Waiting for ‘Pelle,’ the Cannes Prize Winner

It was the toast of a divided Cannes Film Festival jury, the Palme d’Or winner--but the Danish-Swedish film “Pelle the Conqueror” still doesn’t have an American distributor.

Reports from the festival and film market as it closed down Monday and Tuesday were that the distribution rights for the United States and Canada for “Pelle” were being pursued vigorously by various specialized-film distributors. But so far no company has nailed down a deal.

Beverly Hills-based Odyssey Entertainment has procured the non-North American release rights to the picture, which was co-produced by Danish and Swedish state film companies and which stars veteran Swedish actor Max von Sydow. Those rights exclude the Scandinavian countries, where the film was produced.

But David Marks, chief executive officer of Odyssey--primarily an export-oriented, international film distributor--confirmed Tuesday that “Pelle” still has no escort in the American market. “So far as I know, no one has bought it for the U.S.,” Marks said. “Which is strange, considering how much attention it’s been getting.”