are essential tools for surviving difficult times — and a source of inspiration for us all.”
Paris-based sales company Loco Films brokered the deal, one of several finalized at this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris. Loco has also closed sales with K Films Amérique (Canada), Moving Story Entertainment (Australia/New Zealand) and Red Cape (Israel), with deals for Spain, Italy and Poland currently in the works.
“With ‘The Pianist’s Choice,’ I wanted to draw on my knowledge of music and history while filtering these themes through my own sensibility — particularly questions that continue to haunt me and for which I still have no answers,” Otmezguine told Variety.
“After the Second World War, music was deeply shaped by the demands and constraints of the Occupation,” he added. “Cultural life — especially in France — was subject to heavy restrictions and censorship by the German authorities. Yet despite this, some composers and musicians continued to create, playing and organizing clandestine concerts.”