Neglia Takes a Stab / Black Ball Teaser / Acquisition News
Out of Cannes
NEGLIA TAKES A STAB
Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture (and remember Matt was on the ground in Cannes for the first two thirds or so) posted on his X account on Monday some speculation about where all of the Cannes' Palme d'Or competition films might go during the upcoming fall film fest frenzy. Of the 22, Matt has named 8 films that he thinks may be a part of the TFF #53 lineup...
Again, Matt's predictions: All of a Sudden, Bitter Christmas, The Black Ball, Coward, Fatherland, Fjord, Minotaur and Paper Tiger.
I'm most interested in Paper Tiger, Fatherland and Coward. Could get interested in Fjord, Minotaur and All of a Sudden.
THE BLACK BALL TEASER
We have a teaser from The Black Ball, which we're on TFF#53 alert for. Could it be in Telluride on Labor Day weekend?
Here it is via YouTube and MovieStar Plus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZ8aVMfAUw
ACQUISITION NEWS OUT OF CANNES
Deadline reports that Netflix has acquired The Black Ball for distribution and Gentle Monster as well. The pick-up doesn't either hurt a film's chances for a play at Telluride as Netflix has become a very visible presence at the fest for the last several years.
https://deadline.com/2026/05/netflix-cannes-lea-seydoux-gentle-monster-1236919715/
Meanwhile, MUBI has grabbed the North American distribution rights for Kukas Dhont's Coward. That's also a move that doesn't hurt the prospects for Coward to be at TFF. Dhont has previously presented two films at Telluride: Girl in 2018 and Close in 2022.
https://variety.com/2026/film/news/coward-lukas-dhont-mubi-north-american-rights-1236755499/
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