Irish-Backed ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ Wins @ Cannes

Yorgos Lanthimos and  Efthymis Filippou have picked up the award for Best Screenplay at the closing ceremony of the 70th Cannes Film Festival for the Irish-backed The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The prize was shared with Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer was produced by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe’s Element Pictures. Lanthimos and his regular collaborator, Efthymis Filippou, co-wrote the project, which was shot last Autumn in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Speaking from Cannes, Element Pictures Producer Ed Guiney commented that “All of us at Element are absolutely delighted with the script prize for Efthymis and Yorgos. Yorgos has made a masterful signature film which will enthrall audiences around the world. We are very grateful to all of our financiers including Film4, New Sparta, Hanway and the Irish Film Board”

The Killing of a Sacred Deer  sees Colin Farrell reunite with Lanthimos. Farrell stars as Steven, a charismatic surgeon forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart when the behaviour of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing takes a sinister turn. Nicole Kidman also stars as the wife of Farrell’s character, along with young, Irish actor Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy , Sunny Suljic, Bill Camp and Alicia Silverstone.

The film is financed by Film4 and New Sparta Films along with the Irish Film Board. The project was developed by Element Pictures with support from Film4. HanWay Films is worldwide sales agent with A24 on board as US distributor.