Director in Need of Funds Auctioning Off His Palme d'Or

Abdellatif Kechiche needs to finance his next film
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 8, 2017 11:20 AM CDT
Director in Need of Funds Auctioning Off His Palme d'Or
Director Abdellatif Kechiche, centre, actors Lea Seydoux, right, and Adele Exarchopoulos pose with the Palme d'Or award after an awards ceremony at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Sunday, May 26, 2013.   (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

If you've ever wanted to own a Palme d'Or, now's your chance. Abdellatif Kechiche, who won the top prize at the 2013 Cannes film festival for Blue Is the Warmest Color, is now auctioning it off in order to finance his next film, which has been put on hold after the bank that was backing him suddenly cut off its line of credit. Kechiche now needs funds to finish postproduction on Mektoub, My Love, per the Hollywood Reporter. In order to raise them, the French production/distribution company behind the sale will also sell off other film memorabilia related to his work, including the oil paintings that were featured in Blue Is the Warmest Color.

THR calls the move a "drastic" step, but Vulture notes that Blue Is the Warmest Color was the subject of quite a bit of controversy at Cannes (having to do with allegations of poor working conditions, anti-feminism, and exploitative shooting practices—detailed timeline here) and Kechiche himself has said he wished it was never released. "Perhaps he’s quite ready to move on," writes Jordan Crucchiola. (More Abdellatif Kechiche stories.)

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