BBC Films is pleased to have backed three selected for this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May, and another selected for the Tribeca Film Festival.

In June

Ruben Östlund‘s Triangle Of Sadness will have its world premiere in Competition at Cannes as part of the Official Selection; God’s Creatures, directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, will premiere in Directors’ Fortnight; and Aftersun, the debut feature of Charlotte Wells, will premiere in Competition in Critics’ Week.

Additionally, Frank Berry’s Aisha will premiere at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival in the Spotlight Narrative section.

Eva Yates, Acting Director of BBC Film, says: “We’re thrilled that Ruben Östlund’s brilliant and biting Triangle Of Sadness has been selected to premiere in Competition in Cannes. It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with partners across Europe on Ruben’s first film in the English language. Our warmest congratulations to Ruben, his producers, including UK producer Mike Goodridge, and the entire filmmaking team.

“God’s Creatures is an incredibly powerful film and it is a testament to the talent and collaboration of directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, screenwriter Shane Crowley and producer/co-writer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly that the film has been recognised by Directors’ Fortnight.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for a debut feature to be selected for Cannes Critics’ Week, recognition which is richly deserved for Aftersun, a profoundly moving film by writer/director Charlotte Wells, producers Adele Romanski and Amy Jackson and their collaborators.

"Frank Berry’s Aisha is a moving and timely film that we’re proud to have supported. We’re thrilled that it will premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.”

About the films (in alphabetical order)

Aftersun

Written and directed by Charlotte Wells.

Sophie (newcomer Francesca Corio, and Celia Rowlson-Hall as adult Sophie) reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father (Paul Mescal) 20 years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between miniDV footage as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.

Produced by Adele Romanski, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins and Mark Ceryak, Aftersun is a Pastel/Unified Theory production presented by BBC Film, BFI and Creative Scotland in association with Tango. The film was developed with BBC Film and was selected for the Sundance Institute’s Directors and Screenwriters Labs in 2020. Sales are being handled by Charades.

Aisha

Written and directed by Frank Berry.

Aisha charts the experiences of a young Nigerian woman as she seeks international protection in Ireland. Caught in limbo for years in Ireland's immigration system, Aisha Osagie (Letitia Wright) develops a friendship with former prisoner Conor Healy (Josh O'Connor) who she meets at one of the accommodation centres. Aisha and Conor's growing friendship soon looks to be short-lived as Aisha's future in Ireland comes under threat.

A Subotica production, Aisha is produced by Tristan Orpen Lynch, Aoife O’Sullivan, Donna Eperon and Park Pictures’ Sam Bisbee. The film was developed and financed by Screen Ireland, BBC Film, RTE and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland in association with Park Pictures, Wavelength and World of Ha Productions. Cornerstone has worldwide sales rights.

God’s Creatures

Directed by Saela Davis & Anna Rose Holmer, their debut feature as a directing team, with a screenplay by Shane Crowley from a story by Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly and Shane Crowley.

In a windswept fishing village, a mother (Emily Watson) is torn between protecting her beloved son (Paul Mescal) and her own sense of right and wrong. A lie she tells for him rips apart their family and close-knit community in this tense, sweepingly emotional epic.

The Nine Daughters production is produced by Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, following her award-winning and critically acclaimed films Ammonite and Lady Macbeth, both backed by BBC Film.

God’s Creatures was developed with the support of Screen Ireland, BBC Film and A24. It is co-financed by A24, BBC Film, Screen Ireland and the Western Region Audiovisual Producers Fund/WRAP. A24 controls worldwide rights.

Triangle Of Sadness

Written and directed by Ruben Östlund, winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2017 with his comedy The Square.

Triangle Of Sadness is an uninhibited satire where roles and class are inverted and the tawdry economic value of beauty is unveiled. Models Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean Kriek) are navigating the world of fashion while exploring the boundaries of their relationship. The couple are invited for a luxury cruise with a rogues’ gallery of super-rich passengers, a Russian oligarch, British arms dealers and an idiosyncratic, alcoholic, Marx-quoting captain (Woody Harrelson). At first, all appears Instagrammable. But a storm is brewing, and heavy seasickness hits the passengers during the seven-course captain’s dinner.

The cruise ends catastrophically. Carl and Yaya find themselves marooned on a desert island with a group of billionaires and one of the ship’s cleaners. Hierarchy is suddenly flipped upside down, as the housekeeper is the only one who knows how to fish.

Triangle Of Sadness is produced by Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober. Among the co-producers are Marina Perales Marhuenda, Giorgos Karnavas, Per Damgaard, Julio Chavezmontes and Mike Goodridge.

Pictured top: Triangle Of Sadness: Fredrik Wenzel Plattform Produktion

Partner credits: Imperative Presents, in association with Film i Väst, BBC Film, 30 West, a Plattform Produktion production in co-production with Essential Films, Coproduction Office, Sveriges Television, Arte France Cinéma and TRT.

In association with Heretic, Bord Cadre & Sovereign Films, Piano Films, with the support of Svenska Filminstitutet, Eurimages, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, The Danish Film Institute, Hamburg Film Fund and the BFI. With the participation of ZDF/Arte, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and DR. With the participation of Canal+ and Cine+