Film4-backed Cold War to screen In Competition at Cannes

Cold War, Pawel Pawlikowski’s follow-up to his 2015 Oscar and BAFTA winning Ida, has been selected to screen In Competition at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 8-19.

Director of Film4 Daniel Battsek commented: “Cold War is a magnificent piece of cinema and following on from the huge success of Ida, confirms Pawel Pawlikowski as a filmmaker of unique talents. I’m delighted that Film4 has played a role in bringing Pawel and producer Tanya Segatchian’s latest collaboration to the screen, and that the Cannes selectors have invited the film to world premiere in May.”

Cold War is a passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, who are fatally mismatched and yet fatefully condemned to each other. Set against the background of the Cold War in the 1950s in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, the film depicts an impossible love story in impossible times.

Cold War stars Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig, alongside Agata Kulesza from Ida.

The director’s long time partners Tanya Seghatchian (My Summer of Love) of Apocalypso Pictures and Ewa PuszczyDska (Ida) from Piotr Dziciol’s Opus Film (Poland) produced the film, along with France’s MK Productions. The film is financed by the Polish Film Institute, MK Productions, Opus Film, CNC – Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, Arte France Cinéma, Film4, the BFI with National Lottery funding, and Protagonist Pictures.

The film is a Polish/French/UK co-production, and was written by Pawlikowski and Janusz GBowacki with the collaboration of Piotr Bordowski in both Polish and French languages.

UK rights are with Curzon Artifical Eye, French rights are with Diaphana Distribution and Amazon Studios has all North American rights. MK2 Films and Protagonist Pictures jointly handle worldwide sales.