Berlinale Golden Bear Winner ‘On The Adamant’ Finds U.S. Home With Kino Lorber
Elsa Keslassy / Variety – March 16, 2023
Kino Lorber has bought U.S. and Anglo-Canadian distribution rights to Nicolas Philibert’s poignant documentary On the Adamant which just won the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. Berlinale Golden Bear Winner On the Adamant Finds U.S. Home With Kino Lorber
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release later this year followed by a digital and home video release on all major platforms.
Sold by Films du Losange, On the Adamant takes place at a unique day-care centre for adults suffering from mental disorders. Located in a structure floating the middle of the Seine, in Paris, the center heals these adults with a blend of therapy, education, and culture rooted in music and the arts. The affecting documentary follows the team running the Adamant as they attempt to transform and uplift the lives for these people.
On the Adamant was directed, shot, and edited by Philibert, who is known for his humanistic approach to documentary filmmaking. He previously highlighted marginalized communities in Every Little Thing, In the Land of the Deaf and the arthouse hit To Be and To Have. On the Adamant is produced by Céline Loiseau, Gilles Sacuto, and Miléna Poylo.
“Nicolas Philibert is one of the great humanists of our time and his deep compassion, always evident in his work, shines brighter than ever in On the Adamant,” said Kino Lorber SVP Wendy Lidell, who negotiated the deal with Alice Lesort from Films du Losange. “We’re proud to add his latest work to our library of some of his very best films, and look forward to welcoming audiences aboard the Adamant so their minds can be opened and their spirits filled with wonder,” Lidell continued.
Philibert said he “[hopes] that the American public will be sensitive to this film in which [he has] tried to reverse the image that many have of the so-called ‘crazy’ who are too often marked by clichés which stick to their skin and designate them eternally as dangerous people when the vast majority are harmless.”
“I want audiences to recognize what unites us beyond our differences; although they may not be able to identify with the subjects, I hope they can recognize a common humanity, and a feeling of being part of the same world,” added the filmmaker.
Philibert said he was also “moved” by the fact that his film will be distributed by Kino Lorber “after many years of loyalty to [my] work.”
The acquisition of On The Adamant is the second high profile acquisition of late by Kino Lorber, who recently announced their acquisition of Scrapper, Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize winner directed by Charlotte Regan and starring Harris Dickinson and Lola Campbell. Both Scrapper and On the Adamant are set to play further in the festival circuit worldwide and will open theatrically later this year.