Bruno Dumont’s “Joan of Arc (“Jeanne”), a semi-musical period drama that world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won a special mention in the Un Certain Regard section, has received the Louis Delluc prize from French Critics.
The jury of the Louis Delluc prize is headed by Gilles Jacob, the former president of the Cannes Film Festival.
Dumont’s film follows the journey of the young Joan (Lise Leplat Prudhomme), who believes that God has chosen her and leads the king of France’s army in the 15th century as both France and England fight for the French throne. When she is captured, the church sends her for trial on charges of heresy.
“Joan of Arc,” which is a follow-up to Dumont’s 2017 film “Jeannette, the Childhood of Joan of Arc,” beat out Alain Cavalier’s “Living and Knowing You’re Alive,” Francois Ozon’s “By the Grace of God,...
The jury of the Louis Delluc prize is headed by Gilles Jacob, the former president of the Cannes Film Festival.
Dumont’s film follows the journey of the young Joan (Lise Leplat Prudhomme), who believes that God has chosen her and leads the king of France’s army in the 15th century as both France and England fight for the French throne. When she is captured, the church sends her for trial on charges of heresy.
“Joan of Arc,” which is a follow-up to Dumont’s 2017 film “Jeannette, the Childhood of Joan of Arc,” beat out Alain Cavalier’s “Living and Knowing You’re Alive,” Francois Ozon’s “By the Grace of God,...
- 12/9/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
If you thought David Dunn, Bruce Willis’ character from M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable,” was a melancholy superhero, he’s the life of the party compared to Dominick, a Parisian introvert whose power to turn invisible has made him profoundly unhappy in the French drama “Blind Spot.” The third feature from directing duo Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic (“The Other One”) is an absorbing, minor-key take on a superhero saga that stealthily works in plenty of ideas about identity and loss. If the French film industry wants to get into the superhero game, this slow-moving but rewarding character study, which premiered earlier this year at Cannes’ ultra-indie Acid sidebar, could help create a promising niche when it opens in France this October. It’s a risky pickup for North America, but the potentially provocative choice of a black actor to play an invisible man could lead to free think-piece...
- 6/27/2019
- by Mark Keizer
- Variety Film + TV
In most movies, having a superpower is a pretty cool thing. It allows you to realize your wildest dreams, save the universe from mass destruction or, simply enough, to be part of a multibillion dollar franchise now owned by The Walt Disney Company.
But in Patrick-Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic’s very independent and very melancholic anti-superhero film, Blind Spot (L’Angle mort), about a French man born with the ability to render himself invisible, such a power only leads to loneliness, alienation and a feeling that one would have been better off without it.
It’s a refreshingly pessimistic take ...
But in Patrick-Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic’s very independent and very melancholic anti-superhero film, Blind Spot (L’Angle mort), about a French man born with the ability to render himself invisible, such a power only leads to loneliness, alienation and a feeling that one would have been better off without it.
It’s a refreshingly pessimistic take ...
- 5/20/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
In most movies, having a superpower is a pretty cool thing. It allows you to realize your wildest dreams, save the universe from mass destruction or, simply enough, to be part of a multibillion dollar franchise now owned by The Walt Disney Company.
But in Patrick-Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic’s very independent and very melancholic anti-superhero film, Blind Spot (L’Angle mort), about a French man born with the ability to render himself invisible, such a power only leads to loneliness, alienation and a feeling that one would have been better off without it.
It’s a refreshingly pessimistic take ...
But in Patrick-Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic’s very independent and very melancholic anti-superhero film, Blind Spot (L’Angle mort), about a French man born with the ability to render himself invisible, such a power only leads to loneliness, alienation and a feeling that one would have been better off without it.
It’s a refreshingly pessimistic take ...
- 5/20/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The lineup for the 2019 Cannes Acid has been announced. See also the full lineups of the Official Selection, Directors' Fortnight and Critics’ Week.Feature FILMSBlind Spot (Pierre Trividic, Patrick-Mario Bernard): Dominick Brassan has the power to turn invisible, but rarely uses it. Instead he has kept it a shameful secret, hidden even from Viveka, his fiancée. But when his ability to control his gift gets out of hand, his life, friendships and relationships will be forever turned inside out.Des Hommes (Jean-Robert Viallet, Alice Odiot): Thirty thousand square meters and 2,000 inmates, half of them under 30 years old. The Baumettes jail tells about misery, violence, abandonment, and also hopes. It is a story with its screams and its silences. A concentrate of humanity.Indianara (Aude Chevalier-Beaumel, Marcello Barbosa): Bigger-than-life revolutionary, Indianara and her group lead a fight for the survival of transgender people in Brazil. She gathers her...
- 4/24/2019
- MUBI
Following the first batches of Cannes Film Festival lineup announcements, the slate has now been unveiled for the sidebar Directors’ Fortnight. Once again a stellar-looking lineup, it includes Robert Eggers’ The Witch follow-up The Lighthouse, starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, Bertrand Bonello’s Zombi Child, plus new films from Takashi Miike, Lav Diaz, Bas Devo, and Rebecca Zlotowski (pictured above).
There’s also two Sundance films we’ve already reviewed: Wounds and Give Me Liberty. Premiering as a Special Screening is Luca Guadagnino’s new short The Staggering Girl starring Julianne Moore, Mia Goth, KiKi Layne, Alba Rohrwacher, Marthe Keller, and Kyle MacLachlan. See the lineup below, along with the Acid slate.
Directors’ Fortnight Lineup
Feature Films
Deerskin (Quentin Dupieux) – Opening Film
Yves (Benoît Forgeard) – Closing
Alice and the Mayor (Nicolas Pariser)
And Then We Danced (Levan Akin)
The Halt (Lav Diaz)
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää...
There’s also two Sundance films we’ve already reviewed: Wounds and Give Me Liberty. Premiering as a Special Screening is Luca Guadagnino’s new short The Staggering Girl starring Julianne Moore, Mia Goth, KiKi Layne, Alba Rohrwacher, Marthe Keller, and Kyle MacLachlan. See the lineup below, along with the Acid slate.
Directors’ Fortnight Lineup
Feature Films
Deerskin (Quentin Dupieux) – Opening Film
Yves (Benoît Forgeard) – Closing
Alice and the Mayor (Nicolas Pariser)
And Then We Danced (Levan Akin)
The Halt (Lav Diaz)
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää...
- 4/23/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Initiative to showcase nine features, with seven from first time directors.
Nine features by rising filmmakers are being showcased by France’s Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema (Acid) at the Cannes Film Festival next month (May 14-25).
The initiative aims to give greater visibility to up-and-coming independent filmmakers. Seven of the nine are first- time features (apart from Blind Spot and As Happy As Possible), five are fiction films and four are documentaries. All are world premieres except Ena Sendijarevic’s Take Me Somewhere Nice, which debuted in Rotterdam.
They are:
Blind Spot (Fr) Dirs: Pierre Trividic, Patrick-Mario...
Nine features by rising filmmakers are being showcased by France’s Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema (Acid) at the Cannes Film Festival next month (May 14-25).
The initiative aims to give greater visibility to up-and-coming independent filmmakers. Seven of the nine are first- time features (apart from Blind Spot and As Happy As Possible), five are fiction films and four are documentaries. All are world premieres except Ena Sendijarevic’s Take Me Somewhere Nice, which debuted in Rotterdam.
They are:
Blind Spot (Fr) Dirs: Pierre Trividic, Patrick-Mario...
- 4/23/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Early 2019 slate also includes Sundance selection ‘Midnight Traveler’.
Doc & Film International will kick-off sales on Belgian filmmaker Lucas Belvaux’s upcoming Algerian War legacy drama Des Hommes, co-starring Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Frot, at the Unifrance Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris next week (Jan 17-21).
Based on the eponymous novel of Laurent Mauvignier, Depardieu co-stars as the tortured, alcoholic figure of Feu-de-Bois, a brutish troublemaker haunted by a tough childhood and the horrors he saw as a young French soldier in Algeria during the country’s 1954-62 independence war.
The story unfolds some 40 years later in remote Burgundy region...
Doc & Film International will kick-off sales on Belgian filmmaker Lucas Belvaux’s upcoming Algerian War legacy drama Des Hommes, co-starring Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Frot, at the Unifrance Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris next week (Jan 17-21).
Based on the eponymous novel of Laurent Mauvignier, Depardieu co-stars as the tortured, alcoholic figure of Feu-de-Bois, a brutish troublemaker haunted by a tough childhood and the horrors he saw as a young French soldier in Algeria during the country’s 1954-62 independence war.
The story unfolds some 40 years later in remote Burgundy region...
- 1/10/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Early 2019 slate also includes Sundance selection ‘Midnight Traveler’.
Doc & Film International will kick-off sales on Belgian filmmaker Lucas Belvaux’s upcoming Algerian War legacy drama Des Hommes, co-starring Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Frot, at the Unifrance Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris next week (Jan 17-21).
Based on the eponymous novel of Laurent Mauvignier, Depardieu co-stars as the tortured, alcoholic figure of Feu-de-Bois, a brutish troublemaker haunted by a tough childhood and the horrors he saw as a young French soldier in Algeria during the country’s 1954-62 independence war.
The story unfolds some 40 years later in remote Burgundy region...
Doc & Film International will kick-off sales on Belgian filmmaker Lucas Belvaux’s upcoming Algerian War legacy drama Des Hommes, co-starring Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Frot, at the Unifrance Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris next week (Jan 17-21).
Based on the eponymous novel of Laurent Mauvignier, Depardieu co-stars as the tortured, alcoholic figure of Feu-de-Bois, a brutish troublemaker haunted by a tough childhood and the horrors he saw as a young French soldier in Algeria during the country’s 1954-62 independence war.
The story unfolds some 40 years later in remote Burgundy region...
- 1/10/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Marvin
Director: Anne Fontaine
Writer: Anne Fontaine, Pierre Trividic
Having premiered her 2016 French-Polish production The Innocents out of Sundance 2016, French director Anne Fontaine will have her fifteenth feature Marvin, a film inspired by Edoard Louis’ novel En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule (roughly, Ending Eddy Bellegueule) ready for 2017.
Continue reading...
Director: Anne Fontaine
Writer: Anne Fontaine, Pierre Trividic
Having premiered her 2016 French-Polish production The Innocents out of Sundance 2016, French director Anne Fontaine will have her fifteenth feature Marvin, a film inspired by Edoard Louis’ novel En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule (roughly, Ending Eddy Bellegueule) ready for 2017.
Continue reading...
- 1/5/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Paris -- France's film industry doesn't need a prophet to determine the favorite for this year's upcoming Cesar Awards as Jacques Audiard's gritty prison drama "A Prophet" continues to sweep through awards season in Gaul.
The drama was named best film of the year at the "Globes de Cristal" (Crystal Globes) ceremony Monday night and earned the French Film Critics Syndicate's top prize announced Tuesday.
The film's breakout star Tahar Rahim was named best actor at the Globes de Cristal ceremony held at Paris' Lido theater. Isabelle Adjani was named best actress for her role in "Skirt Day".
Thousands of national and regional French journalists vote for the prizes over the Internet and awards in categories including theater, opera, dance, literature, fashion designer and art expo were also distributed.
The French Film Critics Syndicate also gave prizes to Nassim Amaouche's "Adieu, Gary" for best first film, Patrick-Mario Bernard...
The drama was named best film of the year at the "Globes de Cristal" (Crystal Globes) ceremony Monday night and earned the French Film Critics Syndicate's top prize announced Tuesday.
The film's breakout star Tahar Rahim was named best actor at the Globes de Cristal ceremony held at Paris' Lido theater. Isabelle Adjani was named best actress for her role in "Skirt Day".
Thousands of national and regional French journalists vote for the prizes over the Internet and awards in categories including theater, opera, dance, literature, fashion designer and art expo were also distributed.
The French Film Critics Syndicate also gave prizes to Nassim Amaouche's "Adieu, Gary" for best first film, Patrick-Mario Bernard...
- 2/9/2010
- by By Rebecca Leffler
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opening the fest is the North American premiere of Emmanuel Mouret's French sex comedy Please Please Me! (which I think should logically be picked up for the U.S. market - see trailer here) and the ten day fest will be closing with the North American premiere of Radu Mihaileanu's The Concert - a Weinstein Co. title starring Melanie Laurent that will most likely open sometime early in 2010. - Now in its 15th year, Montreal's Cinemania Film Festival, one of North America's better French language fests has unveiled its 30-title roster with its usual mix of films from the big four (Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Toronto) and select tiles from the Rotterdams, Locarnos, Karlovy Varys and Sundances. Opening the fest is the North American premiere of Emmanuel Mouret's French sex comedy Please Please Me! (which I think should logically be picked up for the U.
- 12/13/2009
- by Ioncinema.com Staff
- IONCINEMA.com
Paris -- The recent love affair between U.S. filmgoers and French movies will be reignited Thursday evening as Unifrance's 14th annual Rendez-Vous with French cinema kicks off in New York.
The event launches in Alice Tully Hall with the U.S. premiere of Christophe Barratier's musical period piece "Paris 36," the director's follow-up to international hit "The Chorus," about a Depression-era music hall in Paris. Sony Classics will release the film stateside April 3.
"The fact that we were sold out before the fest even began says that, while French films might be scrambling for a small little bit of the U.S. boxoffice, there's an enduring appetite in the U.S. for French movies," Unifrance's N.Y. bureau chief John Kochman told The Hollywood Reporter.
Organized in partnership with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, this year's Rendez-Vous lineup of 18 titles reads like the nominees list at Friday's Cesar Awards ceremony.
The event launches in Alice Tully Hall with the U.S. premiere of Christophe Barratier's musical period piece "Paris 36," the director's follow-up to international hit "The Chorus," about a Depression-era music hall in Paris. Sony Classics will release the film stateside April 3.
"The fact that we were sold out before the fest even began says that, while French films might be scrambling for a small little bit of the U.S. boxoffice, there's an enduring appetite in the U.S. for French movies," Unifrance's N.Y. bureau chief John Kochman told The Hollywood Reporter.
Organized in partnership with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, this year's Rendez-Vous lineup of 18 titles reads like the nominees list at Friday's Cesar Awards ceremony.
- 3/5/2009
- by By Rebecca Leffler
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” took home the prestigious Golden Lion Saturday at the 65th edition of the Venice Film Festival.
Starring Mickey Rourke, the drama tells the story of a retired pro wrestler who risks his life by returning to the ring for one final match against his big rival. Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood co-star.
Ever since the film’s premiere at the festival, critics having raving about Rourke’s performance as lead character Randy “The Ram” Robinson. Some even speculated Rourke would leave the festival with the best actor award.
The Coppa Volpi Award for best actor, however, went to Silvio Orlando for his performance in “Il Papà di Giovanna” (Giovanna’s Father). Directed by Italian helmer Pupi Avati, the film centers on the relationship between a father and his daughter, who is committed to a psychiatric hospital after killing her best friend.
Meanwhile, Dominique Blanc...
Starring Mickey Rourke, the drama tells the story of a retired pro wrestler who risks his life by returning to the ring for one final match against his big rival. Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood co-star.
Ever since the film’s premiere at the festival, critics having raving about Rourke’s performance as lead character Randy “The Ram” Robinson. Some even speculated Rourke would leave the festival with the best actor award.
The Coppa Volpi Award for best actor, however, went to Silvio Orlando for his performance in “Il Papà di Giovanna” (Giovanna’s Father). Directed by Italian helmer Pupi Avati, the film centers on the relationship between a father and his daughter, who is committed to a psychiatric hospital after killing her best friend.
Meanwhile, Dominique Blanc...
- 9/7/2008
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
Geneva, Switzerland -- The latest films from Jonathan Demme, Darren Aronofsky and Kathryn Bigelow have helped the U.S. claim the most competition slots at the 65th Venice Film Festival, which boasts 19 world premieres.
In all, 15 of the 21 films hail from four markets. The U.S. will provide five of the titles, with four from Italy and three apiece from France and Japan.
All but two -- Oshii Mamoru's "The Sky Crawlers" and Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," both animated Japanese films -- are world premieres.
The festival is set for Aug. 27-Sept. 6.
Demme will make the trip to Venice for the second consecutive year with "Rachel Getting Married," a drama about a woman leaving rehab after 10 years to attend her sister's wedding, which Sony Pictures Classics will release in the U.S.
Guillermo Arriaga, who earned an Oscar nomination for his "Babel" screenplay, will make his first appearance in competition in Venice with the mother-daughter drama "The Burning Plain."
Bigelow's war thriller "The Hurt Locker," Aronofsky's action drama "The Wrestler" and "Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi's first film in three years, round out the U.S. selections.
The strong U.S. showing came despite the threat of a SAG strike, which Venice artistic director Marco Mueller said hurt prospects for many U.S. films.
Pupi Avati's historical drama "Giovanna's Father" and "A Perfect Day" from Ferzan Ozpetek are among the highlights from Italy.
Out-of-competition selections include Abbas Kiarostami's "Shirin" and opening-night film "Burn After Reading," from Joel and Ethan Coen, which Focus is releasing domestically.
A lineup for the Venice festival follows:
Competition:
"The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky, U.S.
"The Burning Plain," Guillermo Arriaga, U.S.
"Il Papa di Giovanna," Pupi Avati, Italy
"Birdwatchers," Marco Bechis, Italy
"L'Autre," Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic, France
"The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow, U.S.
"Il Seme Della Discordia," Pappi Corsicato, Italy
"Rachel Getting Married," Jonathan Demme, U.S.
"Teza," Haile Gerima, Ethiopia/Germany/France
"Paper Soldier (Bumaznyi Soldat)," Aleksy German Jr., Russia
"Sut," Semih Kaplanoglu, Turkey/France/Germany
"Achilles and the Tortoise (Akires to Kame)," Takeshi Kitano, Japan
"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," Hayao Miyazaki, Japan
"Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi, U.S.
"The Sky Crawlers," Oshii Mamoru, Japan
"Un Giorno Perfetto," Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
"Jerichow," Christian Petzold, Germany
"Inju, la Bete Dans l'Ombre," Barbet Schroeder, France
"Nuit de Chien," Werner Schroeter, France/Germany/Portugal
"Inland (Gabbia)," Tariq Teguia, Algeria/France
"Plastic City (Dangkou)," Yu Lik-wai, Brasil/China/Hong Kong/Japan
Out of competition:
"Puccini e la Fanciulla," Paolo Benvenuti, Italy
"Yuppi Du," Adriano Celantano, Italy
"Burn After Reading," Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S. (opening film)
"35 Rhums," Claire Denis, France/Spain
"Shirin," Abbas Kiarostami, Iran
"Tutto e Musica (1973)," Domenico Modugno, Italy
"Orfeo 9 (1973)," Tito Shipa Jr, Italy
"Les Plages d'Agnes," Agnes Varda, France
"Vinyan," Fabrice du Welz, France/U.K./Belgium
"Encarnacao do Demonio," Jose Mojica Marins, Brazil
"Volare (Nel Blue Dipinto di Blu (1959)," Piero Tellini, Italy
For more of the festival's programming, click here.
In all, 15 of the 21 films hail from four markets. The U.S. will provide five of the titles, with four from Italy and three apiece from France and Japan.
All but two -- Oshii Mamoru's "The Sky Crawlers" and Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," both animated Japanese films -- are world premieres.
The festival is set for Aug. 27-Sept. 6.
Demme will make the trip to Venice for the second consecutive year with "Rachel Getting Married," a drama about a woman leaving rehab after 10 years to attend her sister's wedding, which Sony Pictures Classics will release in the U.S.
Guillermo Arriaga, who earned an Oscar nomination for his "Babel" screenplay, will make his first appearance in competition in Venice with the mother-daughter drama "The Burning Plain."
Bigelow's war thriller "The Hurt Locker," Aronofsky's action drama "The Wrestler" and "Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi's first film in three years, round out the U.S. selections.
The strong U.S. showing came despite the threat of a SAG strike, which Venice artistic director Marco Mueller said hurt prospects for many U.S. films.
Pupi Avati's historical drama "Giovanna's Father" and "A Perfect Day" from Ferzan Ozpetek are among the highlights from Italy.
Out-of-competition selections include Abbas Kiarostami's "Shirin" and opening-night film "Burn After Reading," from Joel and Ethan Coen, which Focus is releasing domestically.
A lineup for the Venice festival follows:
Competition:
"The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky, U.S.
"The Burning Plain," Guillermo Arriaga, U.S.
"Il Papa di Giovanna," Pupi Avati, Italy
"Birdwatchers," Marco Bechis, Italy
"L'Autre," Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic, France
"The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow, U.S.
"Il Seme Della Discordia," Pappi Corsicato, Italy
"Rachel Getting Married," Jonathan Demme, U.S.
"Teza," Haile Gerima, Ethiopia/Germany/France
"Paper Soldier (Bumaznyi Soldat)," Aleksy German Jr., Russia
"Sut," Semih Kaplanoglu, Turkey/France/Germany
"Achilles and the Tortoise (Akires to Kame)," Takeshi Kitano, Japan
"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," Hayao Miyazaki, Japan
"Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi, U.S.
"The Sky Crawlers," Oshii Mamoru, Japan
"Un Giorno Perfetto," Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
"Jerichow," Christian Petzold, Germany
"Inju, la Bete Dans l'Ombre," Barbet Schroeder, France
"Nuit de Chien," Werner Schroeter, France/Germany/Portugal
"Inland (Gabbia)," Tariq Teguia, Algeria/France
"Plastic City (Dangkou)," Yu Lik-wai, Brasil/China/Hong Kong/Japan
Out of competition:
"Puccini e la Fanciulla," Paolo Benvenuti, Italy
"Yuppi Du," Adriano Celantano, Italy
"Burn After Reading," Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S. (opening film)
"35 Rhums," Claire Denis, France/Spain
"Shirin," Abbas Kiarostami, Iran
"Tutto e Musica (1973)," Domenico Modugno, Italy
"Orfeo 9 (1973)," Tito Shipa Jr, Italy
"Les Plages d'Agnes," Agnes Varda, France
"Vinyan," Fabrice du Welz, France/U.K./Belgium
"Encarnacao do Demonio," Jose Mojica Marins, Brazil
"Volare (Nel Blue Dipinto di Blu (1959)," Piero Tellini, Italy
For more of the festival's programming, click here.
- 7/29/2008
- by By Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Geneva, Switzerland -- The latest films from Jonathan Demme, Darren Aronofsky and Kathryn Bigelow have helped the U.S. claim the most competition slots at the 65th Venice Film Festival, which boasts 19 world premieres.
In all, 15 of the 21 films hail from four markets. The U.S. will provide five of the titles, with four from Italy and three apiece from France and Japan.
All but two -- Oshii Mamoru's "The Sky Crawlers" and Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," both animated Japanese films -- are world premieres.
The festival is set for Aug. 27-Sept. 6.
Demme will make the trip to Venice for the second consecutive year with "Rachel Getting Married," a drama about a woman leaving rehab after 10 years to attend her sister's wedding, which Sony Pictures Classics will release in the U.S.
Guillermo Arriaga, who earned an Oscar nomination for his "Babel" screenplay, will make his first appearance in competition in Venice with the mother-daughter drama "The Burning Plain."
Bigelow's war thriller "The Hurt Locker," Aronofsky's action drama "The Wrestler" and "Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi's first film in three years, round out the U.S. selections.
The strong U.S. showing came despite the threat of a SAG strike, which Venice artistic director Marco Mueller said hurt prospects for many U.S. films.
Pupi Avati's historical drama "Giovanna's Father" and "A Perfect Day" from Ferzan Ozpetek are among the highlights from Italy.
Out-of-competition selections include Abbas Kiarostami's "Shirin" and opening-night film "Burn After Reading," from Joel and Ethan Coen, which Focus is releasing domestically.
A lineup for the Venice festival follows:
Competition:
"The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky, U.S.
"The Burning Plain," Guillermo Arriaga, U.S.
"Il Papa di Giovanna," Pupi Avati, Italy
"Birdwatchers," Marco Bechis, Italy
"L'Autre," Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic, France
"The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow, U.S.
"Il Seme Della Discordia," Pappi Corsicato, Italy
"Rachel Getting Married," Jonathan Demme, U.S.
"Teza," Haile Gerima, Ethiopia/Germany/France
"Paper Soldier (Bumaznyi Soldat)," Aleksy German Jr., Russia
"Sut," Semih Kaplanoglu, Turkey/France/Germany
"Achilles and the Tortoise (Akires to Kame)," Takeshi Kitano, Japan
"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," Hayao Miyazaki, Japan
"Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi, U.S.
"The Sky Crawlers," Oshii Mamoru, Japan
"Un Giorno Perfetto," Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
"Jerichow," Christian Petzold, Germany
"Inju, la Bete Dans l'Ombre," Barbet Schroeder, France
"Nuit de Chien," Werner Schroeter, France/Germany/Portugal
"Inland (Gabbia)," Tariq Teguia, Algeria/France
"Plastic City (Dangkou)," Yu Lik-wai, Brasil/China/Hong Kong/Japan
Out of competition:
"Puccini e la Fanciulla," Paolo Benvenuti, Italy
"Yuppi Du," Adriano Celantano, Italy
"Burn After Reading," Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S. (opening film)
"35 Rhums," Claire Denis, France/Spain
"Shirin," Abbas Kiarostami, Iran
"Tutto e Musica (1973)," Domenico Modugno, Italy
"Orfeo 9 (1973)," Tito Shipa Jr, Italy
"Les Plages d'Agnes," Agnes Varda, France
"Vinyan," Fabrice du Welz, France/U.K./Belgium
"Encarnacao do Demonio," Jose Mojica Marins, Brazil
"Volare (Nel Blue Dipinto di Blu (1959)," Piero Tellini, Italy
For more of the festival's programming, click here.
In all, 15 of the 21 films hail from four markets. The U.S. will provide five of the titles, with four from Italy and three apiece from France and Japan.
All but two -- Oshii Mamoru's "The Sky Crawlers" and Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," both animated Japanese films -- are world premieres.
The festival is set for Aug. 27-Sept. 6.
Demme will make the trip to Venice for the second consecutive year with "Rachel Getting Married," a drama about a woman leaving rehab after 10 years to attend her sister's wedding, which Sony Pictures Classics will release in the U.S.
Guillermo Arriaga, who earned an Oscar nomination for his "Babel" screenplay, will make his first appearance in competition in Venice with the mother-daughter drama "The Burning Plain."
Bigelow's war thriller "The Hurt Locker," Aronofsky's action drama "The Wrestler" and "Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi's first film in three years, round out the U.S. selections.
The strong U.S. showing came despite the threat of a SAG strike, which Venice artistic director Marco Mueller said hurt prospects for many U.S. films.
Pupi Avati's historical drama "Giovanna's Father" and "A Perfect Day" from Ferzan Ozpetek are among the highlights from Italy.
Out-of-competition selections include Abbas Kiarostami's "Shirin" and opening-night film "Burn After Reading," from Joel and Ethan Coen, which Focus is releasing domestically.
A lineup for the Venice festival follows:
Competition:
"The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky, U.S.
"The Burning Plain," Guillermo Arriaga, U.S.
"Il Papa di Giovanna," Pupi Avati, Italy
"Birdwatchers," Marco Bechis, Italy
"L'Autre," Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic, France
"The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow, U.S.
"Il Seme Della Discordia," Pappi Corsicato, Italy
"Rachel Getting Married," Jonathan Demme, U.S.
"Teza," Haile Gerima, Ethiopia/Germany/France
"Paper Soldier (Bumaznyi Soldat)," Aleksy German Jr., Russia
"Sut," Semih Kaplanoglu, Turkey/France/Germany
"Achilles and the Tortoise (Akires to Kame)," Takeshi Kitano, Japan
"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," Hayao Miyazaki, Japan
"Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi, U.S.
"The Sky Crawlers," Oshii Mamoru, Japan
"Un Giorno Perfetto," Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
"Jerichow," Christian Petzold, Germany
"Inju, la Bete Dans l'Ombre," Barbet Schroeder, France
"Nuit de Chien," Werner Schroeter, France/Germany/Portugal
"Inland (Gabbia)," Tariq Teguia, Algeria/France
"Plastic City (Dangkou)," Yu Lik-wai, Brasil/China/Hong Kong/Japan
Out of competition:
"Puccini e la Fanciulla," Paolo Benvenuti, Italy
"Yuppi Du," Adriano Celantano, Italy
"Burn After Reading," Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S. (opening film)
"35 Rhums," Claire Denis, France/Spain
"Shirin," Abbas Kiarostami, Iran
"Tutto e Musica (1973)," Domenico Modugno, Italy
"Orfeo 9 (1973)," Tito Shipa Jr, Italy
"Les Plages d'Agnes," Agnes Varda, France
"Vinyan," Fabrice du Welz, France/U.K./Belgium
"Encarnacao do Demonio," Jose Mojica Marins, Brazil
"Volare (Nel Blue Dipinto di Blu (1959)," Piero Tellini, Italy
For more of the festival's programming, click here.
- 7/29/2008
- by By Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- The huge local success last year of Tell No One has encouraged French filmmakers to develop more thriller projects.
Guillaume Nicloux, already known for peculiar crime stories (such as Le Poulpe in 1998 and A Private Affair in 2002) offers the very actor-director of Tell No One -- Guillaume Canet -- the main part in this gloomy film that navigates among the codes of film noir, detective story and family drama. The impressive cast, bringing together famous French actors of various generations as well as the father-and-son couple of Tell No One, could open European markets to the film, but U.S. distribution is uncertain.
The Key focuses on Eric (Canet), a young man in his 30s whose lovely wife (Marie Gillain) wants a baby. As he never knew his father, Eric is reluctant to become one. But it just happens that his father enters his life unexpectedly when a man calls to announce his death. The voice also asks Eric to come by and collect his father's ashes. It's the beginning of a nightmare for the young man, drawn into a situation involving thieves, a network of drug dealers and untold secrets going back to his father's youth and his own birth.
Two layers of time intertwine: The contemporary crime story alternates with a long flashback explaining the source of the trouble Eric has gotten into. The past story, set in the 1970s, involves physical and moral violence, which gives the whole film a sordid atmosphere.
Nicloux certainly can create ambiance: The desolate landscapes with the use of close-ups, the camera always moving and an imaginative supporting cast stir audience interest. But the story lurches in too many directions, and the secrets behind the crimes become too obvious and just not that intriguing.
Only the cast justifies watching The Key. Canet has never been very expressive -- he seems satisfied with his physical engagement in films -- but the two female leads, Gillain and Vanessa Paradis, deliver subtle performances. Behind her character's apparent gentleness, Gillain reveals the hidden wounds of a perfect housewife. Paradis enjoys one of her best roles as a fragile and moving junkie whose path crosses that of Eric.
Josiane Balasko and Thierry Lhermitte play two characters they have impersonated in previous films by Nicloux: Balasko is the same depressed cop as in Hanging Offense (2003), while Lhermitte adds the final touch to the private eye of A Private Affair. Both bring a melancholic touch to an otherwise curt film. As for Jean Rochefort, he is as brilliant as ever, obviously taking much pleasure in playing a pure villain.
THE KEY
Les Films de la Suane, M6 Films, Mandarin Films
Credits:
Director: Guillaume Nicloux
Screenwriters: Pierre Trividic, Guillaume Nicloux
Producers: Philippe Rousselet, Frederic Bourboulon
Director of photography: Christophe Offenstein
Production designer: Olivier Radot
Costume designer: Anais Romand
Editor: Guy Lecorne
Cast:
Eric Vincent: Guillaume Canet
Audrey: Marie Gillain
Cecile: Vanessa Paradis
Michele Varin: Josiane Balasko
Francois Maneri: Thierry Lhermitte
Joseph Arp: Jean Rochefort
Running time -- 115 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Guillaume Nicloux, already known for peculiar crime stories (such as Le Poulpe in 1998 and A Private Affair in 2002) offers the very actor-director of Tell No One -- Guillaume Canet -- the main part in this gloomy film that navigates among the codes of film noir, detective story and family drama. The impressive cast, bringing together famous French actors of various generations as well as the father-and-son couple of Tell No One, could open European markets to the film, but U.S. distribution is uncertain.
The Key focuses on Eric (Canet), a young man in his 30s whose lovely wife (Marie Gillain) wants a baby. As he never knew his father, Eric is reluctant to become one. But it just happens that his father enters his life unexpectedly when a man calls to announce his death. The voice also asks Eric to come by and collect his father's ashes. It's the beginning of a nightmare for the young man, drawn into a situation involving thieves, a network of drug dealers and untold secrets going back to his father's youth and his own birth.
Two layers of time intertwine: The contemporary crime story alternates with a long flashback explaining the source of the trouble Eric has gotten into. The past story, set in the 1970s, involves physical and moral violence, which gives the whole film a sordid atmosphere.
Nicloux certainly can create ambiance: The desolate landscapes with the use of close-ups, the camera always moving and an imaginative supporting cast stir audience interest. But the story lurches in too many directions, and the secrets behind the crimes become too obvious and just not that intriguing.
Only the cast justifies watching The Key. Canet has never been very expressive -- he seems satisfied with his physical engagement in films -- but the two female leads, Gillain and Vanessa Paradis, deliver subtle performances. Behind her character's apparent gentleness, Gillain reveals the hidden wounds of a perfect housewife. Paradis enjoys one of her best roles as a fragile and moving junkie whose path crosses that of Eric.
Josiane Balasko and Thierry Lhermitte play two characters they have impersonated in previous films by Nicloux: Balasko is the same depressed cop as in Hanging Offense (2003), while Lhermitte adds the final touch to the private eye of A Private Affair. Both bring a melancholic touch to an otherwise curt film. As for Jean Rochefort, he is as brilliant as ever, obviously taking much pleasure in playing a pure villain.
THE KEY
Les Films de la Suane, M6 Films, Mandarin Films
Credits:
Director: Guillaume Nicloux
Screenwriters: Pierre Trividic, Guillaume Nicloux
Producers: Philippe Rousselet, Frederic Bourboulon
Director of photography: Christophe Offenstein
Production designer: Olivier Radot
Costume designer: Anais Romand
Editor: Guy Lecorne
Cast:
Eric Vincent: Guillaume Canet
Audrey: Marie Gillain
Cecile: Vanessa Paradis
Michele Varin: Josiane Balasko
Francois Maneri: Thierry Lhermitte
Joseph Arp: Jean Rochefort
Running time -- 115 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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