Grant Mohrman Launches Gravel Lake With Desplechin Film
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- Grant Mohrman, formerly Head of Acquisitions and Production at Concourse Media, launched L.A.-based Gravel Lake Entertainment as Managing Partner, with the company focused on "director-driven prestige films and elevated genre projects."
- The company's debut sales title is Arnaud Desplechin's "The Thing That Hurts," a Parisian psychodrama where "grief, guilt, and love collide among strangers bound by a haunting secret," with filming due to begin later this month in France and Belgium.
- Mohrman confirmed the film has "a strong international ensemble in place" but said Léa Seydoux and Jason Schwartzman — previously connected to the project online — will not appear in it, with full casting to be revealed shortly.
- "The Thing That Hurts" is financed by Silver Screen Global and produced by 3Six9 Studios, with Charles Gillibert's CG Cinéma, Portuguese/Turkish company Alaz Film, and Brussels outfit Wrong Men also producing; the film is likely at least partially English-language.
- Desplechin, a nine-time Cannes veteran whose credits include César-winning "My Golden Days," "Kings and Queen," and "A Christmas Tale," most recently debuted "Two Pianos" starring Charlotte Rampling at last year's Toronto Film Festival.
- New York-based TV producer Christopher Martello joins as Head of Development, and Gravel Lake's development slate already includes a feature with director Claire McCarthy ("The Colour Room," "The Luminaries").
Why it matters: Gravel Lake enters the indie sales market anchored by a nine-time Cannes auteur, giving the new shop immediate prestige credibility at its first market. A multi-territory co-production structure spanning France, Belgium, Portugal, and Turkey signals Mohrman is packaging international director-driven projects from day one, leveraging the Concourse relationships he built.
