Producer Patrick Sobelman & Gaumont Exec Ariane Toscan du Plantier To Head Up France’s César Academy
Producer Patrick Sobelman and Ariane Toscan du Plantier, director of Cinema Distribution France and International at film and TV company Gaumont, have been voted in as president and vice-president of France’s César Academy.
Their mandate begins on July 16 for two years. Sobelman was previously vice-president of the César Academy alongside outgoing president Véronique Cayla.
The president and vice-president, the members of the executive Academy Office, who assist them in their work, as well as the heads of the 22 professionals chapters were voted on by the 176 members of the general assembly of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema, the umbrella body overseeing Cesar Academy. The general assembly members are in turn voted in by the some 4,700 members of the academy.
Since 2020, the Apc has stipulated gender parity across the César Academy’s Presidency, Academy Office and different chapter representatives, following accusations of lack of gender equality within its ranks...
Their mandate begins on July 16 for two years. Sobelman was previously vice-president of the César Academy alongside outgoing president Véronique Cayla.
The president and vice-president, the members of the executive Academy Office, who assist them in their work, as well as the heads of the 22 professionals chapters were voted on by the 176 members of the general assembly of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema, the umbrella body overseeing Cesar Academy. The general assembly members are in turn voted in by the some 4,700 members of the academy.
Since 2020, the Apc has stipulated gender parity across the César Academy’s Presidency, Academy Office and different chapter representatives, following accusations of lack of gender equality within its ranks...
- 5/3/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Baloji and Emmanuelle Béart will oversee this year’s Golden Camera jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, organizers said on Tuesday.
Organizers said French actress Béart and director and songwriter Baloji will serve as president of the jury that selects the best first film from across the official selections of the film festival.
“Being a self-taught filmmaker and a filmmaker from the Congolese diaspora, it’s a great honor to be able to witness the vitality of first-time directors, to discover their strong singularities and their inaugural work, which will have a lasting impact on the identity of their filmography,” Baloji said in a statement.
Béart added in her own statement: “A first film is about the impossibility of doing anything other than delving into the depths of one’s being to find out what we can’t keep quiet about. A deeply moving and terribly free birth:...
Organizers said French actress Béart and director and songwriter Baloji will serve as president of the jury that selects the best first film from across the official selections of the film festival.
“Being a self-taught filmmaker and a filmmaker from the Congolese diaspora, it’s a great honor to be able to witness the vitality of first-time directors, to discover their strong singularities and their inaugural work, which will have a lasting impact on the identity of their filmography,” Baloji said in a statement.
Béart added in her own statement: “A first film is about the impossibility of doing anything other than delving into the depths of one’s being to find out what we can’t keep quiet about. A deeply moving and terribly free birth:...
- 4/16/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Agnès Jaoui in This Life Of Mine to be screened as the opening film in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Photo: The Party Film Sales Sophie Fillières who died last year at the age of 58, left behind a 'very intimate self-portrait, to which Agnès Jaoui lends body and soul' Photo: Photo Unifrance A respected French female filmmaker who died last year, will have her final film This Life of Mine screened in the opening slot on May 15 of the 77th edition of the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Sophie Fillières managed to shoot the film last summer before her untimely death at the age of 58. The film titled in French Ma Vie, Ma Gueule, was finished by members of her family who include her partner, the filmmaker Pascal Bonitzer.
The film follows a middle-aged woman who travels to the Scottish Highlands to escape the harsh realities of her life and stars Agnès Jaoui,...
Sophie Fillières managed to shoot the film last summer before her untimely death at the age of 58. The film titled in French Ma Vie, Ma Gueule, was finished by members of her family who include her partner, the filmmaker Pascal Bonitzer.
The film follows a middle-aged woman who travels to the Scottish Highlands to escape the harsh realities of her life and stars Agnès Jaoui,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
French film critic and historian Michel Ciment, the long-time publishing director of film magazine Positif, has died Monday, French media reported. He was 85.
Ciment first started writing for the Lyon-based magazine in 1963, when he contributed a piece about the cinema of Orson Welles.
The magazine was launched in 1952 shortly after Les Cahiers du Cinéma by Bernard Chardère, who also died this year.
In a talk at Paris’s Forum Des Images in 2022, marking Positif’s 70th anniversary, Ciment recounted how he started reading the magazine in the 1950s as a teenager, while hanging around the Le Minotaure bookshop in the Paris quarter of Saint-Germain-des-Près.
“It was an amazing place where you’d bump into other cinephiles like Jean-Claude Romer, who went on to create [the cinema magazine] Midi Minuit Fantastique,” recounted Ciment.
“There were a lot of people from Les Cahiers and Positif… You couldn’t find the cinema revues in kiosks then.
Ciment first started writing for the Lyon-based magazine in 1963, when he contributed a piece about the cinema of Orson Welles.
The magazine was launched in 1952 shortly after Les Cahiers du Cinéma by Bernard Chardère, who also died this year.
In a talk at Paris’s Forum Des Images in 2022, marking Positif’s 70th anniversary, Ciment recounted how he started reading the magazine in the 1950s as a teenager, while hanging around the Le Minotaure bookshop in the Paris quarter of Saint-Germain-des-Près.
“It was an amazing place where you’d bump into other cinephiles like Jean-Claude Romer, who went on to create [the cinema magazine] Midi Minuit Fantastique,” recounted Ciment.
“There were a lot of people from Les Cahiers and Positif… You couldn’t find the cinema revues in kiosks then.
- 11/13/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell carry this idealistic, moving French version of Dh Lawrence’s transgressive novel
Here is a movie that could so easily collapse into self-satire, especially at the first sneery-knowing intonation of the word “milady”, a phrase probably now most associated with Parker from Thunderbirds. But the commitment and passion of its two lead performers, Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell, carries this new version of Dh Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and the actor turned director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre finds the keynote of idealism. The film is never shy of eroticism and full-on sex, if sometimes going for a slightly quaint soft-focus approach. But Clermont-Tonnerre is never in any doubt that this is a love story. The last adaptation of any note was from another French film-maker, Pascale Ferran’s flawed Lady Chatterley (based on an earlier version of the book). Perhaps it takes a...
Here is a movie that could so easily collapse into self-satire, especially at the first sneery-knowing intonation of the word “milady”, a phrase probably now most associated with Parker from Thunderbirds. But the commitment and passion of its two lead performers, Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell, carries this new version of Dh Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and the actor turned director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre finds the keynote of idealism. The film is never shy of eroticism and full-on sex, if sometimes going for a slightly quaint soft-focus approach. But Clermont-Tonnerre is never in any doubt that this is a love story. The last adaptation of any note was from another French film-maker, Pascale Ferran’s flawed Lady Chatterley (based on an earlier version of the book). Perhaps it takes a...
- 11/24/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
A double winner in Venice this past September with the Silver Lion Grand Jury prize and Luigi De Laurentiis Lion of the Future award, Alice Diop could double down with Saint Omer as the infanticide jury room drama has been nominated for the Prix Louis-Delluc’s two sections: Best Film and Best First Film. If Diop wins for Best Feature it would be a rare female filmmaker win – the last woman to win the award was Pascale Ferran’s Lady Chatterley in 2006. Last year’s winner was the Un Certain Regard selected Onoda – 10 000 nuits dans la jungle by Arthur Harari.…...
- 11/9/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Guillaume Brac's film All Hands on Deck is exclusively showing on Mubi in most countries in the series The New Auteurs, as well as the retrospective Summer Light: Films by Guillaume Brac.Just over a year ago, the director of the Cnsad (Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique—the Higher National Conservatoire for Dramatic Art), Claire Lasne-Darcueil, asked me to write a feature-length fiction film for a dozen young actors from the class of 2020. With one proviso: I had to shoot between summer and autumn 2019, so that the film would be finished by the time they graduated.I immediately saw this as an opportunity to paint the fictional portrait of a generation, just like Pascale Ferran did twenty-five years ago with L’âge des possibles, written for a class at the Théâtre National de Strasbourg. Or the filmmakers of two collections, Tous les garçons et les filles de leur âge and Les années lycée,...
- 8/3/2021
- MUBI
The Cesar Awards, France’s highest film honors, have confirmed that the ceremony will be held on March 12, ideally as an in-person show. The 46th edition of the awards will also be broadcast live on Canal Plus. A spokesperson for the Cesar Academy told Variety that a virtual show is also being considered and a final decision on the format of the ceremony will be taken after January 20.
The event normally takes place in late February, so a mid-March date isn’t a big stretch. France has been coping with the second wave of the pandemic and theaters are due to reopen on Dec. 15 after a 90-day shutdown.
“In the face of the pandemic we’ve struggled with for months and which marked 2020, the Cesar ceremony will offer a moment of celebration and support for films, and more generally, culture,” said the French Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“[The ceremony] will pay...
The event normally takes place in late February, so a mid-March date isn’t a big stretch. France has been coping with the second wave of the pandemic and theaters are due to reopen on Dec. 15 after a 90-day shutdown.
“In the face of the pandemic we’ve struggled with for months and which marked 2020, the Cesar ceremony will offer a moment of celebration and support for films, and more generally, culture,” said the French Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“[The ceremony] will pay...
- 12/3/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Former Cnc and Arte chief Véronique Cayla promises transparency, democracy and gender equality.
Véronique Cayla and Eric Toledano have been voted president and vice president of France’s Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques for a two-year term, in the body’s first democratic, gender-equal election of its governing board.
The French film industry is hoping their election will mark the end of a torrid period for the troubled body which went into meltdown earlier this year amid growing criticisms over its lack of transparency, gender equality and inclusion.
Cayla has wide experience of France’s film and TV world...
Véronique Cayla and Eric Toledano have been voted president and vice president of France’s Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques for a two-year term, in the body’s first democratic, gender-equal election of its governing board.
The French film industry is hoping their election will mark the end of a torrid period for the troubled body which went into meltdown earlier this year amid growing criticisms over its lack of transparency, gender equality and inclusion.
Cayla has wide experience of France’s film and TV world...
- 9/30/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Following a backlash within its membership ranks and the resignation of its board of directors and president earlier this year, France’s Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma has set new leadership. At a general assembly today, the Académie, which hands out the country’s César Awards, elected former Cnc and Arte chief Veronique Cayla as president and Intouchables co-director and filmmaker Eric Toledano as vice president. They will hold their positions for a two-year term.
The duo replaces Margaret Menegoz who was interim president following Alain Terzian’s departure in February. Terzian left amid rising controversy in the wake of this year’s César nominations which gave Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy the lead at 12. The film ultimately won three prizes at the protested ceremony.
Prior to the awards, the film org was called out as “elitist and closed” by some 200 artists who said they...
The duo replaces Margaret Menegoz who was interim president following Alain Terzian’s departure in February. Terzian left amid rising controversy in the wake of this year’s César nominations which gave Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy the lead at 12. The film ultimately won three prizes at the protested ceremony.
Prior to the awards, the film org was called out as “elitist and closed” by some 200 artists who said they...
- 9/29/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Veronique Cayla, the well-respected film and TV executive who recently stepped down from the leadership of Franco-German public culture channel Arte France, will preside the Cesar Academy, which distributes France’s equivalent to the Oscars. Eric Toledano, the popular co-director of smash-hit “The Intouchables” and a key member of the film guild Arp, will be vice-president of the Cesar Academy.
Both Cayla and Toledano were elected for a two-year mandate by the new administration board of the Academy, which includes 42 reps from 21 different fields within the film industry, from actors to crew members, screenwriters, directors and producers. Gender parity has been applied with a man and a woman representing each branch.
The new administration board includes the actors Marina Fois and Antoine Reinartz, the directors Pascale Ferran and Cédric Klapisch, the screenwriters Olivier Gorce and Julier Peyr, the producers Alain Attal and Marie-Ange Luciani, the agents Sébastien Cauchon and Elisabeth Tanner,...
Both Cayla and Toledano were elected for a two-year mandate by the new administration board of the Academy, which includes 42 reps from 21 different fields within the film industry, from actors to crew members, screenwriters, directors and producers. Gender parity has been applied with a man and a woman representing each branch.
The new administration board includes the actors Marina Fois and Antoine Reinartz, the directors Pascale Ferran and Cédric Klapisch, the screenwriters Olivier Gorce and Julier Peyr, the producers Alain Attal and Marie-Ange Luciani, the agents Sébastien Cauchon and Elisabeth Tanner,...
- 9/29/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Eve works as a maid at the upscale Hotel Presidente Intercontinental in Mexico City. Every room she enters is a chore — changing linens, scrubbing toilets and so on — but also a window into lives more luxurious than her own. Left alone with the affairs of the hotel’s rich guests, Eve indulges her curiosity. She doesn’t simply empty waste bins, but spreads out their contents and picks through what she finds there for clues as to how the other half lives. The irony, of course, is that director Lila Avilés has designed her debut feature, “The Chambermaid,” to give audiences the opposite opportunity, inviting us to step into the shoes of an invisible woman for two hours, and as such, her film is a rare and special thing.
In the real world, someone like Eve might be considered “common,” but as the protagonist of her own motion picture — imbued,...
In the real world, someone like Eve might be considered “common,” but as the protagonist of her own motion picture — imbued,...
- 6/28/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Revered French director Claire Denis is to lead the short films and Cinéfondation (student films) jury at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
Denis and her jury will award the three prizes of the Cinéfondation selected from 17 film students’ works as well as the Short Film Palme d’Or. Previous jury heads for this section include Abderrahmane Sissako, Naomi Kawase, Cristian Mungiu and Bertrand Bonello.
Last year, the jury chaired by Bonello awarded the Short Film Palme d’Or to All These Creatures, by Charles Williams. Filmmakers to start out in the Cannes short film strand include Lynne Ramsay, Xavier Giannoli, Alice Winocour, Pascale Ferran, João Salaviza, Jim Jarmusch, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Jane Campion (who remains the only director to have received both the Short Film Palme d’Or and the Palme d’Or for a feature).
The 2018 Cinéfondation Prizes were awarded to first works by Diego Céspedes, Igor Poplauhin,...
Denis and her jury will award the three prizes of the Cinéfondation selected from 17 film students’ works as well as the Short Film Palme d’Or. Previous jury heads for this section include Abderrahmane Sissako, Naomi Kawase, Cristian Mungiu and Bertrand Bonello.
Last year, the jury chaired by Bonello awarded the Short Film Palme d’Or to All These Creatures, by Charles Williams. Filmmakers to start out in the Cannes short film strand include Lynne Ramsay, Xavier Giannoli, Alice Winocour, Pascale Ferran, João Salaviza, Jim Jarmusch, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Jane Campion (who remains the only director to have received both the Short Film Palme d’Or and the Palme d’Or for a feature).
The 2018 Cinéfondation Prizes were awarded to first works by Diego Céspedes, Igor Poplauhin,...
- 4/5/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Ghost Town AnthologyThe titles for the 69th Berlin International Film Festival are being announced in anticipation of the event running February 7-17, 2019. We will update the program as new films are revealed.COMPETITIONThe Ground Beneath My FeetThe Golden Glove (Faith Akin, Germany/France)By the Grace of GodThe Kindness of StrangersI Was at Home, but A Tale of Three SistersGhost Town Anthology (Denis Côté, Canada)Berlinale SPECIALGully Boy (Zoya Akhtar, India)BrechtWatergate (Charles Ferguson, USA)Panorama 201937 Seconds (Hikari (Mitsuyo Miyazaki), Japan)Dafne (Federico Bondi, Italy)The Day After I'm Gone (Nimrod Eldar, Israel)A Dog Called Money (Seamus Murphy, Ireland/UK)Waiting for the CarnivalChainedFlatland (Jenna Bass, South Africa/Germany/Luxembourg)Greta (Armando Praça, Brazil)Hellhole (Bas Devos, Belgium/Netherlands)Jessica Forever (Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel, France)AcidMid90s (Jonah Hill, USA) Family MembersMonos (Alejandro Landes, Columbia/Argentina/Netherlands/Germany/Denmark/Sweden/Uruguay) O Beautiful Night (Xaver Böhm,...
- 1/2/2019
- MUBI
The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge) director Michaël Dudok de Wit on the escape in Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo: "That's the climax of the book as far as I'm concerned." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Michaël Dudok de Wit discusses the reaction of Isao Takahata and his co-writer, Lady Chatterley director Pascale Ferran, to the original script for The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge). Dreams, escapes, nature, Darren Aronfsky's Mother! with Jennifer Lawrence, reading the original Robinson Crusoe, and what is a "deep, deep, deep fear" for him surface in the final installment of my conversation with the director and honored guest of New York's Animation First Festival at the French Institute Alliance Française, co-curated by Delphine Selles-Alvarez and Catherine Lamairesse.
Michaël Dudok de Wit on Pascale Ferran's reaction to the violence in the script: "We need to work on the remorse bit even more."
In The Red Turtle,...
Michaël Dudok de Wit discusses the reaction of Isao Takahata and his co-writer, Lady Chatterley director Pascale Ferran, to the original script for The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge). Dreams, escapes, nature, Darren Aronfsky's Mother! with Jennifer Lawrence, reading the original Robinson Crusoe, and what is a "deep, deep, deep fear" for him surface in the final installment of my conversation with the director and honored guest of New York's Animation First Festival at the French Institute Alliance Française, co-curated by Delphine Selles-Alvarez and Catherine Lamairesse.
Michaël Dudok de Wit on Pascale Ferran's reaction to the violence in the script: "We need to work on the remorse bit even more."
In The Red Turtle,...
- 2/18/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge) director Michaël Dudok de Wit on the escape in Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo: "That's the climax of the book as far as I'm concerned." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Michaël Dudok de Wit discusses the reaction of Isao Takahata and his co-writer, Lady Chatterley director Pascale Ferran, to the original script for The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge). Dreams, escapes, nature, Darren Aronfsky's Mother! with Jennifer Lawrence, reading the original Robinson Crusoe, and what is a "deep, deep, deep fear" for him surface in the final installment of my conversation with the director and honored guest of New York's Animation First Festival at the French Institute Alliance Française, co-curated by Delphine Selles-Alvarez and Catherine Lamairesse.
Michaël Dudok de Wit on Pascale Ferran's reaction to the violence in the script: "We need to work on the remorse bit even more."
In The Red Turtle,...
Michaël Dudok de Wit discusses the reaction of Isao Takahata and his co-writer, Lady Chatterley director Pascale Ferran, to the original script for The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge). Dreams, escapes, nature, Darren Aronfsky's Mother! with Jennifer Lawrence, reading the original Robinson Crusoe, and what is a "deep, deep, deep fear" for him surface in the final installment of my conversation with the director and honored guest of New York's Animation First Festival at the French Institute Alliance Française, co-curated by Delphine Selles-Alvarez and Catherine Lamairesse.
Michaël Dudok de Wit on Pascale Ferran's reaction to the violence in the script: "We need to work on the remorse bit even more."
In The Red Turtle,...
- 2/18/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Michaël Dudok de Wit on Isao Takahata of Studio Ghibli: "He's very much into symbolism, metaphors and the subtle emotions." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The French Institute Alliance Française in New York in their latest CinéSalon series is honouring actresses who have won the César Award. Catherine Deneuve in François Truffaut's 10-César award-winning The Last Metro (Le Dernier Métro - introduced by Anne-Katrin Titze on February 13 at 4:00pm); Sandrine Bonnaire in Agnès Varda's Vagabond (Sans Toit Ni Loi), and Isabelle Huppert (Oscar-nominated for her performance) in Paul Verhoeven's Elle are the upcoming Best Actress: A César-Winner Showdown films to be shown.
Michaël Dudok de Wit with Anne-Katrin Titze on Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan: "It's basically fairy tales and ghost stories." Photo: Natascha Bodemann
Michaël Dudok de Wit's (César and Oscar-nominated and Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize winner) debut feature The Red Turtle,...
The French Institute Alliance Française in New York in their latest CinéSalon series is honouring actresses who have won the César Award. Catherine Deneuve in François Truffaut's 10-César award-winning The Last Metro (Le Dernier Métro - introduced by Anne-Katrin Titze on February 13 at 4:00pm); Sandrine Bonnaire in Agnès Varda's Vagabond (Sans Toit Ni Loi), and Isabelle Huppert (Oscar-nominated for her performance) in Paul Verhoeven's Elle are the upcoming Best Actress: A César-Winner Showdown films to be shown.
Michaël Dudok de Wit with Anne-Katrin Titze on Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan: "It's basically fairy tales and ghost stories." Photo: Natascha Bodemann
Michaël Dudok de Wit's (César and Oscar-nominated and Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize winner) debut feature The Red Turtle,...
- 2/7/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Michaël Dudok de Wit on Isao Takahata of Studio Ghibli: "He's very much into symbolism, metaphors and the subtle emotions." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The French Institute Alliance Française in New York in their latest CinéSalon series is honouring actresses who have won the César Award. Catherine Deneuve in François Truffaut's 10-César award-winning The Last Metro (Le Dernier Métro - introduced by Anne-Katrin Titze on February 13 at 4:00pm); Sandrine Bonnaire in Agnès Varda's Vagabond (Sans Toit Ni Loi), and Isabelle Huppert (Oscar-nominated for her performance) in Paul Verhoeven's Elle are the upcoming Best Actress: A César-Winner Showdown films to be shown.
Michaël Dudok de Wit with Anne-Katrin Titze on Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan: "It's basically fairy tales and ghost stories." Photo: Natascha Bodemann
Michaël Dudok de Wit's (César and Oscar-nominated and Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize winner) debut feature The Red Turtle,...
The French Institute Alliance Française in New York in their latest CinéSalon series is honouring actresses who have won the César Award. Catherine Deneuve in François Truffaut's 10-César award-winning The Last Metro (Le Dernier Métro - introduced by Anne-Katrin Titze on February 13 at 4:00pm); Sandrine Bonnaire in Agnès Varda's Vagabond (Sans Toit Ni Loi), and Isabelle Huppert (Oscar-nominated for her performance) in Paul Verhoeven's Elle are the upcoming Best Actress: A César-Winner Showdown films to be shown.
Michaël Dudok de Wit with Anne-Katrin Titze on Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan: "It's basically fairy tales and ghost stories." Photo: Natascha Bodemann
Michaël Dudok de Wit's (César and Oscar-nominated and Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize winner) debut feature The Red Turtle,...
- 2/7/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Studio Ghibli’s first international c0-production The Red Turtle is making its way to Digital Download September 18th, DVD and DVD/Blu-ray double play September 25th and to celebrate we have two copies to giveaway on DVD.
From Oscar-winning director Michael Dudok de Wit, The Red Turtle recounts the milestones in the life of a human being through the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds. With stunning visuals from Prima Linea’s animation team, helmed by Disney veteran Jean-Christophe Lie and a dialogue-less screenplay by award-winning French writer and director Pascale Ferran, The Red Turtle is a deeply moving and uplifting story about the power of the human spirit.
To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer this question:
Which Studio Ghibli film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?
Your Answer Howl's Moving CastleSpirited AwayMy Neighbour Totoro
UK entries only.
From Oscar-winning director Michael Dudok de Wit, The Red Turtle recounts the milestones in the life of a human being through the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds. With stunning visuals from Prima Linea’s animation team, helmed by Disney veteran Jean-Christophe Lie and a dialogue-less screenplay by award-winning French writer and director Pascale Ferran, The Red Turtle is a deeply moving and uplifting story about the power of the human spirit.
To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer this question:
Which Studio Ghibli film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?
Your Answer Howl's Moving CastleSpirited AwayMy Neighbour Totoro
UK entries only.
- 9/1/2017
- by Roobla Team
- The Cultural Post
“The Red Turtle” represents the year’s best example of global animation. Director Michael Dudok de Wit is Dutch, it was co-produced by Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli and it was made by French animation studio Prima Linea. The result a sublime cycle of life Oscar contender, which “uses time to relate the absence of time, like music can enhance silence,” according to de Wit, Oscar winner for the “Father and Daughter” short.
Read More: How ‘The Red Turtle’ Became an Animated, Cycle of Life Oscar Contender
“It was a priority to find a beautiful balance between being sensitive, pure and simple and making an entertaining film,” de Wit told IndieWire. “I didn’t want it to be too artsy or mysterious. And I used Studio Ghibli films as a big inspiration. They have lots of characters and come from a very deep place and yet they are accessible to millions of spectators,...
Read More: How ‘The Red Turtle’ Became an Animated, Cycle of Life Oscar Contender
“It was a priority to find a beautiful balance between being sensitive, pure and simple and making an entertaining film,” de Wit told IndieWire. “I didn’t want it to be too artsy or mysterious. And I used Studio Ghibli films as a big inspiration. They have lots of characters and come from a very deep place and yet they are accessible to millions of spectators,...
- 12/6/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Part Robinson Crusoe, part All Is Lost, and part Heavy Metal, the animated feature The Red Turtle applies a distinctively European visual design to a primal tale of man against the elements. A collaboration between Oscar-winning Dutch-British animator Michael Dudok De Wit (who won for his 2000 short “Father And Daughter”) and the team at Japan’s Studio Ghibli, the film represents the medium at its most artful and entertaining. Though some may find its allusiveness and magical-realist turns to be overly fanciful, The Red Turtle nevertheless remains throughout a simple, gripping story of survival, deriving its sense of adventure from the most basic plot imaginable: Here’s a human being, stranded in a strange place, using his strength, intelligence, and courage to forge some kind of a life for himself.
Dudok De Wit (who also co-wrote the picture with Bird People writer-director Pascale Ferran) sets the tone right from ...
Dudok De Wit (who also co-wrote the picture with Bird People writer-director Pascale Ferran) sets the tone right from ...
- 11/16/2016
- by Noel Murray
- avclub.com
The Red Turtle (La Tortue rouge) Why Not Productions Grade: B Reviewed by Harvey Karten, Shockya Director: Michaël Dudok de Wit Written by: Michaël Dudok de Wit, Pascale Ferran Cast: Tom Hudson, Emmanuel Garijo Screened at: Sony, NYC, 10/19/16 Opens: November 18, 2016 (Limited), January 19, 2017 (Wide) The Spanish playwright Calderón de la Barca wrote a drama called “La vida es sueño” (Life is a dream). No one can agree with him more than Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving’s character who slept by a tree and woke up with a long bird twenty years later. The thing is, he really arose the next day, having dreamed about what life [ Read More ]
The post The Red Turtle Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Red Turtle Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/20/2016
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Studio Ghibli’s The Red Turtle, their first international co-production (handled in conjunction with Wild Bunch), screened at this year’s Filmfest Hamburg, and we had the good fortune of sitting down with the its director, Michaël Dudok de Wit. The feat he’s achieved with this picture is significant. As we said in our review at Cannes, “De Wit excels at producing compelling drama from such extreme self-imposed limitations. Indeed, despite there being no dialogue and very few characters, the film consistently celebrates the excitement of exploration and invention while also keeping the audience aware of the man’s growing frustrations, like the awful finality of falling down whens there’s no rope or ladder or hand to help you up.”
For a look into the creation of 2016’s finest animated endeavor, read on below.
The Film Stage: This is Studio Ghibli’s first international co-production. How did it come about?...
For a look into the creation of 2016’s finest animated endeavor, read on below.
The Film Stage: This is Studio Ghibli’s first international co-production. How did it come about?...
- 10/17/2016
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
Captain Fantastic’s Matt Ross wins director prize; animation The Red Turtle wins special prize.Scroll down for full list of winners
Finnish boxer drama The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki, directed by Juho Kuosmanen, has won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
Review: The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki
After two Cinefondation-selected shorts, Kuosmanen has made his feature debut with this film inspired by the real life of Olli Maki, the first Finn to fight for the world championship in featherweight boxing, who is distracted by his first love on the day of the big fight.
Jarkko Lahti, Oona Airola and Eero Milonoff star in the black-and-white film, which shot on 16mm. B-Plan will release in Finland in September, with theatrical releases also secured for Germany, France and Denmark.
The Finland-Germany-Sweden co-production is produced by Aamu Film Company, One Two Films...
Finnish boxer drama The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki, directed by Juho Kuosmanen, has won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
Review: The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki
After two Cinefondation-selected shorts, Kuosmanen has made his feature debut with this film inspired by the real life of Olli Maki, the first Finn to fight for the world championship in featherweight boxing, who is distracted by his first love on the day of the big fight.
Jarkko Lahti, Oona Airola and Eero Milonoff star in the black-and-white film, which shot on 16mm. B-Plan will release in Finland in September, with theatrical releases also secured for Germany, France and Denmark.
The Finland-Germany-Sweden co-production is produced by Aamu Film Company, One Two Films...
- 5/21/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Michaël Dudok de Wit’s debut feature “The Red Turtle” will premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes, and if we were to judge from the trailer, it may be one of the most beautiful films to screen in Croisette this year.
Marking the anticipated return of Studio Ghibli (the film is their first co-production), the French-Japanese animated film tells the story of a man shipwrecked at sea who becomes stranded on a deserted island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds. He learns to live in isolation, until he comes upon a woman lost at sea and begins a life with her. The entire 80-minute movie features very little dialogue and looks absolutely gorgeous, once more exemplyfying the benefits of 2D animation. The screenplay was written by Dudok de Wit and French screenwriter (and director) Pascale Ferran (Lady Chatterley, The Bird People).
Ghibli is at a very critical...
Marking the anticipated return of Studio Ghibli (the film is their first co-production), the French-Japanese animated film tells the story of a man shipwrecked at sea who becomes stranded on a deserted island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds. He learns to live in isolation, until he comes upon a woman lost at sea and begins a life with her. The entire 80-minute movie features very little dialogue and looks absolutely gorgeous, once more exemplyfying the benefits of 2D animation. The screenplay was written by Dudok de Wit and French screenwriter (and director) Pascale Ferran (Lady Chatterley, The Bird People).
Ghibli is at a very critical...
- 5/16/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
After premiering at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival in the Galas Program, via Cohen Media, the double 40th César Award nominated The New Girlfriend received a limited theatrical release a year later for a meager box-office take just under one hundred and fifty thousand. Based on a novel by Ruth Rendell, Francois Ozon’s playful subversion of gender dynamics hinges on camp, recalling a legion of vintage queer classics from decades ago (as well as Ozon’s own darker, challenging early filmography when the auteur was referred to as a terrible enfant). As politically correct agendas continue to be applied to queer characters, engulfing deliberations of appropriate representation, items such as Ozon’s film have become a rarity in the English language market. But there’s a perverse mixture of dark comedy and psychological unrest portrayed here, and Ozon gleefully captures a neglected energy of queer cinema once again relegated to the periphery of good taste.
- 2/2/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The Cannes Film festival was an exceptional edition for French films this year. A focus on the rising generation of French actors and directors that have been highlighted in Cannes and will most certainly be the stars of tomorrow was compiled by Unifrance chief Isabelle Giordano.
They are a force to be reckoned with. Unifrance films is ready to bet that you will certainly hear about these ten talented people. They represent the French cinema of today and will soon be on the screens worldwide.
Emmanuelle Bercot
An actress and a director, Emmanuelle Bercot began by enrolling at the Cours Florent drama school and taking dancing lessons after her baccalaureate. She graduated from Femis in 1998, after winning the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival for her short film "Les Vacances," in 1997. After her first few roles in the films of Jean-François Richet and Michel Deville, her career as an actress took off when Claude Miller gave her one of the main roles in "La Classe de neige" (1998). The following year, she made the headlines with the medium-length film she directed called "La Puce," presented in the selection of Un Certain Regard at Cannes. This film tells of the love affair between a 35-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl, played by Isild Le Besco.
Her first feature-length film, "Clément" (2001), is about the life of a troubled woman who has one adventure after another with various men until she meets a 14-yearold boy. Her second film, "Backstage" (2004), continues to explore teenage angst through a relationship between a hit singer and a young obsessional fan. She earned her first critical and public acclaim with "On My Way" (2013), the third film written by the director for Catherine Deneuve, in which the star plays a woman who has decided to leave everything behind and hit the road in France.
She was indisputably the most talked about person during the Cannes Film Festival 2015, both as an actress and a director. Thierry Frémaux surprised everyone by announcing that "Standing Tall," Emmanuelle Bercot’s fourth feature-length film would open the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Emmanuelle Bercot says that she has rediscovered the social fiber of her beginnings with this tale of juvenile delinquency. After the enthusiastic and unanimous reception of her film, she won the Best Actress Award for her role as a woman under the influence of love in the film "Mon Roi" by Maïwenn, with whom she co-wrote the script for "Polisse," which won the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012
Thomas Bidegain
Thomas Bidegain may well be one of the best known French screenwriters in the profession today, but it took him ten years to achieve this status. His career path in film is anything but ordinary. He started out in the 1990s by distributing and producing independent American films: "Ice Storm" by Ang Lee and "Chasing Sleep" by Michael Walker. He came back to France and joined MK2 where he became director of distribution. In 1999, he returned to production for "Why Not." In 2007, he told the story of his attempt to stop smoking in "Arrêter de fumer tue," a personal diary that was turned into a documentary, then a book.
In the meantime, he began screenwriting and worked on several projects. In 2009, he wrote the screenplay for Jacques Audiard’s film, "A Prophet," alongside Nicolas Peufaillit and Abdel Raouf Dafri, which won the Grand Prix du Jury in 2009. He participated in Audiard’s next film, "Rust and Bone" and "Our Children" by Joachim Lafosse. He was also the co-writer for "Saint Laurent" by Bertrand Bonello. Winning a César for the best original script and a César for the best adaptation, he presented "Cowboys" at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes this year, his first film as a director. He is also co-writer of "Ni le ciel ni la terre" by Clément Cogitore, presented during the Semaine de la Critique, as well as co-writer of the script for Jacques Audiard’s latest film, "Dheepan," which won the Palme d’Or.
Louise Bourgoin
Louise Bourgoin attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts for five years, during which she began her career as a model. After she graduated from art school in 2004, she radically changed direction and became a presenter on cable TV. She was Miss Météo in Le Grand Journal on Canal + from 2006 to 2008. Her slot became essential viewing and attracted a wide audience, including the attention of the film industry.
She began her acting career in "The Girl from Monaco" by Anne Fontaine, and her performance earned her a César nomination for Most Promising Actress. This recognition led to a whole series of roles and launched her career in film. She headed the bill of several films in 2010 ("White as Snow" by Christophe Blanc, "Sweet Valentine" by Emma Luchini, and "Black Heaven" by Gilles Marchand). The same year, Luc Besson selected her for the leading role in "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec."
Since then, Louise Bourgoin has played in film after film, and has taken her first steps in the international scene with her part in the American film "The Love Punch" by Joel Hopkins. She attracted attention at the Cannes Film Festival this year with her unusual role in Laurent Larivière’s first film, "I Am a Soldier," presented at Un Certain Regard.
Anaïs Demoustier
Her passion for acting started at a very young age and rapidly pushed her to take drama classes. She auditioned, when still a teenager, and got her first role alongside Isabelle Huppert in "Time of the Wolf" by Michael Haneke. After this, her career was launched and she played in a series of films among which "L’Année suivante" by Isabelle Czajka, "Hellphone" by James Huth, "The Beautiful Person" by Christophe Honoré, "Sois sage" by Juliette Garcias, "Sweet Evil" by Olivier Coussemacq, "Dear Prudene" by Rebecca Zlotowski, "Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Robert Guédiguian, "Thérèse Desqueyroux" by Claude Miller, "Quai d’Orsay" by Bertrand Tavernier, "Paris Follies" by Marc Fitoussi, etc.
A filmography rich of 30 films for an actress who isn’t 30 years old yet. In 2014, the press talked about the blooming of Anaïs Demoustier because her face and poise became essential to cinema. Present in "Bird People" by Pascale Ferran, "Caprices" by Emmanuel Mouret, "À trois on y va" by Jérôme Bonnell and "The New Girlfriend" by François Ozon, she is Marguerite in the last Valérie Donzelli’s film, "Marguerite et Julien" screened in Official selection in Cannes.
Louis Garrel
The son of actress Brigitte Sy and the director Philippe Garrel, he began his career in film thanks to his father, who started filming him at the age of six in "Emergency Kisses," alongside his mother and his grandfather, Maurice Garrel. He went onto study drama at the Conservatoire National d’Art Dramatique. He made his real cinema debut in 2001 in the film "Ceci est mon corps" by Rodolphe Marconi. Two years later, he played opposite Michael Pitt and the future Bond girl, Eva Green, in "The Dreamers" by Bernardo Bertolucci.
He then starred in another of his father’s films, "Regular Lovers". His performance earned him the César for the Most Promising Actor in 2005. Since then, he has played alongside the greatest, such as Isabelle Huppert in "Ma mère" by Christophe Honoré. This marked the beginning of a long collaboration between the filmmaker and the actor. They worked together in the film "In Paris" with Romain Duris, then in 2007 in "Love Songs" with Ludivine Sagnier, in "The Beautiful Person" with Léa Seydoux, in "Making Plans" for Lena with Chiara Mostroianni and, finally, in " Beloved" with Catherine Deneuve. He also topped the bill with Valéria Bruni Tedeschi in "Actresses," whom he worked with again in 2013 in "A Castle in Italy."
In 2010, he directed a short film, "The Little Tailor," in which he directed Léa Seydoux. He performed once again in one of his father’s films, "A Burning Hot Summer," followed by "Jealousy." In 2014, he starred in Bertrand Bonello’s film "Saint Laurent," a role which led to another César nomination, but this time in the best supporting role category. His first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented at a Certain Regard, was applauded by the critics. He also starred in "Mon Roi," Maïwenn’s fourth feature-length film, alongside Emmanuelle and Vincent Cassel, presented as part of the official selection.
Guillaume Gouix
After studying at the Conservatoire in Marseille and the Ecole Régionale d’Acteur de Cannes, Guillaume Gouix began his career in television. He played the male lead in "The Lion Cubs," by Claire Doyon, in 2003. Noted for his performance, especially the highly physical aspect of it and his intense gaze, he then played a series of supporting roles as a young hoodlum in "Les Mauvais joueurs" by Frédéric Balekdjian and in "Chacun sa nuit," by Jean-Marc Barr and Pascal Arnold. He featured in the 2007 war film "Intimate Enemies" by Florent Emilio Siri, thus confirming his taste for complex characters.
The following year, he was applauded for his performance in the film "Behind the Walls" by Christian Faure. In 2010, he starred in "22 Bullets" by Richard Berry and in 2011, he established his reputation with roles in "Nobody Else But You" by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu, "Et soudain, tout le monde me manque" by Jennifer Devoldere, and "Jimmy Rivière," Teddy Lussi-Modeste’s film debut.
He also appeared in "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen. He more recently starred in "Attila Marcel," by Sylvain Chomet, in which he played the lead role, in "French Women" by Audrey Dana, and "The Connection" by Cédric Jimenez with Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lelouche. He performed in three films presented at Cannes this year ("Les Anarchistes" by Elie Wajeman, which opened the Semaine de la Critique, "La Vie en grand" by Mathieu Vadepied, which closed the week, and in "Enragés" by Eric Hannezo, screened at the Cinéma de la Plage). He also directed his first short film "Alexis Ivanovitch, vous êtes mon héros" in 2011 and will soon start on a feature-length film, which is currently being written. He will be topping the bill in 2015 with "Braqueurs," a thriller by Julien Leclercq.
Ariane Labed
Born in Greece to French parents, Ariane Labed has always navigated between her two countries. She studied drama at the University of Provence and began her acting career treading the boards. After setting up a company combining dance and theater, Ariane Labed returned to live in Greece where she played at the National Theater of Athens. 2010 was the year of her first film, "Attenberg," directed by Athiná-Rachél Tsangári. "Alps" by Yorgos Lanthi-mos, the following year, confirmed the talent of this strangely charming actress. Two years later, she starred in "Before Midnight" by Richard Linklater where she played the role of Anna. The follow-up to "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," this third part of the saga was a great success, making Labed known to a wider audience.
In 2014, she played a young sailor in "Fidelio, Alice’s Odyssey," who is torn between faithfulness and her desire to live her life. Winning the best actress award at the Locarno Film Festival and nominated for a César, the French actress gives a brilliant performance in Lucie Borleteau’s first feature-length film. She joined Yorgos Lanthimos in Cannes in 2015, where he won the Prix du Jury for his film "The Lobster."
Vincent Macaigne
Vincent Macaigne is the leading light in young French cinema. He joined the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris in 1999, appearing on stage and assuming the role of director. His free adaptations of the great classics of literature and drama earned him public and critical acclaim. He directed "The Idiot" by Dostoïevski and presented "Au moins j’aurai laissé un beau cadavre in Avignon," inspired by Hamlet. He also rapidly made a name for himself in demanding art-house films. In 2001, he was seen for the first time in "Replay" by Catherine Corsini. In 2007, he starred in "On War" by Bertrand Bonello and in 2010, in "A Burning Hot Summer" by Philippe Garrel.
Since 2011, Vincent Macaigne’s presence in short, medium and full-length films has gradually increased. Faithful to his directors, he has starred in several of their films. As is the case with his friend Guillaume Brac, who directed him in "Le Naufragé," "Tonnerre" and "Un monde sans femmes." He was awarded the Grand Prix and the Prix Télérama at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and the Prix Lutin for Best Actor in this film. Under the direction of Vincent Mariette, he played in "Les Lézards" then "Fool Circle." In 2013, we find the funny and touching thirty-something in "La fille du 14 juillet" by Antonin Peretjatko, "Age of Panic" by Justine Triet, and "2 Autumns, 3 Winters" by Sébastien Betbeder.
He was discovered by the general public at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Considered a figurehead of the revival of French cinema, Vincent has drawn the attention of the Cahiers du Cinéma, and even the British newspaper The Observer, which referred to him as the “new Gérard Depardieu”. In 2011, he directed "What We’ll Leave Behind," a very well-received medium-length film which won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival. He also starred in Mia Hansen-løve’s 2014 film "Eden." He plays one of the main roles in the actor Louis Garrel’s first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented during the Semaine de la Critique. He also featured in his 2011 film, La Règle de trois.
Vimala Pons
From the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique, where she attended drama classes even though she wanted to be a screenwriter, to circus tents, Vimala Pons is an acrobat in all senses of the word. The 29-year-old actress has established her physical and poetic presence in French art-house films. She began her career in film with Albert Dupontel in "Enfermés dehors" in 2006. She then starred in "Eden Log" by Franck Vestiel in 2007, then in "Granny’s Funeral" by Bruno Podalydès in 2012.
Since then, we have seen her cross France in a little blue dress in "La Fille du 14 juillet," (she plays the girl) by Antonin Peretjatko, and changing into a lioness in "Métamorphoses," by Christophe Honoré. The impetuous muse of French independent film, Vimala Pons played in "Vincent" by Thomas Salvador this year. The actress has made a name for herself in 2015, in particular with "Comme un avion" by Bruno Podalydès, "Je suis à vous tout de suite" by Baya Kasmi, "La vie très privée de Monsieur Sim" by Michel Leclerc, and "L’Ombre des femmes" by Philippe Garrel (presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs this year in Cannes). She has also begun an international career, with a leading role in Paul Verhoeven’s latest film, "Elle."
Alice Winocour
The director Alice Winocour started out at Femis. After going into law, she returned to film and won three prizes for her short film "Kitchen: Prix TV5" for the best French-language short film, best international short film and the Silver Bear at the Festival of Nations (Ebensee). For "Magic Paris," she was awarded the jury prize at the St. Petersburg International Documentary, Short Film and Animated Film Festival.
She continued her career by writing the script for the film "Ordinary," by Vladimir Perisic. At the Cannes Film Festival 2012, Alice Winocour made a marked entry in the international arena with a film by a woman about women and the unchanging way of looking at them. In the film "Augustine," we are told the story of a professor and his patient, played by Vincent Lindon and Soko respectively. In 2015, she brought out her second feature-length film, "Maryland," which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. She is also the co-writer of "Mustang," by Denis Gamze Ergüven, presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.
They are a force to be reckoned with. Unifrance films is ready to bet that you will certainly hear about these ten talented people. They represent the French cinema of today and will soon be on the screens worldwide.
Emmanuelle Bercot
An actress and a director, Emmanuelle Bercot began by enrolling at the Cours Florent drama school and taking dancing lessons after her baccalaureate. She graduated from Femis in 1998, after winning the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival for her short film "Les Vacances," in 1997. After her first few roles in the films of Jean-François Richet and Michel Deville, her career as an actress took off when Claude Miller gave her one of the main roles in "La Classe de neige" (1998). The following year, she made the headlines with the medium-length film she directed called "La Puce," presented in the selection of Un Certain Regard at Cannes. This film tells of the love affair between a 35-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl, played by Isild Le Besco.
Her first feature-length film, "Clément" (2001), is about the life of a troubled woman who has one adventure after another with various men until she meets a 14-yearold boy. Her second film, "Backstage" (2004), continues to explore teenage angst through a relationship between a hit singer and a young obsessional fan. She earned her first critical and public acclaim with "On My Way" (2013), the third film written by the director for Catherine Deneuve, in which the star plays a woman who has decided to leave everything behind and hit the road in France.
She was indisputably the most talked about person during the Cannes Film Festival 2015, both as an actress and a director. Thierry Frémaux surprised everyone by announcing that "Standing Tall," Emmanuelle Bercot’s fourth feature-length film would open the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Emmanuelle Bercot says that she has rediscovered the social fiber of her beginnings with this tale of juvenile delinquency. After the enthusiastic and unanimous reception of her film, she won the Best Actress Award for her role as a woman under the influence of love in the film "Mon Roi" by Maïwenn, with whom she co-wrote the script for "Polisse," which won the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012
Thomas Bidegain
Thomas Bidegain may well be one of the best known French screenwriters in the profession today, but it took him ten years to achieve this status. His career path in film is anything but ordinary. He started out in the 1990s by distributing and producing independent American films: "Ice Storm" by Ang Lee and "Chasing Sleep" by Michael Walker. He came back to France and joined MK2 where he became director of distribution. In 1999, he returned to production for "Why Not." In 2007, he told the story of his attempt to stop smoking in "Arrêter de fumer tue," a personal diary that was turned into a documentary, then a book.
In the meantime, he began screenwriting and worked on several projects. In 2009, he wrote the screenplay for Jacques Audiard’s film, "A Prophet," alongside Nicolas Peufaillit and Abdel Raouf Dafri, which won the Grand Prix du Jury in 2009. He participated in Audiard’s next film, "Rust and Bone" and "Our Children" by Joachim Lafosse. He was also the co-writer for "Saint Laurent" by Bertrand Bonello. Winning a César for the best original script and a César for the best adaptation, he presented "Cowboys" at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes this year, his first film as a director. He is also co-writer of "Ni le ciel ni la terre" by Clément Cogitore, presented during the Semaine de la Critique, as well as co-writer of the script for Jacques Audiard’s latest film, "Dheepan," which won the Palme d’Or.
Louise Bourgoin
Louise Bourgoin attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts for five years, during which she began her career as a model. After she graduated from art school in 2004, she radically changed direction and became a presenter on cable TV. She was Miss Météo in Le Grand Journal on Canal + from 2006 to 2008. Her slot became essential viewing and attracted a wide audience, including the attention of the film industry.
She began her acting career in "The Girl from Monaco" by Anne Fontaine, and her performance earned her a César nomination for Most Promising Actress. This recognition led to a whole series of roles and launched her career in film. She headed the bill of several films in 2010 ("White as Snow" by Christophe Blanc, "Sweet Valentine" by Emma Luchini, and "Black Heaven" by Gilles Marchand). The same year, Luc Besson selected her for the leading role in "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec."
Since then, Louise Bourgoin has played in film after film, and has taken her first steps in the international scene with her part in the American film "The Love Punch" by Joel Hopkins. She attracted attention at the Cannes Film Festival this year with her unusual role in Laurent Larivière’s first film, "I Am a Soldier," presented at Un Certain Regard.
Anaïs Demoustier
Her passion for acting started at a very young age and rapidly pushed her to take drama classes. She auditioned, when still a teenager, and got her first role alongside Isabelle Huppert in "Time of the Wolf" by Michael Haneke. After this, her career was launched and she played in a series of films among which "L’Année suivante" by Isabelle Czajka, "Hellphone" by James Huth, "The Beautiful Person" by Christophe Honoré, "Sois sage" by Juliette Garcias, "Sweet Evil" by Olivier Coussemacq, "Dear Prudene" by Rebecca Zlotowski, "Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Robert Guédiguian, "Thérèse Desqueyroux" by Claude Miller, "Quai d’Orsay" by Bertrand Tavernier, "Paris Follies" by Marc Fitoussi, etc.
A filmography rich of 30 films for an actress who isn’t 30 years old yet. In 2014, the press talked about the blooming of Anaïs Demoustier because her face and poise became essential to cinema. Present in "Bird People" by Pascale Ferran, "Caprices" by Emmanuel Mouret, "À trois on y va" by Jérôme Bonnell and "The New Girlfriend" by François Ozon, she is Marguerite in the last Valérie Donzelli’s film, "Marguerite et Julien" screened in Official selection in Cannes.
Louis Garrel
The son of actress Brigitte Sy and the director Philippe Garrel, he began his career in film thanks to his father, who started filming him at the age of six in "Emergency Kisses," alongside his mother and his grandfather, Maurice Garrel. He went onto study drama at the Conservatoire National d’Art Dramatique. He made his real cinema debut in 2001 in the film "Ceci est mon corps" by Rodolphe Marconi. Two years later, he played opposite Michael Pitt and the future Bond girl, Eva Green, in "The Dreamers" by Bernardo Bertolucci.
He then starred in another of his father’s films, "Regular Lovers". His performance earned him the César for the Most Promising Actor in 2005. Since then, he has played alongside the greatest, such as Isabelle Huppert in "Ma mère" by Christophe Honoré. This marked the beginning of a long collaboration between the filmmaker and the actor. They worked together in the film "In Paris" with Romain Duris, then in 2007 in "Love Songs" with Ludivine Sagnier, in "The Beautiful Person" with Léa Seydoux, in "Making Plans" for Lena with Chiara Mostroianni and, finally, in " Beloved" with Catherine Deneuve. He also topped the bill with Valéria Bruni Tedeschi in "Actresses," whom he worked with again in 2013 in "A Castle in Italy."
In 2010, he directed a short film, "The Little Tailor," in which he directed Léa Seydoux. He performed once again in one of his father’s films, "A Burning Hot Summer," followed by "Jealousy." In 2014, he starred in Bertrand Bonello’s film "Saint Laurent," a role which led to another César nomination, but this time in the best supporting role category. His first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented at a Certain Regard, was applauded by the critics. He also starred in "Mon Roi," Maïwenn’s fourth feature-length film, alongside Emmanuelle and Vincent Cassel, presented as part of the official selection.
Guillaume Gouix
After studying at the Conservatoire in Marseille and the Ecole Régionale d’Acteur de Cannes, Guillaume Gouix began his career in television. He played the male lead in "The Lion Cubs," by Claire Doyon, in 2003. Noted for his performance, especially the highly physical aspect of it and his intense gaze, he then played a series of supporting roles as a young hoodlum in "Les Mauvais joueurs" by Frédéric Balekdjian and in "Chacun sa nuit," by Jean-Marc Barr and Pascal Arnold. He featured in the 2007 war film "Intimate Enemies" by Florent Emilio Siri, thus confirming his taste for complex characters.
The following year, he was applauded for his performance in the film "Behind the Walls" by Christian Faure. In 2010, he starred in "22 Bullets" by Richard Berry and in 2011, he established his reputation with roles in "Nobody Else But You" by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu, "Et soudain, tout le monde me manque" by Jennifer Devoldere, and "Jimmy Rivière," Teddy Lussi-Modeste’s film debut.
He also appeared in "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen. He more recently starred in "Attila Marcel," by Sylvain Chomet, in which he played the lead role, in "French Women" by Audrey Dana, and "The Connection" by Cédric Jimenez with Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lelouche. He performed in three films presented at Cannes this year ("Les Anarchistes" by Elie Wajeman, which opened the Semaine de la Critique, "La Vie en grand" by Mathieu Vadepied, which closed the week, and in "Enragés" by Eric Hannezo, screened at the Cinéma de la Plage). He also directed his first short film "Alexis Ivanovitch, vous êtes mon héros" in 2011 and will soon start on a feature-length film, which is currently being written. He will be topping the bill in 2015 with "Braqueurs," a thriller by Julien Leclercq.
Ariane Labed
Born in Greece to French parents, Ariane Labed has always navigated between her two countries. She studied drama at the University of Provence and began her acting career treading the boards. After setting up a company combining dance and theater, Ariane Labed returned to live in Greece where she played at the National Theater of Athens. 2010 was the year of her first film, "Attenberg," directed by Athiná-Rachél Tsangári. "Alps" by Yorgos Lanthi-mos, the following year, confirmed the talent of this strangely charming actress. Two years later, she starred in "Before Midnight" by Richard Linklater where she played the role of Anna. The follow-up to "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," this third part of the saga was a great success, making Labed known to a wider audience.
In 2014, she played a young sailor in "Fidelio, Alice’s Odyssey," who is torn between faithfulness and her desire to live her life. Winning the best actress award at the Locarno Film Festival and nominated for a César, the French actress gives a brilliant performance in Lucie Borleteau’s first feature-length film. She joined Yorgos Lanthimos in Cannes in 2015, where he won the Prix du Jury for his film "The Lobster."
Vincent Macaigne
Vincent Macaigne is the leading light in young French cinema. He joined the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris in 1999, appearing on stage and assuming the role of director. His free adaptations of the great classics of literature and drama earned him public and critical acclaim. He directed "The Idiot" by Dostoïevski and presented "Au moins j’aurai laissé un beau cadavre in Avignon," inspired by Hamlet. He also rapidly made a name for himself in demanding art-house films. In 2001, he was seen for the first time in "Replay" by Catherine Corsini. In 2007, he starred in "On War" by Bertrand Bonello and in 2010, in "A Burning Hot Summer" by Philippe Garrel.
Since 2011, Vincent Macaigne’s presence in short, medium and full-length films has gradually increased. Faithful to his directors, he has starred in several of their films. As is the case with his friend Guillaume Brac, who directed him in "Le Naufragé," "Tonnerre" and "Un monde sans femmes." He was awarded the Grand Prix and the Prix Télérama at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and the Prix Lutin for Best Actor in this film. Under the direction of Vincent Mariette, he played in "Les Lézards" then "Fool Circle." In 2013, we find the funny and touching thirty-something in "La fille du 14 juillet" by Antonin Peretjatko, "Age of Panic" by Justine Triet, and "2 Autumns, 3 Winters" by Sébastien Betbeder.
He was discovered by the general public at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Considered a figurehead of the revival of French cinema, Vincent has drawn the attention of the Cahiers du Cinéma, and even the British newspaper The Observer, which referred to him as the “new Gérard Depardieu”. In 2011, he directed "What We’ll Leave Behind," a very well-received medium-length film which won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival. He also starred in Mia Hansen-løve’s 2014 film "Eden." He plays one of the main roles in the actor Louis Garrel’s first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented during the Semaine de la Critique. He also featured in his 2011 film, La Règle de trois.
Vimala Pons
From the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique, where she attended drama classes even though she wanted to be a screenwriter, to circus tents, Vimala Pons is an acrobat in all senses of the word. The 29-year-old actress has established her physical and poetic presence in French art-house films. She began her career in film with Albert Dupontel in "Enfermés dehors" in 2006. She then starred in "Eden Log" by Franck Vestiel in 2007, then in "Granny’s Funeral" by Bruno Podalydès in 2012.
Since then, we have seen her cross France in a little blue dress in "La Fille du 14 juillet," (she plays the girl) by Antonin Peretjatko, and changing into a lioness in "Métamorphoses," by Christophe Honoré. The impetuous muse of French independent film, Vimala Pons played in "Vincent" by Thomas Salvador this year. The actress has made a name for herself in 2015, in particular with "Comme un avion" by Bruno Podalydès, "Je suis à vous tout de suite" by Baya Kasmi, "La vie très privée de Monsieur Sim" by Michel Leclerc, and "L’Ombre des femmes" by Philippe Garrel (presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs this year in Cannes). She has also begun an international career, with a leading role in Paul Verhoeven’s latest film, "Elle."
Alice Winocour
The director Alice Winocour started out at Femis. After going into law, she returned to film and won three prizes for her short film "Kitchen: Prix TV5" for the best French-language short film, best international short film and the Silver Bear at the Festival of Nations (Ebensee). For "Magic Paris," she was awarded the jury prize at the St. Petersburg International Documentary, Short Film and Animated Film Festival.
She continued her career by writing the script for the film "Ordinary," by Vladimir Perisic. At the Cannes Film Festival 2012, Alice Winocour made a marked entry in the international arena with a film by a woman about women and the unchanging way of looking at them. In the film "Augustine," we are told the story of a professor and his patient, played by Vincent Lindon and Soko respectively. In 2015, she brought out her second feature-length film, "Maryland," which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. She is also the co-writer of "Mustang," by Denis Gamze Ergüven, presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.
- 7/5/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Company to launch Radu Mihaileanu’s The History of Love and Studio Ghibli co-production The Red Turtle.
Paris-based sales powerhouse Wild Bunch will kick off sales on Radu Mihaileanu’s saga The History of Love, starring John Hurt, Gemma Arterton and Sophie Nélisse at the Cannes Marché next month.
The mainly New York-set saga, spanning three continents and a period running from just before the Second World War to the present day, is based on Us writer Nicole Krauss’s international bestseller.
Hurt will play Leo, an elderly Polish Jewish immigrant still mourning the loss of his childhood sweetheart in the chaos of war, who is strangely linked to a teenage girl through a long, lost book on love… subtitled ‘the most loved woman in the world’.
“It’s a love story spanning 65 years… revolving around three friends in Poland whose destinies change forever when war breaks out,” Wild Bunch chief Vincent Maraval told ScreenDaily.
It marks...
Paris-based sales powerhouse Wild Bunch will kick off sales on Radu Mihaileanu’s saga The History of Love, starring John Hurt, Gemma Arterton and Sophie Nélisse at the Cannes Marché next month.
The mainly New York-set saga, spanning three continents and a period running from just before the Second World War to the present day, is based on Us writer Nicole Krauss’s international bestseller.
Hurt will play Leo, an elderly Polish Jewish immigrant still mourning the loss of his childhood sweetheart in the chaos of war, who is strangely linked to a teenage girl through a long, lost book on love… subtitled ‘the most loved woman in the world’.
“It’s a love story spanning 65 years… revolving around three friends in Poland whose destinies change forever when war breaks out,” Wild Bunch chief Vincent Maraval told ScreenDaily.
It marks...
- 4/24/2015
- ScreenDaily
Chinese director of A Touch Of Sin to be feted by French Film Directors Guild at Cannes Film Festival.
The French Film Directors Guild, which runs Cannes parallel section Directors’ Fortnight, is to honour Chinese director Jia Zhangke with its Carrosse d’Or (Golden Carriage) award during this year’s festival.
The guild, known as the Société de Réalisateurs de Films (Sfr) in France, will present Jia with the award on the opening night of Directors’ Fortnight (May 14-24).
The guild published an extract of a letter sent to Jia by the Sfr board, explaining why it had chosen him for the honour: “We are captivated by the boldness of your body of works. Your ability to capture the constant changes in Chinese society, to show its corruption and violence, clearly and concisely, your commitment to younger generations, resonate within each of us.
“Your films are visual poems, with the precision of each shot offering a constant...
The French Film Directors Guild, which runs Cannes parallel section Directors’ Fortnight, is to honour Chinese director Jia Zhangke with its Carrosse d’Or (Golden Carriage) award during this year’s festival.
The guild, known as the Société de Réalisateurs de Films (Sfr) in France, will present Jia with the award on the opening night of Directors’ Fortnight (May 14-24).
The guild published an extract of a letter sent to Jia by the Sfr board, explaining why it had chosen him for the honour: “We are captivated by the boldness of your body of works. Your ability to capture the constant changes in Chinese society, to show its corruption and violence, clearly and concisely, your commitment to younger generations, resonate within each of us.
“Your films are visual poems, with the precision of each shot offering a constant...
- 3/16/2015
- ScreenDaily
The shortlist for France’s Louis Delluc Prize, one of the country’s highest film honors, has been released with 14 films making the cut across two categories: Best Film and Best Debut Feature. Among the eight main movies, six hail from this year’s Cannes crop. Saint Laurent – which is France’s entry for the Foreign Language Oscar – by Bertrand Bonello; Olivier Assayas’ Juliette Binoche/Kristen Stewart-starrer Clouds Of Sils Maria; veteran Jean-Luc Godard’s 3D Goodbye To Language; Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu; Pascale Ferran’s Bird People, starring Josh Charles; and Claus Drexel’s Au Bord Du Monde will vie alongside Venice pics Trois Coeurs, by Benoît Jacquot, and Robin Campillo’s Eastern Boys. Godard, Ferran and Jacquot are all former Delluc laureates. The Debut Feature shortlist is made up of Thomas Cailley’s well-received Fortnight film Love At First Fight; Camera d’Or winner Party Girl; Virgil Vernier...
- 11/28/2014
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline
Glenn has been attending the 25th Stockholm Film Festival as a member of the Fipresci jury where he saw a selection of Oscar hopefuls including ‘The Imitation Game’ and foreign language competitors ‘Human Capital’ and ‘Mommy’.
The Imitation Game
One of the curious things about festivals in a city like Stockholm is that, due to delayed distribution methods, films like Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman (the director’s memo about the name change apparently hasn’t crossed oceans) can compete for prizes alongside global curiosities like Pascale Ferran’s Bird People and Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s The Owners. They feel unfairly situated alongside arthouse titles from the whole globe.
My fellow jurors were surprised when I informed them that The Imitation Game was an Academy frontrunner. Given that the Oscar Best Picture competition at this stage appears to be quite polarizing and auteur-focused, I...
The Imitation Game
One of the curious things about festivals in a city like Stockholm is that, due to delayed distribution methods, films like Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman (the director’s memo about the name change apparently hasn’t crossed oceans) can compete for prizes alongside global curiosities like Pascale Ferran’s Bird People and Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s The Owners. They feel unfairly situated alongside arthouse titles from the whole globe.
My fellow jurors were surprised when I informed them that The Imitation Game was an Academy frontrunner. Given that the Oscar Best Picture competition at this stage appears to be quite polarizing and auteur-focused, I...
- 11/14/2014
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
The festival’s 25th edition will feature a contribution from Ai Weiwei and competition titles including Whiplash, Nightcrawler and Foxcatcher.
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
- 10/16/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
After a one film hiatus, the Cohen Media Group are once again working with the prolific François Ozon. While the rights to his previous film, the Cannes comp title Young & Beautiful, landed at the IFC Films, Cmg are picking up where they left off with 2012′s In the House. Deadline reports that The New Girlfriend starring Romain Duris which landed at the Toronto Int. and San Sebastian Film Festivals (oddly passing over Venice), has been picked up for what will likely be a first quarter 2015 release. The devilishly delicious new number was among one of our faves at Tiff this year.
Gist: After the death of her best friend, Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) falls into a deep depression, but a surprising discovery about her friend’s husband gives her a new taste for life.
Worth Noting: Demoustier is having a breakout year of sorts with Marc Fitoussi’ Paris Follies and Pascale Ferran...
Gist: After the death of her best friend, Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) falls into a deep depression, but a surprising discovery about her friend’s husband gives her a new taste for life.
Worth Noting: Demoustier is having a breakout year of sorts with Marc Fitoussi’ Paris Follies and Pascale Ferran...
- 9/29/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The Skin I Live In: Ozon’s Exquisite New Exploration of Gender Subversion
For his most playful and delightfully creepy film in years, Francois Ozon adapts crime writer Ruth Rendell’s short story for his latest, The New Girlfriend. Rendell has long supplied a bevy of European filmmakers with some of their most memorable titles, including Claude Miller’s Alias Betty (2001), Pedro Almodovar’s Live Flesh (1997), and perhaps, most notably, Claude Chabrol’s La Ceremonie (1994) and The Bridesmaid (2004). An excellent purveyor of strange and complicated relationships that often involve sublimated identities and tendencies that often lead to deadly scenarios, Rendell serves as an excellent template for Ozon with material that recalls the sexually transgressive explorations of his early career.
Claire (Anais Demoustier) and Laura (Isild Le Besco) have been inseparable friends since childhood. They’ve followed nearly the same life trajectory as well, both marrying handsome young men and what not.
For his most playful and delightfully creepy film in years, Francois Ozon adapts crime writer Ruth Rendell’s short story for his latest, The New Girlfriend. Rendell has long supplied a bevy of European filmmakers with some of their most memorable titles, including Claude Miller’s Alias Betty (2001), Pedro Almodovar’s Live Flesh (1997), and perhaps, most notably, Claude Chabrol’s La Ceremonie (1994) and The Bridesmaid (2004). An excellent purveyor of strange and complicated relationships that often involve sublimated identities and tendencies that often lead to deadly scenarios, Rendell serves as an excellent template for Ozon with material that recalls the sexually transgressive explorations of his early career.
Claire (Anais Demoustier) and Laura (Isild Le Besco) have been inseparable friends since childhood. They’ve followed nearly the same life trajectory as well, both marrying handsome young men and what not.
- 9/22/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
This year’s European Film Awards are officially out of the gates with a not so lean 50 film submissions to select from. The 27th edition collects titles that date back to last year’s Venice and Toronto Int. Film Festivals moving into Sundance-Rotterdam-Berlin and finally Cannes of ’14. Among the 31 European countries represented, we’ve got likes of the Palme d’Or winner Nuri Bilge Ceylan leading the huge pack of contenders including Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida. Here’s the complete list of 50!:
Alienation
ОТЧУЖДЕНИЕ (Otchujdenie)
Bulgaria
Directed By: Milko Lazarov
Written By: Milko Lazarov, Kitodar Todorov & Georgi Tenev
Produced By: Veselka Kiryakova
Amour Fou
Austria/Luxembourg/Germany
Written & Directed By: Jessica Hausner
Produced By: Martin Gschlacht, Antonin Svoboda, Bruno Wagner, Bady Minck, Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu & Philippe Bober
Beautiful Youth
Hermosa Juventud
Spain/France
Directed By: Jaime Rosales
Written By: Jaime Rosales & Enric Rufas
Produced By: Jaime Rosales,...
Alienation
ОТЧУЖДЕНИЕ (Otchujdenie)
Bulgaria
Directed By: Milko Lazarov
Written By: Milko Lazarov, Kitodar Todorov & Georgi Tenev
Produced By: Veselka Kiryakova
Amour Fou
Austria/Luxembourg/Germany
Written & Directed By: Jessica Hausner
Produced By: Martin Gschlacht, Antonin Svoboda, Bruno Wagner, Bady Minck, Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu & Philippe Bober
Beautiful Youth
Hermosa Juventud
Spain/France
Directed By: Jaime Rosales
Written By: Jaime Rosales & Enric Rufas
Produced By: Jaime Rosales,...
- 9/16/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
More than 30 European countries represented in the line-up.Scroll down for list in full
The 50 films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards (EFAs) have been unveiled.
The European Film Academy and Efa Productions revealed the titles at a press conference in Riga, Latvia where this year’s 27th EFAs will take place on Dec 13.
A total of 31 European countries are represented. In the 20 countries with the most Efa members, these members have voted one national film directly into the selection list.
To complete the list, a selection committee consisting of Efa Board Members and invited experts have included further films. Those experts include Screen International chief film critic and reviews editor Mark Adams (UK), Marit Kapla (Sweden), Stefan Kitanov (Bulgaria), Paz Lázaro (Spain), Christophe Leparc (France) and Elma Tataragic (Bosnia & Herzegovina).
In the coming weeks, more than 3,000 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the nominations in the categories European Film, Director...
The 50 films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards (EFAs) have been unveiled.
The European Film Academy and Efa Productions revealed the titles at a press conference in Riga, Latvia where this year’s 27th EFAs will take place on Dec 13.
A total of 31 European countries are represented. In the 20 countries with the most Efa members, these members have voted one national film directly into the selection list.
To complete the list, a selection committee consisting of Efa Board Members and invited experts have included further films. Those experts include Screen International chief film critic and reviews editor Mark Adams (UK), Marit Kapla (Sweden), Stefan Kitanov (Bulgaria), Paz Lázaro (Spain), Christophe Leparc (France) and Elma Tataragic (Bosnia & Herzegovina).
In the coming weeks, more than 3,000 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the nominations in the categories European Film, Director...
- 9/16/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Some eight fifteenths of the way through Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the epic poem relates the tale of an unnamed boy who was turned into a partridge. Flung from Minerva’s high temple by his jealous uncle Daedalus, the nascent inventor free falls into his new form as the Goddess intervenes, spinning his arms into wings. In observance of his near-death experience, Perdix the partridge, as he is identified in a recent translation, “declines the lofty trees, and thinks it best/To brood in hedge-rows o’er its humble nest.” (Pear trees, you’ll note, are conveniently low to the ground.)
Folded into twenty-eight lines of dactylic hexameter, Perdix’s snapshot of a story speaks to primordial self-absorption and condemnation as much as it does the whimsy of divine intervention. One could easily argue that 2006 years later, these two stanzas have been cracked open and scrambled into Pascale Ferran’s Bird People,...
Folded into twenty-eight lines of dactylic hexameter, Perdix’s snapshot of a story speaks to primordial self-absorption and condemnation as much as it does the whimsy of divine intervention. One could easily argue that 2006 years later, these two stanzas have been cracked open and scrambled into Pascale Ferran’s Bird People,...
- 9/15/2014
- by Sarah Salovaara
- MUBI
“The Good Wife” alum Josh Charles stopped by TheWrap's “Drinking With the Stars” set at the Toronto International Film Festival presented by SodaStream to promote his new movie “Bird People.” While Charles is from Baltimore, the film isn't about the Ravens or the Orioles. Instead, Pascale Ferran's latest film is about, as Charles describes it, “how we interact with one another — the sense of loneliness and isolation a lot of people feel. The more literally connected we are the more emotionally disconnected we become. It deals in those themes,” though he later admitted that it's not the type of.
- 9/11/2014
- by Wrap Staff
- The Wrap
Flight risks abound in Pascale Ferran's charming, audacious Bird People, a film that tracks the dizzying rush to freedom of two restive souls both grounded in a particularly dreary, confining location: an airport hotel. The bulwark-like Hilton that's a quick shuttle ride from Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport becomes a crucial way station for identities — and bodies — to be cast off and reconfigured.
A similar kind of reimagining is at work in Bird People, Ferran's fourth feature (which she co-wrote with Guillaume Bréaud) in 20 years and only her second, after her incandescent Lady Chatterley (2006), to open in the U.S. Just as that adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's once-scandalous novel (or, more precisely, of John Thomas and La...
A similar kind of reimagining is at work in Bird People, Ferran's fourth feature (which she co-wrote with Guillaume Bréaud) in 20 years and only her second, after her incandescent Lady Chatterley (2006), to open in the U.S. Just as that adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's once-scandalous novel (or, more precisely, of John Thomas and La...
- 9/10/2014
- Village Voice
Tweets and FaceTimes: Pascale Ferran Returns with Uneven But Adventurous Realist-Fantasy
There are a number of films scattered throughout that are intent on depicting how our world communicates and operates today, viz. through web-mediated interfaces. But none of them approached this reality, however glancingly, in such an exuberantly abstract register as did Pascale Ferran in her bonkers, wholly original, yet painfully uneven new film, Bird People. It’s her first project since the now eight year-old Lady Chatterley (2006), and one can imagine that at least half of that hiatus was spent working on the film’s CGI effects alone, which are some of the most subtle but meticulous to be employed in any film yet in existence. The only problem is that so much narrative playfulness and structural innovation gets seriously bogged down by Ferran’s awkward direction and a script filled with lame dialogue — perhaps attributable to English being her second language.
There are a number of films scattered throughout that are intent on depicting how our world communicates and operates today, viz. through web-mediated interfaces. But none of them approached this reality, however glancingly, in such an exuberantly abstract register as did Pascale Ferran in her bonkers, wholly original, yet painfully uneven new film, Bird People. It’s her first project since the now eight year-old Lady Chatterley (2006), and one can imagine that at least half of that hiatus was spent working on the film’s CGI effects alone, which are some of the most subtle but meticulous to be employed in any film yet in existence. The only problem is that so much narrative playfulness and structural innovation gets seriously bogged down by Ferran’s awkward direction and a script filled with lame dialogue — perhaps attributable to English being her second language.
- 9/8/2014
- by Blake Williams
- IONCINEMA.com
Bird People is a series of misconnections. After a blissful prologue paying homage to Wings of Desire, Pascale Ferran’s fourth feature listlessly morphs into a bizarre confluence of realism and magicalism. The film is a textbook example of ambition undercut by tonal and pacing inconsistency. Divided into two chapters, Bird People leads with Gary (Josh Charles), a Bay Area businessman ready to “leave everything behind,” as he proclaims. Ridden with anxiety, Gary knows he needs to leave his position at his growing Tech Company, his wife (after 18 years of courtship), his kids, and his current way of life. From one airport hotel to the next, he seems unable to experience joy or happiness. This heightened mid-life crisis serves as a jarring juxtaposition between Audrey (Anais Demoustier), a Parisian chambermaid and college student whose future is still ahead of her. She too is dissatisfied with her place of work, a Hilton Hotel where Gary is hiding out...
- 9/5/2014
- by Sam Fragoso
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
“Confounding in a good way” is probably a cop-out way to describe a film, but I can think of few other ways to succinctly sum up Pascale Ferran’s Bird People. As you may have deduced from the title, this binary portrait features a supporting character of the avian persuasion, who turns in some of the most seamless VFX work this side of The Wolf of Wall Street. The above video from French special effects company Buf — who also handled The Matrix series, United 93 and The Dark Knight — reveals that nearly every background in the film was transposed onto a green screen. This would seem logical as […]...
- 8/27/2014
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
“Confounding in a good way” is probably a cop-out way to describe a film, but I can think of few other ways to succinctly sum up Pascale Ferran’s Bird People. As you may have deduced from the title, this binary portrait features a supporting character of the avian persuasion, who turns in some of the most seamless VFX work this side of The Wolf of Wall Street. The above video from French special effects company Buf — who also handled The Matrix series, United 93 and The Dark Knight — reveals that nearly every background in the film was transposed onto a green screen. This would seem logical as […]...
- 8/27/2014
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
"Sometimes people change..." IFC Films has debuted the full Us trailer for Pascale Ferran's new film Bird People, a two-part story set in Paris, France about two people - one of them is Gary Newman, played by Josh Charles following up his "Good Wife" departure; the other is Audrey, played by Anaïs Demoustier, a young French hotel maid who has an interesting story of her own. It's a very beautiful trailer, I will admit, with a lovely score and alluring premise with all the right shots to drag you in. What does the name Bird People have to do with the story? Well, that's one of those you-have-to-see-it-to-find-out kind of questions. Well, actually, they don't show all of it but they do hint a bit at what's going on in the trailer anyway. Enjoy. Here's the first official Us trailer for Pascale Ferran's Bird People, originally debuted by...
- 8/25/2014
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A trip abroad causing a crisis for an American man isn't exactly the freshest premise for a film, but that don't let that stop you from seeing Pascale Ferran's "Bird People." That's just the start of a movie with many more surprises up its sleeve that move it far away from what you expect. Today we have the exclusive U.S. trailer and poster for the film. "The Good Wife" star Josh Charles leads the film as Gary Newman, a Silicon Valley engineer who lands in Paris only to completely disconnect from his past life, quitting his job and calling things off with his wife. What happens next can't be spoiled, but a French maid (Anais Demoustier) and a second act shift turn the narrative over. This movie marries fantasy and drama in ways that had critics buzzing at the Cannes Film Festival where it premiered this spring. "Bird People...
- 8/25/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
If you wanted a snapshot of worldly issues then Tiff’s Contemporary World Cinema programme would certainly serve as a whirlwind passport. Loaded in Cannes Film Festival preemed items receiving their North American Premiere debuts (Jessica Hausner’s Amour Fou, Mélanie Laurent’s Breathe , Bruno Dumont’s P’tit Quinquin and Pascale Ferran’s Bird People are are just the tip of the iceberg) Tiff programmers have landed world premiere items from the likes of Cristián Jiménez, Ole Christian Madsen, Alex Holdridge & Linnea Saasen (we pic above) and Baran bo Odar. Along with the Canadian items mentioned last week, Here is the largest section’s offerings for 2014.
“Aire Libre,” Anahí Berneri, Argentina / International Premiere
“Amour Fou,” Jessica Hausner, Austria/Luxembourg/Germany / North American Premiere
“Behavior” (“Conducta”), Ernesto Daranas, Cuba / Canadian Premiere
“Bird People,” Pascale Ferran, France / North American Premiere
“Black Souls” (“Anime Nere”), Francesco Munzi, Italy / International Premiere
“Breathe” (“Respire”), Mélanie Laurent,...
“Aire Libre,” Anahí Berneri, Argentina / International Premiere
“Amour Fou,” Jessica Hausner, Austria/Luxembourg/Germany / North American Premiere
“Behavior” (“Conducta”), Ernesto Daranas, Cuba / Canadian Premiere
“Bird People,” Pascale Ferran, France / North American Premiere
“Black Souls” (“Anime Nere”), Francesco Munzi, Italy / International Premiere
“Breathe” (“Respire”), Mélanie Laurent,...
- 8/12/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
This morning the Toronto Film Festival added several more films to their lineup including the world premiere of Thomas McCarthy's The Cobbler which stars Adam Sandler as a New York City cobbler who, disenchanted with the grind of daily life, stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see the world in a new way. The film co-stars Method Man, Ellen Barkin, Melonie Diaz, Dan Stevens, Steve Buscemi and Dustin Hoffman. Additionally, Sundance standouts Infinity Polar Bear and Laggies starring Keira Knightley and Chloe Grace Moretz were added to the Gala selection. Joining The Cobbler as new additions to the Special Presentations field include Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria starring Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche and Two Days, One Night from Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne and starring Marion Cotillard. Both films made a splash at Cannes earlier this year,...
- 8/12/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Toronto film festival organisers have programmed features from 42 countries in the Contemporary World Cinema (Cwc) programme and unveiled eight South Korean selections in the City To City.
Cwc features latest work by Jessica Hausner, Rolf de Heer, Christian Zübert and Ryuichi Hiroki, among others.
For the third year, Tiff (Sept 4-14) has partnered with the University of Toronto’s Munk School Of Global Affairs on the Contemporary World Speakers series, pairing five films in selection with expert scholars.
The Contemporary World Speakers series is programmed in conjunction with the Tiff Adult Learning department.
Contemporary World Cinema
Wp = World premiere / Nap = North American premiere / IP = International premiere / Cp = Canadian premiere.
Aire Libre (Argentina), Anahí Berneri IP
Amour Fou (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany), Jessica Hausner Nap
Behavior (Conducta) (Cuba), Ernesto Daranas Cp
Bird People (France), Pascale Ferran Nap
Black Souls (Anime Nere) (Italy), Francesco Munzi IP
Breathe (Respire) (France), Mélanie Laurent Nap
Charlie’s Country (Australia), Rolf de Heer Nap
*John Stackhouse...
Cwc features latest work by Jessica Hausner, Rolf de Heer, Christian Zübert and Ryuichi Hiroki, among others.
For the third year, Tiff (Sept 4-14) has partnered with the University of Toronto’s Munk School Of Global Affairs on the Contemporary World Speakers series, pairing five films in selection with expert scholars.
The Contemporary World Speakers series is programmed in conjunction with the Tiff Adult Learning department.
Contemporary World Cinema
Wp = World premiere / Nap = North American premiere / IP = International premiere / Cp = Canadian premiere.
Aire Libre (Argentina), Anahí Berneri IP
Amour Fou (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany), Jessica Hausner Nap
Behavior (Conducta) (Cuba), Ernesto Daranas Cp
Bird People (France), Pascale Ferran Nap
Black Souls (Anime Nere) (Italy), Francesco Munzi IP
Breathe (Respire) (France), Mélanie Laurent Nap
Charlie’s Country (Australia), Rolf de Heer Nap
*John Stackhouse...
- 8/12/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Director re-imprisoned over the weekend in notorious Evin jail.
Concerns are growing for Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi following reports she started a five-year jail sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran last weekend.
The filmmaker was given a five-year prison sentence earlier this year on charges of being involved in “a plot against state security” and producing “propaganda against the government”.
She was first arrested in July 2011 on charges linked to her work with the Western media outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, Radio France and Voice of America. She was imprisoned briefly before being placed under house arrest.
There has been no official statement on her incarceration in Evin but sources close to the filmmaker in Paris say she was taken into custody on June 7.
The French Directors Guild (Sfr) launched a petition on Thursday [June 12] calling for Mohammadi’s release.
“We are greatly...
Concerns are growing for Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi following reports she started a five-year jail sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran last weekend.
The filmmaker was given a five-year prison sentence earlier this year on charges of being involved in “a plot against state security” and producing “propaganda against the government”.
She was first arrested in July 2011 on charges linked to her work with the Western media outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, Radio France and Voice of America. She was imprisoned briefly before being placed under house arrest.
There has been no official statement on her incarceration in Evin but sources close to the filmmaker in Paris say she was taken into custody on June 7.
The French Directors Guild (Sfr) launched a petition on Thursday [June 12] calling for Mohammadi’s release.
“We are greatly...
- 6/13/2014
- ScreenDaily
Director re-imprisoned over the weekend in notorious Evin jail.
Concerns are growing for Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi following reports she started a five-year jail sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran last weekend.
The filmmaker was given a five-year prison sentence earlier this year on charges of being involved in “a plot against state security” and producing “propaganda against the government”.
She was first arrested in July 2011 on charges linked to her work with the Western media outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, Radio France and Voice of America. She was imprisoned briefly before being placed under house arrest.
There has been no official statement on her incarceration in Evin but sources close to the filmmaker in Paris say she was taken into custody on June 7.
The French Directors Guild (Sfr) launched a petition on Thursday [June 12] calling for Mohammadi’s release.
“We are greatly...
Concerns are growing for Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi following reports she started a five-year jail sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran last weekend.
The filmmaker was given a five-year prison sentence earlier this year on charges of being involved in “a plot against state security” and producing “propaganda against the government”.
She was first arrested in July 2011 on charges linked to her work with the Western media outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, Radio France and Voice of America. She was imprisoned briefly before being placed under house arrest.
There has been no official statement on her incarceration in Evin but sources close to the filmmaker in Paris say she was taken into custody on June 7.
The French Directors Guild (Sfr) launched a petition on Thursday [June 12] calling for Mohammadi’s release.
“We are greatly...
- 6/13/2014
- ScreenDaily
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