iW NEWS | SPC Buys "Paris"

Christophe Barratier's "Paris 36" (Faubourg 36), which opened the Montreal World Film Festival last night, has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. The company announced today a deal for U.S., Australasian and Scandinavian rights rights to the movie. Described as the story of "a bygone era in France," the film is Barratier's follow-up to "The Chorus" (Les Choristes). The film was produced by Jacques Perrin, and Nicolas Mauvernay and  co-produced by Romain Le Grand for Pathe. "This is one of those amazing populist movies no one seems to make anymore: a big, boisterous, moving 1930's music hall movie with perfect attention to detail in performance, cinematography, and production design," SPC's Michael Barker said in a statement today. "Director Christophe Barratier integrates the power and beauty of music with great visual storytelling seamlessly." It is also set for next month's Toronto International Film Festival. [Eugene Hernandez]