Cannes: Netflix Lands 'Happy as Lazzaro,' 'Girl'

Both films came up winners at Sunday's closing night ceremony.

Netflix has acquired a pair of Cannes award winners, nabbing North American and Latin American rights to Alice Rohrwacher's Happy as Lazzaro and North American and Latin American rights to Lukas Dhont's Girl.

Happy as Lazzaro premiered in competition and was awarded best screenplay for Rohrwacher. Girl premiered in the Un Certain Regard sidebar, where it landed the best actor prize for Victor Polster. Girl also won the Camera d’Or prize for best first film.

Happy as Lazzaro chronicles a meeting between the titular character, a young peasant so good that he is often mistaken for simple-minded, and Tancredi, a young nobleman cursed by his imagination. Life in their isolated pastoral village Inviolata is dominated by the terrible ­Marchesa­ Alfonsina de Luna, the queen of cigarettes. A loyal bond is sealed when Tancredi asks Lazzaro to help him orchestrate his own kidnapping, sparking a strange and improbable alliance.

The cast includes Adriano Tardiolo, Luca Chikovani, Alba Rohrwacher, Agnese Graziani, Tommaso Ragno, Sergi Lopez, Natalino Balasso, Gala Othero Winter, David Bennent and Nicoletta Braschi. Carlo Cresto-Dina produced the film.

Girl centers on a determined 15-year-old named Lara who is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. With the support of her father, she throws herself into this quest for the absolute at a new school. Lara’s adolescent frustrations and impatience are heightened as she realizes her body does not bend so easily to the strict discipline because she was born a boy.

Girl was awarded this year's Queer Palm award. Arieh Worthalter, Oliver Bodart, Tijmen Govaerts, Katelijne Damen, Valentijn Dhaenens, Magali Elali and Alice de Broqueville co-star in the film written by Dhont and Angelo Tijssens. Dirk Impens produced.

The Match Factory represented both films in negotiations with Netflix.