Scorsese pitching Silence to buyers at Cannes

(Cover) - EN Movies - Martin Scorsese delivers an impassioned pitch for his “special picture” Silence at Cannes.

The seasoned Academy Award-winning director has received numerous major accolades for his work over the years.

Since his 1973 breakout film Mean Streets, Martin has helmed other highly lauded classics such as Taxi Driver, Casino, Goodfellas and The Departed.

Martin is now in France at the Cannes Film Festival selling his new production Silence to international buyers.

The thriller about a Jesuit missionary facing persecution in 17th century Japan has been dear to his heart for decades.

“I think this is the first time I have done this, to sell a movie, but it’s a special picture. I have been working on it since 1989,” Martin revealed to Deadline.

“Every time it started to move away from me I went back to try to get it. It’s one I really want to make and I finally broke the script with Jay Cocks in 2006, and we were going to make it then, but there were some legal issues and family things to take of. And now I must say in the last few days with Randy Emmett and all these guys it will finally come together.”

Emmett/Furla Films and Corsan Films will finance the project.

Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield landed the lead role in the acclaimed director’s adaptation of the famous 1966 novel by Japanese writer Shusaku Endo,