Sales on Toronto prodco Babe Nation Films’ next feature, international coproduction Bonjour Tristesse, have kicked off at the Cannes Film Festival.

The English-language film is written and directed by Montreal’s Durga Chew-Bose, and will mark her feature film debut. It is a contemporary adaptation of late French author Françoise Sagan’s 1954 novel of the same name.

Babe Nation’s Katie Bird Nolan and Lindsay Tapscott are producers on Bonjour Tristesse alongside Elevation Pictures’ Noah Segal, Christina Piovesan, U.S.-German-Swiss prodco Barry Films’ Wolfgang Mueller and Benito Mueller, and Paris-based Cinenovo’s Julie Viez.

Sales for the film are represented by UTA Independent Film Group, U.K. and France-based sales agent Film Constellation and Elevation.

Executive producers include Constellation Productions’ Fabien Westerhoff, Elevation’s Laurie May, Adrian Love, Emily Kulasa, Suzanne Court and Sagan’s son Denis Westhoff.

Principal photography will begin this month in Cassis in the south of France, a commune located east of Marseille. The film has received support from Telefilm Canada under its Production Program.

The main cast includes U.S. actors Lily McInerny (Palm Trees and Power Lines) and Chloë Sevigny (The Girl from Plainville), Danish actor Claes Bang (The Square), Canadian actor Aliocha Schneider (Greek Salad) and French actor Nailia Harzoune (Patients).

Bonjour Tristesse follows a young woman, played by McInerny, who finds her summer getaway in the south of France interrupted by the arrival of a woman from her father’s past.

Babe Nation previously told Playback Daily that the prodco has been in development on the project for roughly seven years after picking up the rights to the novel.

“[Chew-Bose] is a talent we believe in fiercely, and we are honoured to bring a contemporary and distinctly female perspective to Françoise Sagan’s most iconic story with the blessing of her family,” said Babe Nation in a joint statement.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images