EXCLUSIVE: Playtime has scored international sales rights to Andrea Di Stefano’s My Tennis Maestro starring Pierfrancesco Favino about a young athlete who bonds with his unconventional coach.
It is produced by Italy’s Indiana Production, Indigo Film and Vision Distribution in collaboration with Memo Film, Sky, and Playtime.
Now in post-production, Vision Distribution will distribute in Italy and Universal pictures will release in France. Playtime will show first images from the film in Cannes.
The €11m ($12.5m) film follows a 13-year-old tennis hopeful feeling pressure from his father’s weighty expectations who sets off for a training tour and life-changing journey along the Italian coast with his coach, a washed-up former champion.
“My Tennis Maestro is a tribute to the mentors who show up in unexpected ways, flawed, wounded, but full of heart,” said Di Stefano. “It’s a journey through the ache of growing up, the power of guidance, and the beauty of human connection, for anyone who still believes the world can be a better place, one lesson at a time.”
Di Stefano, also known as an actor in films including Marco Bellocchio’s Cannes Competition title The Prince Of Homburg, has previously directed Escobar: Paradise Lost starring Benicio del Toro and Josh Hutcherson, The Informer, starring Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike, Ana De Armas and Clive Owen, and Last Night Of Amore, which also starred Favino and screened at Berlin.
Favino is a familiar face in Cannes, previously appearing in 2024 premieres Maria and The Count Of Monte-Cristo and doing double duty this year with a leading role in Directors’ Fortnight opening film Enzo.
Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, co-CEO of Playtime, added: “The cast, director, and producers are top-notch, and the story is irresistible, funny, tender, and ultimately about universal life lessons.”
Playtime heads to Cannes with a slate that also includes Tarik Saleh’s Eagles Of The Republic in competition and Thierry Klifa’s The Richest Woman Of the World out of competition.
