EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Totem Films has taken on international sales for Alexe Poukine’s comedy drama Kika which is set to world premiere in compe
EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Totem Films has taken on international sales for Alexe Poukine’s comedy drama Kika which is set to world premiere in competition at Cannes’ Critics Week.
The debut fiction feature stars Manon Clavel as the titular heroine. Pregnant with her second child and dealing with the aftermath of her partner’s sudden death, she must find a way to make money speedy and stay mighty.
Clavel, whose previous credits include Hirokazu Kore-eda’s The Truth and Leonore Serraille’s Mother And Son, stars opposite Makita Samba and Thomas Coumans.
Kika is produced by Belgium’s Wrong Men and France’s Kidam, which also teamed up for Emmanuel Marre and Julie Lecoustre’s 2021 Cannes Critics’ Week premiere Zero Fucks Given. Condor will release the film in France and Imagine is handling distribution in Benelux.
Poukine has previously directed documentary features including 2013’s Dormir, Dormir Dans Les Pierre and 2019’s That Which Does Not Kill; the latter explored rape culture and played at some 80 festivals worldwide. Her debut fiction compact Palma won the special jury and best actress prizes at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2021.
Poukine said: “Kika is a continuation of my reflections on the female body as a site of social injunctions, but also of liberation. Faced with the obstacles she encounters, Kika doesn’t wait to be saved. For me, it’s a tale of empowerment that doesn’t promote domination but the power of gentleness and vulnerability.”
Totem added: “Alexe’s previous films were bursting with sensitivity, and Kika takes life head-on. The film will spark conversations about care, grief and financial independence.”
The company will kick off sales for the film in Cannes.
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