'PROPHET' GOES TO SONY CLASSICS, WHOSE 'RIBBON' IS ALSO PALME D'OR FAVE (SCR, THR, IW)

By R. Kinsey Lowe

As the Cannes Film Festival enters the final stretch, movie purchases have accelerated, with Sony Pictures Classics having two prime contenders for the Palm d'Or, according to Screen Daily, Hollywood Reporter and IndieWire.

Sony Classics bought North American, Latin American and other rights to Palme d'Or favorite "Prophet" to its previously acquired "The White Ribbon."

"Prophet," Jacques Audiard's grim French-Arabic-Corsican-language thriller, has received a flood of critical support.

"Ribbon," Michael Haneke's German-language pre-WWI tale, also received one of the most enthusiastic receptions of the fest and could very well take the top prize. Sony Classic execs see the artful black-and-white movie as a possible Oscar contender.

With most big titles already having screened, it's unlikely any blockbuster deals remain besides Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus," Heath Ledger's last film with Johnny Depp also starring. The Rachel Weisz-toplined period drama "Agora" remains available.

Summit, meanwhile, has done brisk business with its "Twilight" sequel "New Moon," with star Robert Pattinson on hand to promote it and his other Summit title "Remember Me."

The festival winds down Saturday with "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky," a historical drama Sony Classics also bought.