Netflix Acquires Worldwide Rights to Cannes Winners 'Atlantics,' 'I Lost My Body'

Mati Diop’s feature directorial debut took home the Grand Prix Saturday night, whereas Jeremy Clapin’s animated feature topped the Cannes Critics’ Week prizes earlier this week.


Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to the recent Cannes Film Festival Award winners Atlantics and I Lost My Body, the streaming site announced Saturday.


Mati Diop’s feature directorial debut Atlantics was awarded the Grand Prix award Saturday night, whereas Jeremy Clapin’s animated feature debut I Lost My Body received the top award in the Critics' Week sidebar at Cannes, with the film also having been honored with the Nespresso Grand prize, which consisted of seven features and 10 short films.


The streaming site's rights to Atlantics excludes China, Benelux, Switzerland, Russian and France. Netflix also has SVOD rights 36-months following theatrical in France, Benelux and Switzerland. Meanwhile, the worldwide rights to I Lost My Body excludes China, Benelux, Turkey and France, however, the streaming site has SVOD rights 36-months following theatrical in France.


Clapin's animated story about a severed hand looking for its home was one of 11 features in competition and selected by the jury headed by Ciro Guerra, whose Embrace of the Serpent was nominated for a best foreign-language Oscar in 2015. Clapin penned the Xilam Animation-produced film's script with Guillaume Laurant (Amelia, A Very Long Engagement) with Hakim Faris, Victoire Du Bois and Patrick d'Assumcao starring.


Diop's Atlantics tells the story of workers at a construction site of a futuristic tower, having foregone pay for months, deciding to leave the country via the ocean for a better future. Diop wrote the film with Olivier Demangel with Mama Sane, Amadou Mbow and Ibrahima Traore among the film's cast.


Atlantics' Grand Prix win marked a milestone for Diop, given she was also the first black woman to be accepted into the competition lineup in the festival's 72-year history. "I discovered it myself, reading the article," Diop said of the moment she learned of her inclusion. "It was a rather odd experience for me because I approached it almost as somebody learning this, as an outsider. What I represent exceeds me and does not belong to me."


Diop was also one of only four female directors in this year's 21-film lineup, which marked a slight improvement after the festival came under fire for its lack of female representation.