EXCLUSIVE: Unknown Pleasures Pictures, the Chinese distribution company founded by filmmaker Jia Zhangke and veteran distributor Tian Qi, has acquired two titles that premiered at the recent Cannes film festival – Minotaur and La Gradiva.
Both films are being sold internationally by Mk2 Films, the Paris-based arthouse specialist that Jia has a long association with. Minotaur won the Grand Prix in Cannes main competition, while La Gradiva won the top prize in Cannes Critics Week.
For Minotaur, Unknown Pleasures Pictures has taken rights for mainland China and Hong Kong, while for La Gradiva it has rights for mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Marking the return of Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev to Cannes after a nine-year absence, Minotaur received a heartfelt 10-minute standing ovation after its premiere and is widely expected to become one of the 2027 Oscar contenders.
La Gradiva is a coming-of-age drama directed by French filmmaker Marine Atlan in her feature film directorial debut. It follows a group of French high school students on a trip to Pompeii, where they experience emotional intensity and unexpected events amid the ancient city.
Mubi acquired North America, UK and a string of other rights to Minotaur, while 1-2 Special picked up North America rights to La Gradiva.
Launched in March 2025 to expand the distribution of arthouse and specialist films in China, Unknown Pleasures Pictures scored a hit with its first release, Italian filmmaker Paola Cortellesi’s There’s Still Tomorrow, which grossed more than $6M.
At least year’s Cannes, the company acquired Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, Koji Fukada’s Love On Trial and Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush, which played in Cannes Classics. Sentimental Value also won the Cannes Grand Prix and went on to win Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.
Jia is currently working on his next film as director, which he described at the Pingyao International Film Festival last year as a “road movie without cars”, and which has since been titled Mamma Dunhuang.
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