Mubi Picks Up Global Rights to ‘Pictures of Ghosts,’ From ‘The Secret Agent’ Director Kleber Mendonça Filho (EXCLUSIVE)
Mubi has acquired global SVOD rights to “Pictures of Ghosts,” a feature documentary by filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, whose “The Secret Agent” is shortlisted in the International Feature Film category of the 98th Academy Awards.
Produced by Cinemascópio and Vitrine Filmes, Mendonça Filho’s longtime production banner, “Pictures of Ghosts” premiered in the Official Selection at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it drew strong critical attention, and was later selected as Brazil’s submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature.
Blending essay film and personal memoir, “Pictures of Ghosts” revisits the director’s hometown of Recife through the rise and disappearance of its historic movie theaters, weaving together urban history, cinephilia and collective memory — all while foreshadowing many of the themes and locations he would go on to explore in his two-time Golden Globe winning follow-up.
The title will debut on Mubi in February, timed to coincide with the company’s U.K. and Spanish-language Latin American theatrical rollout of “The Secret Agent.” Mubi previously released Mendonça Filho’s “Bacurau” in 2020 across the U.K., Ireland, Germany and India.
The multi-territory SVOD deal, which excludes Brazil and Italy, was brokered by Florencia Gil, head of international sales at Urban Sales. “This deal reflects Mubi’s continued focus on premium, director-led films. Thanks to Mubi, cinephiles around the world will soon be able to discover this ode to film exhibitors and moviegoers—a hybrid foretaste of Golden Globe winner ‘The Secret Agent,’” said Gil.
The deal was finalized during this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris, where Urban Sales is also presenting its current slate, including “Isabel” by Gabe Klinger, “The Doll” by Sophie Beaulieu, “Miss Mermaid” by Marion Verlé and Pauline Brunner, and “If We Don’t Burn, How Do We Light Up the Night” by Kim Torres.
