Cannes: Simon West’s ‘Salty,’ Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ ‘Damascus Cover’ Attract Buyers

LONDON — Carnaby Intl. has added international sales during the Cannes Film Festival on Simon West’s action-comedy “Salty” and espionage thriller “Damascus Cover,” which stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Hurt.

“Salty” went to Flins y Piniculas for Spain, Raon in South Korea, KRU Studios in Malaysia, Vistcom for Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and India, and HGC in China. Carnaby had previously inked deals for Indonesia (PT Prima Cinema), Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Slovakia, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary and Romania (Prorom), Poland (Kino Swiat), Israel (Five Stars), Middle East (Gulf Film), and Turkey (Central Park).

The film follows an ageing rock star, and reformed sex addict, who is persuaded to take a holiday by his wife, a former supermodel. Things take a turn for the worse when she’s kidnapped by Thai pirates raising money to buy a new boat. West’s credits include “Con Air,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” and “Expendables 2.”

At Cannes, “Damascus Cover” went to South Africa’s Crystal Brook, India’s Empire Networks, Vietnam’s Vistcom and China’s HGC. At Berlin, it had been sold to Gulf Films (Middle East), PT Prima Cinema (Indonesia), Flins y Piniculas (Spain), Discovery (former Yugoslavia), Mountain Pictures (South Korea) and KRU Group (Malaysia).

Set in 1989, the pic focuses on a veteran spy sent undercover in Syria to smuggle a chemical weapons scientist and his family out of Damascus.

Carnaby sold “Arthur and Merlin” to Spain’s Flins y Piniculas, China’s HGC, former Yugoslavia’s Discovery and Germany’s Tiberious), and received offers from Japan and the U.S., which have yet to close.

“Casual Encounters” went to South Africa’s Crystal Brook, “Mercury Plains” was sold to Spain’s Flins y Piniculas, and “Everything Carries Me to You” also went to Spain’s Flins y Piniculas.

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