IFC Films Acquires Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'The Truth' Starring Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke

The Japanese auteur, who won the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year for 'Shoplifters,' has described the film as his love letter to actress Catherine Deneuve who also stars.

In the first major deal of Berlin's European Film Market, IFC Films has picked up North American distribution rights to The Truth, the overseas filmmaking debut of celebrated Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, director of last year's Cannes Palme winner Shoplifters.

Written by Kore-eda, the film is a family drama starring French actresses Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche as mother and daughter, alongside four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke as Binoche's American husband.

Deneuve plays French screen goddess Fabienne, who despite her success has a strained relationship with her screenwriter daughter Lumir (Binoche). When Lumir and her husband (Hawke) return to Paris with their young child, things come to a head with the publication of Fabienne’s memoir — truths are told, accounts are settled and love and resentment are confessed.

"This film is a love letter to the actress Catherine Deneuve and also it is a story about acting, a story about a truth and a lie, and a story about a conflict and a reconciliation between mother and daughter," Kore-eda said. "It was a really happy experience for me to make a film together with [a] gem of [a] cast from France and the USA.”

Added IFC Films: "The Truth undoubtedly blends the finest talent working in cinema from across the globe today and we could not be more excited to present the film to North American audiences. Director Kore-eda, Catherine, Juliette and Ethan are all long-standing members of IFC family and it is a dream come true to partner with talent of such regard on one project.”



The Truth is produced by Muriel Merlin (3B production), and co-produced by Miyuki Fukuma (Bunbuku) and Matilde Incerti (MI Movies).

The deal was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, executive vp of acquisitions and productions at IFC Films and Eva Diederix, head of international sales at Wild Bunch and CAA Media Finance.