Not even 12 hours ago we learned Kristen Stewart had nabbed a new auteur in Panos Cosmatos, a wise choice by the ever-adventurous actress. Her other choice on May 2, 2024 is quite another level of intrigue: Albert Serra, the perpetual festival favorite whose Pacifiction was something of a breakout hit, yes, if not quite to a level anyone anticipated. (Anyone but the man himself.) Per Film Stiftung, Serra’s previously announced Out of This World has secured funding, coinciding with a planned 2025 premiere.
Out of This World will likely feature an uncharacteristic level of English dialogue for Serra. As the official synopsis goes: “An American delegation travels to Russia in the midst of the Ukrainian war to try to find a solution to an economic dispute linked to sanctions. Out of This World explores the eternal rivalry between Russia and the USA.”
“As is often the case, one of the year’s most compelling films comes in the form of one of its most unrelatable stories: the lonesome, lingering descent of a seasoned French diplomat stationed in Tahiti who slowly realizes how out of the loop his elusive higher-ups have left him,” Luke Hicks said of Pacifiction in our top 50 feature. “Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra is known for his singularity, and Pacifiction, his first feature set in the modern era, showcases that as much as his eclectic period pieces (e.g. Liberté, Story of My Death). Come for the most beautiful, glowingly hazy cinematography you’ve ever seen and get caught in the marble-blue waves of its hypnotically long takes and gulf of purpose.”
As we await more details, read our interview with Serra here.