French Comedian Pierre Richard’s Directorial Comeback ‘The Man Who Saw the Bear’ Lands at Loco Films Ahead of Cannes Tribute (EXCLUSIVE)

Loco Films has landed international sales rights to “The Man Who Saw the Bear,” the long-awaited directorial comeback of iconic French actor Pierre Richard. The anticipated movie will world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section, as part of a career tribute to Richard which is expected to be one of the highlights of this 78th edition.

Richard, who is now 90 and in top shape, rose to fame in the 1970’s, during which he delivered cult performances in French comedies, such as “The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe,” “La Chèvre” and “The Fugitives.”

“The Man Who Saw the Bear,” in which Richard also plays the lead role, marks his return as a director after 28 years. The last film he directed “Distracted,” was a box office success in 1997.

Produced by Moby Dick Films (“Trois amies”), “The Man Who Saw the Bear” also stars Gustave Kervern, an actor-director who won a prize at Berlin with his movie “Effacer l’historique,” and Timi-Joy Marbot (“Giant with Feet of Clay”).

The film revolves around the unlikely friendship between Grégoire and Michel who are not from the same generation, but nevertheless bond over their shared love of nature and affection for a bear that escaped from a circus.

ARP, which is also at Cannes with Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” in competition, will release Richard’s film in the fall.

While he received an honorary Cesar in 2006, Richard has received very accolades in France in spite of his sprawling career and impact on popular culture, as well as on French cinema. Comedy has long been considered a sub-genre in French awards shows, although it’s slowly changing. This year, for instance, Artus, the comedian who directed “A Little Something Extra,” which turned out to be France’s highest grossing film of 2024, was nominated for best first film at the Cesar Awards.