‘Low Expectations,’ Starring Singer-Songwriter Marie Ulven, Sells to Multiple Territories Following Premiere in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight (EXCLUSIVE)

Paris- and Berlin-based sales company Salaud Morisset has closed multiple international deals on Eivind Landsvik’s debut feature “Low Expectations,” starring Norwegian singer-songwriter Marie Ulven (also known as Girl in Red), following the film’s world premiere in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.

The film, which also stars Anders Danielsen Lie, has sold at the Cannes Market to Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Austria (Polyfilm via Pandora Film Verleih), Spain (Adso Films), Czech Republic (Pilot Film) and Greece (Rosebud.21), while offers are under negotiation for Italy, U.K., Switzerland, Poland, Brazil and Taiwan. Discussions are also ongoing in the U.S., as well as across several remaining European and Latin American territories.

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The film follows Maja (Ulven), a rising musician whose growing success becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile with her inner life. Forced to step away from her career, she returns to her hometown and takes a part-time job at a local high school, where she works alongside Johannes (Danielsen Lie). Away from the noise and expectations surrounding her, Maja slowly reconnects with herself and the world around her.

Ahead of Cannes, Salaud Morisset had already closed distribution deals with UFO Distribution for France and Pandora Film Verleih for Germany. The film will be released theatrically in the Nordics by Nordisk Film Distribution, with a Norwegian release scheduled for Sept. 11.

“Marie Ulven’s magnetic performance, combined with Eivind Landsvik’s emotional precision and the film’s universal themes around burnout, vulnerability and rebuilding oneself, immediately convinced buyers of the film’s strong theatrical potential,” said Paul Jullien, head of sales at Salaud Morisset. “The early critical response has been extremely encouraging, and we truly believe ‘Low Expectations’ has the potential to connect with audiences far beyond traditional arthouse cinema.”

“Low Expectations” is produced by Lotte Sandbu and Synnøve Hørsdal for Maipo Film, in co-production with Snowglobe. The film received support from the Norwegian Film Institute, Oslo Filmfond, the Danish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Eurimages.

“Low Expectations” marks the feature debut of Norwegian filmmaker Eivind Landsvik, whose previous short films include “Tits” (2023), which premiered in Cannes Official Selection, and “Sofia, Last Summer” (2021), winner of the Norwegian Film Critics Award.