THE LOBSTER – Irish Co-Produciton Starring Colin Farrell Selected for 68th CANNES

Irish made film will have its premiere in competition at the festival…

Irish production and distribution company Element Pictures has announced that THE LOBSTER will have its world premiere at this year’s 68th Cannes Film Festival, screening in the prestigious official competition.

THE LOBSTER is the highly anticipated English language debut of internationally acclaimed Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, who thrilled and shocked audiences worldwide with DOGTOOTH (2009) and ALPS (2011).

Starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Lea Seydoux, John C Reilly, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman and Michael Smiley, THE LOBSTER is a blackly funny love story set in a near future where finding love is a matter of life or death.

The film was shot at Parknasilla in Co Kerry in Spring 2014 and produced by Irish company Element Pictures who will also distribute in Ireland later this year.

Speaking on the announcement, producer Ed Guiney said ‘Yorgos is one of the most visionary film-makers working today and THE LOBSTER is a profoundly moving, brilliantly funny and disturbing meditation on modern love. Cannes competition is the perfect place to launch this film.’

This is Element Picture’s seventh film in official selection at Cannes in recent years; in 2006 Ken Loach’s THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY won the Palme d’Or, in 2007 Lenny Abrahamson’s GARAGE won the CICAE Prize at Directors’ Fortnight, Alicia Duffy’s ALL GOOD CHILDREN was also selected for the Director’s Fortnight section of the festival in 2010, followed by Paolo Sorrentino’s THIS MUST BE THE PLACE in 2011. Last Year, Loach’s JIMMY’S HALL also received its world premiere at the festival.

THE LOBSTER is written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou and produced by Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey and Yorgos Lanthimos. Executive Producers are Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross and Sam Lavender. The film was developed by Element and Irish finance for the film came from the Irish Film Board.

Film4, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/ the Irish Film Board, Eurimages, the Netherlands Film Fund, Greek Film Centre and BFI present in association with Protagonist Pictures, with the participation of CANAL+, CINE+ and Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères et du Développement International, Institut Français an Element Pictures, Scarlet Films, Faliro House, Haut et Court, Lemming Film co-production in association with Limp and with the support of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union.

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