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.

Pawlikowski’s most recent film Ida was a global success, packing out arthouse cinemas and winning the Oscar and BAFTA for best foreign language film as well as three European Film Awards including best European film, director and screenplay. His other key credits include My Summer Of Love and Last Resort.

ENDS

About Film4
Film4 is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division, which develops and co-finances films and has an established track record for working with the most distinctive and innovative talent in UK and international filmmaking. Film4 has developed and/or co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years - Academy Award-winners such as Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lenny Abrahamson’s Room, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, Asif Kapadia’s Amy, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady, in addition to critically-acclaimed award-winners such as Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Andrew Haigh’s Lean On Pete, Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not a Witch, Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Todd Haynes’ Carol, Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Shane Meadows’ This is England, Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, David Mackenzie’s Starred Up and Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster.

For further information please visit www.film4productions.com (opens in a new window)

Coming soon:
BEAST (Michael Pearce)
LEAN ON PETE (Andrew Haigh)
HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES (John Cameron Mitchell)
AMERICAN ANIMALS (Bart Layton)
DISOBEDIENCE (Sebastián Lelio)
AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN (Jim Hosking)

Currently in production or post:
THE FAVOURITE (Yorgos Lanthimos)
PETERLOO (Mike Leigh)
THE FESTIVAL (Iain Morris)
MARADONA (Asif Kapadia)
THE LITTLE STRANGER (Lenny Abrahamson)
FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY (Stephen Merchant)
BEEN SO LONG (Tinge Krishnan)
COUNTRY MUSIC (Tom Harper)
OLD BOYS (Toby MacDonald)
WIDOWS (Steve McQueen)

Future productions include:
THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG (Justin Kurzel)

Other recent projects include:
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (Martin McDonagh)
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (Lynne Ramsay)
I AM NOT A WITCH (Rungano Nyoni)
JOURNEYMAN (Paddy Considine)
DARK RIVER (Clio Barnard)
MARY MAGDALENE (Garth Davis)
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER (Yorgos Lanthimos)
FREE FIRE (Ben Wheatley)
TRESPASS AGAINST US (Adam Smith)
BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK (Ang Lee)
T2 TRAINSPOTTING (Danny Boyle)
AMERICAN HONEY (Andrea Arnold)