MUBI to premiere The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki at London Film Festival
David Farnor | On 07, Sep 2016
MUBI will premiere The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki in the UK at the London Film Festival next month.
The film, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at this year’s Cannes, was snapped up by the subscription streaming service following the festival, with the site huolding the theatrical and digital rights to the movie.
After the release of Miguel Gomes’ Arabian Nights earlier this year, both in cinemas and on MUBI, the VOD service will reunite with New Wave Films to distribute the film in UK cinemas. Before then, though, it will have its UK bow at the UK capital’s film festival, screening on both Thursday 6th and Friday 7th October.
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki tells the true story of Finnish boxing hero, Olli Mäki, set against the summer of 1962, as Olli attempts to win the world championship featherweight title. Starring Jarkko Lahti as Mäki, the film picked up the top prize in Cannes’ main sidebar section, which recognises young, international talent and innovative and daring works.
MUBI’s founder Efe Cakarel says: “We were looking for something really special at Cannes this year and in Olli Maki and Ma Loute we have found just that.”
The film’s LFF premiere marks a growing relationship between streaming services and festivals, as everyone from Amazon to Netflix seeks to both acquire buzz-worthy titles fresh from the circuit and also showcase their latest wares to an audience.
MUBI has honed in on Cannes, in particular, previously signing a major partnership with the festival’s Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors’ Fortnight), which will take the form of a year-long collaboration, sharing iconic films that have screened in the prestigious Cannes programme on MUBI’s global VOD platform.
The London Film Festival, meanwhile, will also see the premiere of Amazon’s furst original film, Chi-Raq, which is being released by Vertigo in the UK, Netflix’s documentary The 13th, plsu two episodes of its new Black Mirror series, while Dogwoof will be hosting a live online premiere for Werner Herzog’s Lo and Behold, at the same time as its screening and Q&A in Leicester Square.
For more on the London Film Festival line-up, click here, or visit the official site.
MUBI snaps up UK rights for Un Certain Regard winner The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki
2nd June 2016
MUBI has acquired the UK and US rights for Un Certain Regard winner The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki.
The curated streaming service was out in force at this year’s Cannes Film Festival – you can read our interview with one of their curators here. Now, the site has announced its successful acquisition of Juho Kuosmanen’s feature debut, which took the top prize in the festival’s Un Certain Regard section.
The site holds the theatrical and digital rights to the movie, which will be released in partnership with New Wave Films – their second partnership after Miguel Gomes’ trilogy Arabian Nights, which opened in April 2016 before arriving on MUBI in May. MUBI has also acquired SVOD window rights for the film in Latin America.
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki tells the true story of Finnish boxing hero, Olli Mäki, set against the summer of 1962, as Olli attempts to win the world championship featherweight title. Starring Jarkko Lahti as Mäki, the film picked up the top prize in Cannes’ main sidebar section, which recognises young, international talent and innovative and daring works.
MUBI’s deal was made with Les Films Du Losange. Bérénice Vincent, Head Of Sales for Les Films Du Losange, comments: “The MUBI team is dedicated to the films they are carefully choosing. A theatrical release for Olli Maki was essential for us to build the director’s career and we think MUBI will do a great job on the film.”
The movie is joined by a second acquisition fresh from the Croisette: MUBI also holds the theatrical, home entertainment and digital rights to Bruno Dumont’s Cannes Competition contender, Ma Loute, which will be released in partnership with New Wave as well.
“We’re pleased to be starting on our second partnership with MUBI, and to be renewing our long relationship with Bruno Dumont,” says Robert Beeson of New Wave Films, which has released three of Bruno Dumont’s previous films: Hadewijch, Hors Satan and P’tit Quinquin.
Ma Loute, which has the English title of “Slack Bay”, is a fiery black comedy, set on the French coast in the early 1900s. The film stars celebrated French actress Juliette Binoche (Clouds of Sils Maria), Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (Un Château en Italie), and César-winning Fabrice Luchini (L’hermine).
MUBI’s founder Efe Cakarel says: “We were looking for something really special at Cannes this year and in Olli Maki and Ma Loute we have found just that. Juho Kuosmanen is an incredible voice in which we see infinite talent and as to Bruno Dumont, he is someone who we have deeply admired and followed for a long time, so being able to acquire his latest film in Competition is a dream. We are thrilled to be sharing these two films exclusively with our subscribers.”
Tanja Meissner, Head of Sales and Acquisitions at Memento Films International, says Ma Loute is “a unique film that deserves a special release”.
“MUBI is exactly the partner this film needed,” adds Meissner. “Together with New Wave for the theatrical release, were confident that MUBI will access a considerable audience for Bruno Dumont’s exquisite and hilarious work.”
The announcement continues MUBI’s relationship strong relationship with Cannes. It follows a major partnership with the festival’s Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors’ Fortnight), which will take the form of a year-long collaboration, sharing iconic films that have screened in the prestigious Cannes programme on MUBI’s global VOD platform. Other titles set to showcase on MUBI later this year include Eugene Green’s Son Of Joseph, Mathieu Amalric’s The Blue Room, and Berlinale Panorama opener I, Olga, which MUBI secured theatrical and digital rights to earlier this year.
The cinema and online release dates for Olli Maki and Ma Loute is still to be confirmed.