Sandra Wollner is being positioned as cinema's next big thing after her third feature "Everytime" conquered Cannes. The quick North American acquisition validates the film's artistic merit and signals serious industry confidence in Wollner's vision.
Sources say 1-2 Special has been on a Cannes spending spree, also landing Critics' Week winner "La Gradiva." But who exactly backs this early-2025-founded distributor? Industry insiders are watching to see if they have the muscle to actually distribute these films properly.
"Everytime" won the Un Certain Regard top prize on May 22, 2026. Variety's review called it "the most refined and inventive formal statement in this year's Un Certain Regard program." The film stars Birgit Minichmayr, known for "Everyone Else" and "The White Ribbon," with cinematography from "Aftersun" shooter Gregory Oke.
Wollner is clearly having a moment — but whether 1-2 Special can deliver her vision to American audiences remains to be seen. The acquisition speed suggests either serious confidence or a calculated branding play.
Just one week after Sandra Wollner's "Everytime" snagged the top prize at Cannes' Un Certain Regard, the film has already found its North American home — and honestly, that's a faster turnaround than most Hollywood divorces. 1-2 Special, the New York indie distributor founded in early 2025, announced the acquisition Friday. The deal was negotiated by Charades on behalf of the filmmakers. But here's where it gets interesting: during Cannes alone, 1-2 Special also picked up Critics' Week winner "La Gradiva," suggesting this isn't some fly-by-night operation — they're playing a serious festival game. The film follows what Variety's review describes as "a mother, young daughter and teenage boy who, united by tragedy, embark on a trip to the Canary Islands for a family holiday that never happened. Under the glow of the coastal sun, past and present begin to quietly overlap." That dreamy, melancholic premise clearly resonated with Cannes audiences hungry for something different. Variety called "Everytime" "the most refined and inventive formal statement in this year's Un Certain Regard program at Cannes," adding that it confirmed Wollner "as a major in the making." High praise from a publication that sees thousands of films pass through festivals annually. The film features cinematography from Gregory Oke, who shot the acclaimed "Aftersun" — so the visual pedigree is absolutely there. This marks Wollner's third feature, following her debut "The Impossible Picture" (which won Best Film from the German Film Critics Association Award and the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award at Göteborg) and 2020's "The Trouble With Being Born," which premiered at Berlinale and took home the Special Jury Prize in Encounters. She's been building toward this moment methodically, and Cannes rewarded that patience. The cast includes Birgit Minichmayr, whose credits include Maren Ade's "Everyone Else" and Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" — she's no stranger to demanding European cinema. The film was produced by Lixi Frank and David Bohun of Panama Film alongside Viktoria Stolpe of The Barricades. So the real question now: does 1-2 Special have what it takes to give this film the release it deserves? Their Cannes buying spree suggests ambition, but execution is everything in distribution. We'll be watching closely.
