EXCLUSIVE: Goodfellas Introduces New Sports Sales Label 'OUI MICHEL' Alongside Cannes Doc 'Nasty'

Bannered as OUI MICHEL, the label is launching with the documentary 'Nasty', which explores the controversial Romanian tennis legend Ilie Nastase. The film will make its international premiere as a Special Screening in the Cannes Official Selection this May.

Directed by Romanian filmmakers Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, and Tudor D. Popescu, the documentary delves into Nastase's rise to fame after winning his first U.S. Open in 1972 and reaching the finals of Wimbledon and the Davis Cup in the same year.

According to the official synopsis, "Nasty explores his highs and lows, the controversies surrounding the 1973 world number one ranked player, and his enduring impact on the world of tennis. Lovable, charming, and generous yet temperamental, arrogant, and obscene – Nastase disrupted the sport’s traditional etiquette with a great sense of showmanship on the court and became its first rebel rock star."

The documentary features archival footage and interviews with Nastase's friend and former tennis partner Ion Tiriac, along with former tennis champions John McEnroe, Billie Jean King (winner of the women’s title at the 1972 U.S. Open), Stan Smith, Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Rafael Nadal, Boris Becker, and Yannick Noah.

Giurgiu and Pascariu also produce the film under the banner of Libra Films.

“Ilie Nastase was the first Iron Curtain athlete to make a huge impact on world sport. Lovable, charming, and generous but also temperamental and antagonistic, he was the rock star of his time. How could we not make a film about such a personality,” says Giurgiu, who also wrote the screenplay.

“We’ve been working on this project for four years and I’m so happy it will premiere internationally in Cannes. I’m sure it will make a splash. It features unseen footage from the 70s and great testimonies from other sports superstars.”

Other titles on the inaugural OUI MICHEL slate include Italian director Nico Marzano’s documentary 'Napoli 1990, Napoli 2023', capturing the spirit of the Southern Italian city of Naples and its beloved soccer club through the prism of the latter’s victories in the national championship – the Scudetto – in 1990 and 2023.

Goodfellas President Vincent Maraval says the new OUI MICHEL label is born out of his personal love for sports, which is shared by other members of his team, as well as his perceived gap in the market for a focused approach to selling sports-themed content.

The name OUI MICHEL comes from the exclamation “Oui Michel!” of sports commentator Thierry Roland when French soccer star Michel Platini scored a memorable goal from a free kick during a World Cup qualifying match between France and the Netherlands in 1981.

Acquisitions for the label will be handled by Maraval, Livia Van Der Staay, Eva Diederix, and Antoine Guilhem.

Goodfellas (formerly Wild Bunch International) has a long history of handling sports-themed fiction features and documentaries. Past sales titles include James Toback’s 'Tyson', Emir Kusturica’s 'Maradona by Kusturica', and Ronnie Sandahl’s 'Tiger' about Swedish soccer star Martin Bengtsson.

The OUI MICHEL label joins Goodfellas' growing roster of labels and sister companies, including the genre-focused Wild West and animation-focused Gebeka International.