Focus Features Acquires Cannes Opening Night Film Everybody Knows Starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem

Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski announced today that Focus has acquired the Cannes Film Festival’s opening night film Everybody Knows (Todos Los Saben).  Focus Features will distribute the film in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, select Asian territories and the Middle East, apart from Iran.  Focus had previously acquired rights in Spain last year.  

On the heels of his second Academy Award®-winner The Salesman following his first for A Separation, Asghar Farhadi wrote and directed this Spanish-language psychological thriller starring Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Ricardo Darín.  The film follows Laura (Cruz) on her travels from Argentina to her small home town in Spain for her sister’s wedding, bringing her two children along for the occasion.   Amid the joyful reunion and festivities, the eldest daughter is abducted. In the tense days that follow, various family and community tensions surface and deeply hidden secrets are revealed.

“Asghar is a world-class filmmaker whose work transcends language,” said Focus chairman Peter Kujawski.  “Matching his talents with these emotionally charged performances from Penelope, Javier and Ricardo will leave audiences captivated.”   

Everybody Knows is produced by Alexandre Mallet-Guy of Memento Films and Álvaro Longoria of Morena Films. 

UTA Indie Film Group and Memento Films International negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmaking team. Farhadi is represented by UTA.