Ira Sachs’ The Man I Love Starring Rami Malek Gets French Distribution

Ira Sachs‘ latest drama “The Man I Love,” starring Oscar winner Rami Malek and Tom Sturridge, has secured French distribution ahead of its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Alexandre Mallet-Guy’s company Memento will release the film in France.

Set in the vibrant era of late ’80s New York, “The Man I Love” follows Jimmy George (Malek), an iconic figure in the theater world, who “lives with the most tender and attentive of lovers. But faced with the death that awaits him, his thirst to live and create, to desire and to love one last time, is stronger than anything else,” reads the synopsis. The drama paints a picture of a group of artists and friends for whom creativity has become a form of survival. 

Sachs and longtime collaborator Mauricio Zacharias co-wrote the script. Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach round up the cast.

Represented international by MK2 Films, “The Man I Love” marks Ira Sachs’ return to the Cannes competition. It’s produced by Big Creek Projects in the United States, in association with Saïd Ben Saïd’s SBS Productions in France.

The deal for “The Man I Love” reteams MK2 Films and Memento who previously worked together on Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” winners of the Palme d’Or and the Grand Prize, respectively, at last year’s Cannes.

“‘The Man I Love’ moved us with its blend of modesty and tenderness, which lends the otherwise tragic story all its emotional power with incredible delicacy,” said Mallet-Guy. “Ira Sachs delivers a universal work that speaks above all of unwavering love and resilience.”

Mallet-Guy will also be at the Cannes Film Festival with Asghar Farhadi’s “Parallel Tales” which he produced alongside Farhadi and David Levine at Anonymous Content.