Paris-based Indie Sales has acquired international rights to “Stay,” the second feature from Indian writer-director Rohena Gera, whose debut “Sir” premiered at Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2018 and won the Gan Foundation Award.
Starring Pallavi Sharda (“Wedding Season”) and Julien de Saint-Jean (“The Count of Monte Cristo”), “Stay” is currently in post-production and will be introduced to buyers at Toronto’s inaugural market. Ad Vitam will release it theatrically in France.
Sharda stars as Sailee, a recently divorced woman living in India who has been groomed to take over her father’s successful company. During a trip to Paris, she falls for Leo (de Saint-Jean), a delivery driver who dreams of becoming an actor. Their relationship is tested by family pressure, class differences and the economic and cultural realities separating their lives in France and India.
“We are absolutely delighted to be working with Rohena Gera on her new feature,” said Charlotte Boucon, Indie Sales’ deputy managing director. “After the resounding success of ‘Sir,’ we can’t wait to introduce buyers to ‘Stay,’ a warm and delicate romantic comedy that once again explores questions of class and cultural difference with the same sensitivity and universality that made Rohena’s first film so widely loved.”
“Stay” is produced by Alice Bloch through Marianne Prods. and co-produced by France 2 Cinéma. The film has been pre-bought by Canal+, Ciné+ OCS and France Télévisions.
Gera’s “Sir,” which centered on the relationship between a wealthy young man and the widowed domestic worker employed in his Mumbai home, traveled widely following its Cannes debut.
Indie Sales’ slate also includes Marc Fitoussi’s “All About Corinne,” starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, which is having its North American premiere at the festival.
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