Adopt Films, the art house distributor founded in Minneapolis, has acquired all U.S. rights to the 2014 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner, Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Winter Sleep."
Ceylan's strange and powerful films examine the dark side of human nature in a broad range of tones, from the bone dry comedy of early Jim Jarmusch to the spiritual angst of Ingmar Bergman. The Turkish writer/director is an unparalleled Cannes darling. His last five features have screened in competition at the festival, and each has scored big. In 2003 "Distant" won the Grand Jury Prize (Cannes's second-place award) as well as Best Actor for its two stars. 2006's "Climates" won the FIPRESCI Prize. In 2008 "Three Monkeys" won Best Director. 2011's "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" also won the Grand Jury Prize.
Set in starkly beautiful rural Anatolia, "Winter Sleep" (whose title might be more strictly translated as "Hibernation"), is a Chekhov-inspired portrait of an ill-natured hotel owner (Haluk Bilginer) gradually dealing with the harm his hard-heartedness has caused to his family and world.
Adopt Films president Tim Grady said, "A film like this, so rich with ideas, dazzling dialogue, and intelligent characters, is one that is instantly unforgettable." It's slated for release during the year-end awards season.
