Greenwich Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to Emmanuel Courcol’s “The Marching Band” (“En Fanfare”), one of France’s biggest local hits of 2024.
The heartfelt movie, which earned seven nominations at the Cesar Awards and has been sold by Playtime across 30 territories, tells the story of two brothers who were separated in infancy and unexpectedly bond over their shared love of music.
After world premiere at Cannes, “The Marching Band” went on to critical and popular acclaim in France where it earned seven César nominations. It debuted in the U.S. at The American French Film Festival in L.A., winning the Audience Award and played at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York where it also won the Audience Award. Greenwich will release the film theatrically in spring of 2026, followed by digital 60 days later.
Benjamin Lavernhe stars in “The Marching Band” as a successful Paris-based conductor, Thibaut, who collapses in a rehearsal and is diagnosed with leukemia. In desperate need of a bone marrow donor, he learns he was adopted and finds his younger brother Jimmy (Pierre Lottin), a musician and factory worker living in the provinces. Their reunion proves lifesaving and sparks a fraternal, musical journey amidst the town’s factory closure, the backdrop of the Yellow Vest protests and France’s social divides.
“The Marching Band” was produced by Marc Bordure and Robert Guédiguian with Playtime handling sales. The movie has so far grossed nearly $30 million at the international box office.
“We’re proud to bring ‘The Marching Band’ to U.S. audiences,” said Greenwich’s co-president Edward Arentz who negotiated the deal with Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, a partner at Playtime (a Vuelta company).
“The film offers a perfect blend of French wit and emotional depth, carried by brilliant performances and an uplifting story that will resonate here as it has with audiences around the world,” Arentz continued.
Brigaud-Robert, meanwhile, said “‘The Marching Band’ has been a crowd pleaser around the world and a great success in the countries where it opened. We are excited that Greenwich is now bringing the film to the US audience.”
Greenwich Entertainment’s upcoming releases include Michel Franco’s “Dreams” starring Jessica Chastain, and “Fantasy Life” starring Amanda Peet, among others.