Nathalia Acevedo Steps into Directing with ‘Salón De Belleza’ at Cannes Market
The Pool Films Acquires Worldwide Rights for ‘Salón De Belleza’ Amid Cannes Debut
The Pool Films, making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, has secured worldwide sales rights for Salón De Belleza, a film set in a beauty salon situated in a city grappling with a mysterious disease. This salon emerges as a refuge for the afflicted, existing in a liminal space between life and death.
Salón De Belleza marks the directorial debut of acclaimed Mexican actress Nathalia Acevedo, widely recognized for her role in Carlos Reygadas’s Post Tenebras Lux, which won the Best Director award at Cannes in 2012.
Co-founders Gilles Sousa and Tim Belda are spearheading the sales launch at the Marché du Film.
The film stars Belgian multi-disciplinary artist Sam Louwyck, known for The Wonders and Bullhead, alongside Erwan Kepoa Falé, who has appeared in Winter Boy, Passages, and the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight entry Eat The Night.
Acevedo draws inspiration from the Médicis Prize-nominated novel by Mario Bellatin, co-adapting the screenplay with Diego Sepulveda.
At the heart of the narrative lies the Individuo, a solitary figure in the salon, where time and place blur and experiences, memories, and imaginations continuously intertwine. The film ultimately serves as a meditation on the fragility of existence.
Produced by Kintsugi Cine in collaboration with the French company Farol, Salón De Belleza boasts an esteemed crew. Notable contributors include cinematographer Balthazar Lab and editor Olivia Neergaard-Holm, alongside Oscar-winning sound designer Nicolas Becker and production designer Nathan Parker, recognized for his work on The Grand Budapest Hotel and Harvest.
“Salón De Belleza is a unique, visually striking film with bold cinematography and narrative that highlights Nathalia’s very promising talent,” commented Sousa and Belda.
Paulina Valencia at Kintsugi Cine noted that the production reflects years of transformative dialogue and creative collaboration. She expressed confidence in Acevedo’s vision, emphasizing its close connection to Bellatin’s novel and its exploration of human fragility.
Farol co-founders Christian Evora and Marco Tulio Pires remarked, “Salón De Belleza is a deeply human and singular work of cinema that questions its own language while offering a unique perspective on the world. We are delighted to support Nathalia Acevedo on her first feature film.”
Beyond Salón De Belleza, The Pool Films’ lineup at Cannes includes Gael García Bernal’s Hombre al Agua, the thriller Gwladys, the art documentary Caravaggio’s Eye, Stéphanie Pillonca’s drama The Days After, and the Alcatraz Films thriller Black Slaughter, which centers on the Ethiopian Jewish community in 1996 Israel.
