Ira Sachs’ Cannes Movie ‘The Man I Love’ Starring Rami Malek Boarded by MK2 Films, Reveals First Look (EXCLUSIVE)

Indie cinema champion MK2 Films (“Sentimental Value”) has boarded Ira Sachs‘ “The Man I Love,” one of the hotly anticipated movies set to world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and the sole American feature which is currently slated to compete for a Palme d’Or.

Starring Oscar winner Rami Malek, “The Man I Love” is set in the vibrant era of late ’80s New York and has been described as a “musical fantasia of a city under duress.”

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Co-written by Sachs and longtime collaborator Mauricio Zacharias, “The Man I love” tells the story of Jimmy George, an actor facing death, who takes on what may be his last great role. Filled with music, color and passion, the drama paints a picture of a group of artists and friends for whom creativity has become a form of survival.  

The cast is completed by Tom Sturridge (“The Wizard of the Kremlin”), Rebecca Hall (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”), and newcomer Luther Ford (“The Crown”). 

Fionnuala Jamison, MK2 Films’ managing director, said, “‘The Man I Love’ felt like the undeniable moment for us to jump in on a collaboration with a director we have long admired.”

“The film brings together everything that makes Ira’s cinema so distinctive – its emotional precision, its intimacy, its deep humanity – and opens it up in a way that feels both expansive and deeply moving,” Jamison added, praising the “remarkable cast led by Rami Malek.”

MK2 Films has had an impressive run in the latest awards season, pulling a hefty 15 noms at the Oscars with Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent” and Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident.”

“The Man I Love” is produced by Big Creek Projects (David Siegel, Scott McGehee, Mike Spreter), alongside Myriam Schroeter, Misook Doolittle, and Saïd Ben Saïd for SBS Productions. WME Independent will handle North American sales.

Sachs said he was “starstruck” by MK2 Films and had wanted to work with the French company since the late 1980s when he started going to their cinemas in Paris.

“To be working with this thoughtful and experienced team on a film as personal as this gives me both comfort and pleasure,” said Sachs.

Mike Spreter at Big Creek Projects, meanwhile, said, “Ira’s working at the top of his game and has crafted a thrillingly emotional and rich piece of cinema. We’re so happy to be teaming with MK2 to help bring his vision into the world.” 

The creative team behind “The Man I Love” includes many frequent collaborators with Sachs, including cinematographer Josée Deshaies (“Passages”), editor Affonso Gonçalves (“Hamnet”), and casting director Avy Kaufman (“Sentimental Value”), along with production designer Tommy Love (“Reality”)  and costume designer Megan Gray (“Lurker”).