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
Justine Triet’s Oscar-nominated Anatomy of a Fall and Thomas Cailley’s fantasy drama The Animal Kingdom are the front runners for this year’s Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Academy Awards. In nominations announced Wednesday, Anatomy picked up 11 Cesar noms and The Animal Kingdom 12. Both were nominated in the best film and best director categories.
Also nominated for best film are Jean-Baptiste Durand’s Junkyard Dog, All Your Faces from director Jeanne Herry and Cédric Kahn’s The Goldman Case.
France’s official Academy Award contender, Anh Hung Tran’s foodie period drama The Taste of Things, which missed out on an Oscar nom on Tuesday, picked up three Ceasar nominations, but none in the main categories.
German actress Sandra Hüller, a best actress nominee at this year’s Oscars for her starring turn in Anatomy of a Fall, is also up for the Cesar for best actress,...
Also nominated for best film are Jean-Baptiste Durand’s Junkyard Dog, All Your Faces from director Jeanne Herry and Cédric Kahn’s The Goldman Case.
France’s official Academy Award contender, Anh Hung Tran’s foodie period drama The Taste of Things, which missed out on an Oscar nom on Tuesday, picked up three Ceasar nominations, but none in the main categories.
German actress Sandra Hüller, a best actress nominee at this year’s Oscars for her starring turn in Anatomy of a Fall, is also up for the Cesar for best actress,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Scott Roxborough and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Day for Night
Written by François Truffaut, Jean-Louis Richard, and Suzanne Schiffman
Directed by François Truffaut
France, 1973
From Fellini to Fassbinder, Minnelli to Godard, some of international cinema’s greatest directors have turned their camera on their art and, by extension, themselves. But in the annals of great films about filmmaking, few movies have captured the rapturous passion of cinematic creation and the consuming devotion to film as well as François Truffaut’s Day for Night. While there are a number of stories at play in this love letter to the movies, along with several terrific performances throughout, the crux of the film, the real star of the show, is cinema itself.
Prior to Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, Truffaut was arguably the most fervent film loving filmmaker, wearing his affection for the medium on his directorial sleeve and seldom missing an opportunity to sound off in interviews or in...
Written by François Truffaut, Jean-Louis Richard, and Suzanne Schiffman
Directed by François Truffaut
France, 1973
From Fellini to Fassbinder, Minnelli to Godard, some of international cinema’s greatest directors have turned their camera on their art and, by extension, themselves. But in the annals of great films about filmmaking, few movies have captured the rapturous passion of cinematic creation and the consuming devotion to film as well as François Truffaut’s Day for Night. While there are a number of stories at play in this love letter to the movies, along with several terrific performances throughout, the crux of the film, the real star of the show, is cinema itself.
Prior to Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, Truffaut was arguably the most fervent film loving filmmaker, wearing his affection for the medium on his directorial sleeve and seldom missing an opportunity to sound off in interviews or in...
- 8/19/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave to open festival; director Peter Greenaway to receive Visionary Award.Scroll down for full line-up
Steve McQueen’s historic drama 12 Years a Slave is to open the Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 6-17) and is nominated in the Stockholm Xxiv Competition.
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, the drama about free black man kidnapped from his family and sold into slavery in the 1850s debuted at Telluride and has received positive reactions throughout its festival tour of Toronto, New York and London among others.
It will be released in Sweden on Dec 20 by Ab Svensk Filmindustri.
Screenwriter John Ridley, who will be present during the festival, is nominated for the Aluminum Horse in the category Best Script.
McQueen’s Hunger won Best Directorial Debut at Stockholm in 2008.
Line-up
The 24th Siff includes more than 180 films from more than 50 countries.
As previously announced, the spotlight of this year’s festival is freedom but Chinese artist...
Steve McQueen’s historic drama 12 Years a Slave is to open the Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 6-17) and is nominated in the Stockholm Xxiv Competition.
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, the drama about free black man kidnapped from his family and sold into slavery in the 1850s debuted at Telluride and has received positive reactions throughout its festival tour of Toronto, New York and London among others.
It will be released in Sweden on Dec 20 by Ab Svensk Filmindustri.
Screenwriter John Ridley, who will be present during the festival, is nominated for the Aluminum Horse in the category Best Script.
McQueen’s Hunger won Best Directorial Debut at Stockholm in 2008.
Line-up
The 24th Siff includes more than 180 films from more than 50 countries.
As previously announced, the spotlight of this year’s festival is freedom but Chinese artist...
- 10/22/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Gay erotic thriller Stranger by the Lake wins Queer Palm at Cannes Film Festival (photo: Pierre de Ladonchamps, Christophe Paou in Stranger by the Lake) Writer-director Alain Guiraudie’s Stranger by the Lake / L’inconnu du lac has won the 2013 Queer Palm handed out to Cannes Film Festival movies featuring gay, lesbian, bi, tri, multi, transgender, etc. characters. Stranger by the Lake was screened in the Un Certain Regard sidebar. Set near an idyllic lake where hot-and-heavy gay cruising takes place during the summer season, Guiraudie’s sexually charged thriller revolves around Franck (Pierre de Ladonchamps), a young man who falls in lust with brawny suspected murderer Michel (Christophe Paou). Strand Releasing will handle the distribution of Stranger by the Lake in North America. Stranger by the Lake: Mixing explicit sex with explicit love As quoted by Agence France Presse, Alain Guiraudie explained the (purportedly) graphic sex scenes in Stranger...
- 5/26/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Journey, the visual and emotive game that evokes in the player a sense of smallness and wonder to forge an emotional connection between themself and the anonymous players they meet on the way, collected the Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Game Design, Online Multiplayer and Original Music Awards at the British Academy Games Awards, hosted by Dara O’ Briain and supported by official partner Game.
Danny Wallace was awarded with his first BAFTA winning the Performer category for his work as the narrator in Thomas was Alone, the indie puzzle game. The Walking Dead, the episodic point-and-click adventure role-playing game, picked up the Mobile and Handheld and Story BAFTAs. The Unfinished Swan, a game which explores the unknown, collected the Awards for Game Innovation and Debut Game.
Dishonored, the stealth action adventure game saw off stiff competition to collect the Award for Best Game. The Award for British Game was presented to The Room,...
Danny Wallace was awarded with his first BAFTA winning the Performer category for his work as the narrator in Thomas was Alone, the indie puzzle game. The Walking Dead, the episodic point-and-click adventure role-playing game, picked up the Mobile and Handheld and Story BAFTAs. The Unfinished Swan, a game which explores the unknown, collected the Awards for Game Innovation and Debut Game.
Dishonored, the stealth action adventure game saw off stiff competition to collect the Award for Best Game. The Award for British Game was presented to The Room,...
- 3/5/2013
- by Phil
- Nerdly
2012 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Film Selections
For Spotlight And Cinemania Sections And Special Screenings
***
Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival Lineup Also Revealed
The Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express, today announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight and Cinemania sections, as well as Special Screenings and the Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival lineup. The 11th edition of the Festival will take place from April 18 to April 29 in New York City.
The Spotlight section screens 34 films, 22 narratives and 12 documentaries that demonstrate the breadth of films at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nineteen films in the selection will have their world premieres at the Festival. The Cinemania section offers a largely international assortment of seven thrilling narrative films.
.The Spotlight program is a wonderful encapsulation of the originality and diversity of filmmaking that Tribeca seeks to highlight. We have films from emerging filmmakers as well as seasoned veterans, narratives that...
For Spotlight And Cinemania Sections And Special Screenings
***
Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival Lineup Also Revealed
The Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express, today announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight and Cinemania sections, as well as Special Screenings and the Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival lineup. The 11th edition of the Festival will take place from April 18 to April 29 in New York City.
The Spotlight section screens 34 films, 22 narratives and 12 documentaries that demonstrate the breadth of films at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nineteen films in the selection will have their world premieres at the Festival. The Cinemania section offers a largely international assortment of seven thrilling narrative films.
.The Spotlight program is a wonderful encapsulation of the originality and diversity of filmmaking that Tribeca seeks to highlight. We have films from emerging filmmakers as well as seasoned veterans, narratives that...
- 3/8/2012
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A new big batch of films have been added to the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival line-up, and while there aren't a lot of big premieres in the bunch, there's a lot to catch up with for those of you (and us) who didn't attend Tiff 2011, Sundance 2012, etc. etc.
Highlights for us include Sarah Polley's sophomore directorial effort "Take This Waltz," starring Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams, Julie Delpy's "2 Days In New York," starring herself and Chris Rock in a sequel to "2 Days in Paris," Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's "Chicken With Plums," their directorial follow-up to the very excellent 2007 animated film "Persepolis," Lynn Shelton's "Your Sister's Sister" starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass, and "Lola Versus," Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister Jones' follow-up to the celebrated 2009 micro-budgeted indie "Breaking Upwards" starring Lister Jones herself alongside Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman (AMC's "The Killing," the new "RoboCop"), Bill Pullman,...
Highlights for us include Sarah Polley's sophomore directorial effort "Take This Waltz," starring Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams, Julie Delpy's "2 Days In New York," starring herself and Chris Rock in a sequel to "2 Days in Paris," Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's "Chicken With Plums," their directorial follow-up to the very excellent 2007 animated film "Persepolis," Lynn Shelton's "Your Sister's Sister" starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass, and "Lola Versus," Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister Jones' follow-up to the celebrated 2009 micro-budgeted indie "Breaking Upwards" starring Lister Jones herself alongside Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman (AMC's "The Killing," the new "RoboCop"), Bill Pullman,...
- 3/8/2012
- by The Playlist
- The Playlist
Tribeca 2012 Announces Final Line-Up Including ’2 Days,’ ‘Take This Waltz,’ ‘Sleepless Night’ & More
After an initial unveiling earlier this week, Tribeca Film Festival 2012 have announced the rest of their feature film line-up and it is a surprisingly strong one. We’ve got lots of great films that have premiered at previous fests.
There is July Delpy‘s 2 Days In New York (our Sundance review here), Sarah Polley‘s Take This Waltz (our Vancouver review here), the awesome action thriller Sleepless Night (our Tiff review here), as well as one of my favorites from Toronto, Chicken with Plums (our Tiff review here), from the Persepolis directors. We’ve also got premieres of Jenna Fischer‘s Mechanical Man and Chris Colfer‘s Struck by Lightning, as well as docs by Billy Corben, Morgan Spurlock and Keanu Reeves‘ filmmaking doc Side by Side. Check them all out below.
Spotlight Section
2 Days in New York, directed and written by Julie Delpy. (France) – New York Premiere, Narrative. This...
There is July Delpy‘s 2 Days In New York (our Sundance review here), Sarah Polley‘s Take This Waltz (our Vancouver review here), the awesome action thriller Sleepless Night (our Tiff review here), as well as one of my favorites from Toronto, Chicken with Plums (our Tiff review here), from the Persepolis directors. We’ve also got premieres of Jenna Fischer‘s Mechanical Man and Chris Colfer‘s Struck by Lightning, as well as docs by Billy Corben, Morgan Spurlock and Keanu Reeves‘ filmmaking doc Side by Side. Check them all out below.
Spotlight Section
2 Days in New York, directed and written by Julie Delpy. (France) – New York Premiere, Narrative. This...
- 3/8/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
HollywoodNews.com: The Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express, today announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight and Cinemania sections, as well as Special Screenings and the Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival lineup. The 11th edition of the Festival will take place from April 18 to April 29 in New York City.
The Spotlight section screens 34 films, 22 narratives and 12 documentaries that demonstrate the breadth of films at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nineteen films in the selection will have their world premieres at the Festival. The Cinemania section offers a largely international assortment of seven thrilling narrative films.
‘The Spotlight program is a wonderful encapsulation of the originality and diversity of filmmaking that Tribeca seeks to highlight. We have films from emerging filmmakers as well as seasoned veterans, narratives that showcase stellar performances and insightful writing, and documentaries that challenge and inform their audiences,’ said Frédéric Boyer, newly appointed Artistic...
The Spotlight section screens 34 films, 22 narratives and 12 documentaries that demonstrate the breadth of films at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nineteen films in the selection will have their world premieres at the Festival. The Cinemania section offers a largely international assortment of seven thrilling narrative films.
‘The Spotlight program is a wonderful encapsulation of the originality and diversity of filmmaking that Tribeca seeks to highlight. We have films from emerging filmmakers as well as seasoned veterans, narratives that showcase stellar performances and insightful writing, and documentaries that challenge and inform their audiences,’ said Frédéric Boyer, newly appointed Artistic...
- 3/8/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Tribeca Film Festival announced its Spotlight and Cinemania programs today, including Morgan Spurlock’s latest documentary, Mansome, period drama Cheerful Weather for the Wedding with Like Crazy’s Felicity Jones (right), and Struck By Lightning, written by Glee’s Chris Colfer. “It was important that we head into Tribeca’s second decade highlighting projects that were attuned to the pulse of our cultural climate,” said director of programming Genna Terranova, in a release. “That said, both consciousness and levity play a prominent role in this year’s selection. We are also eager to introduce audiences to a group of...
- 3/8/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, The Artist Jean Dujardin can't win 'em all. For his (in my humble opinion brilliant) performance as a fading silent-film star in Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist, he was voted Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival, the British Academy Awards, the SAG Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Australian Film Institute Awards (as Best International Actor). He was also chosen as the Best Actor of 2011 by both the London Film Critics Circle and the Academy of French Film Journalists. [List of César winners.] Earlier this evening, however, Dujardin lost the Best Actor César du Cinéma. The 2012 French equivalent of the Oscars went instead to comedian Omar Sy, who co-stars with François Cluzet in the feel-good box-office blockbuster Intouchables / Untouchable. Perhaps enough members of the French Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Crafts were envious of Dujardin's international success and/or felt he had already won too many awards. Or...
- 2/25/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Jean Dujardin, Missi Pyle, The Artist The Artist Wins, Jean Dujardin Loses: César Awards Best Film La guerre est déclarée / Declaration of War produced by Edouard Weil, directed by Valérie Donzelli Le Havre produced by Fabienne Vonier, directed by Aki Kaurismäki * The Artist produced by Thomas Langmann, directed by Michel Hazanavicius Intouchables / Untouchable produced by Denis Freyd, directed by Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache L'exercice de l'État / The Minister produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun, directed by Pierre Schöller Pater produced by Michel Seydoux, directed by Alain Cavalier Polisse produced by Alain Attal, directed by Maïwenn Best Foreign Film Drive (United States) directed by Nicolas Winding Refn Black Swan (United States) directed by Darren Aronofsky Incendies (Canada) directed by Denis Villeneuve Melancholia (Denmark / Sweden / France / Germany) directed by Lars von Trier * A Separation (Iran) directed by Asghar Farhadi The King's Speech (United Kingdom) directed by Tom Hooper Le...
- 2/25/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
François Cluzet, Intouchables / Untouchable The 2012 César winners will be announced on February 24. The ceremony will be presided by Guillaume Canet; Antoine de Caunes will act as master of ceremonies. Best Film La guerre est déclarée / Declaration of War produced by Edouard Weil, directed by Valérie Donzelli Le Havre produced by Fabienne Vonier, directed by Aki Kaurismäki The Artist produced by Thomas Langmann, directed by Michel Hazanavicius Intouchables / Untouchable produced by Denis Freyd, directed by Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache L'exercice de l'État / The Minister produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun, directed by Pierre Schoeller Pater produced by Michel Seydoux, directed by Alain Cavalier Polisse produced by Alain Attal, directed by Maïwenn Best Foreign Film Drive (United States) directed by Nicolas Winding Refn Black Swan (United States) directed by Darren Aronofsky Incendies (Canada) directed by Denis Villeneuve Melancholia (Denmark / Sweden / France / Germany) directed by Lars von Trier A Separation...
- 2/21/2012
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Tis the season to be judgmental. With December inching closer and closer to January, my inbox and Twitter feed keep filling up with all kinds of movie-ranking lists. Last night someone sent me this one from Cinema Enthusiast, The Top 20 Film Posters of 2011.
It's a strong list, with a lot of really good picks: I'd never seen the poster for Magnet's "Black Death" before, but man that is an awesome image. And their pick for the #1 Poster of 2011, "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" is certainly a very memorable one-sheet. But, to my surprise, none of my own personal favorite movie posters of 2011 made the cut. You know what that means: counter-list time!
Here, now, in ascending order, are my five favorite posters of 2011, most of which can be found and examined in much larger detail at IMPAwards.com. I'm sure you have your own favorites too; you...
It's a strong list, with a lot of really good picks: I'd never seen the poster for Magnet's "Black Death" before, but man that is an awesome image. And their pick for the #1 Poster of 2011, "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" is certainly a very memorable one-sheet. But, to my surprise, none of my own personal favorite movie posters of 2011 made the cut. You know what that means: counter-list time!
Here, now, in ascending order, are my five favorite posters of 2011, most of which can be found and examined in much larger detail at IMPAwards.com. I'm sure you have your own favorites too; you...
- 12/9/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Ralph Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus Michael Fassbender, Pedro Almodóvar, Jean Dujardin, Susan Sarandon, Roland Emmerich: Toronto 2011 Coriolanus — Ralph Fiennes, North American Premiere — Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. Drive — Nicolas Winding Refn, Canadian Premiere – Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can’t help falling in love with his beautiful neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). After a heist intended to pay off Standard’s protection money spins unpredictably out of control,...
- 7/27/2011
- by D. Zhea
- Alt Film Guide
The Toronto International Film Festival has begun to announce the slate of its 36th edition and it is already an incredible lineup. I’ve attended the festival in the past two years and plan to return again this year in hopes of providing our readers with some great coverage.
So far, 40 films have been announced including new movies from George Clooney, Todd Solondz, Francis Ford Coppola, Fernando Meirelles, Terence Davies, Lars von Trier, Marc Forster, Lasse Hallstrom, Pedro Almodóvar, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, Lynne Ramsay, Jay & Mark Duplass and Cameron Crowe. Are you drooling yet?
Here is the list of the special presentations.
Special Presentations
-
11 Flowers
Wang Xiaoshuai, China/France
Wang Han, an 11-year-old boy in the province of Ghizhou is confronted with a runaway murderer. Hiding in the woods, the wounded man takes Wang Han drying shirt and persuades him to help him out. Frightened and fascinated at once,...
So far, 40 films have been announced including new movies from George Clooney, Todd Solondz, Francis Ford Coppola, Fernando Meirelles, Terence Davies, Lars von Trier, Marc Forster, Lasse Hallstrom, Pedro Almodóvar, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, Lynne Ramsay, Jay & Mark Duplass and Cameron Crowe. Are you drooling yet?
Here is the list of the special presentations.
Special Presentations
-
11 Flowers
Wang Xiaoshuai, China/France
Wang Han, an 11-year-old boy in the province of Ghizhou is confronted with a runaway murderer. Hiding in the woods, the wounded man takes Wang Han drying shirt and persuades him to help him out. Frightened and fascinated at once,...
- 7/26/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
"L'Autre Monde" ("The Other World") aka "Black Heaven" is the French techno-thriller directed by Gilles Marchand, now available on DVD.
Set partially in a virtual world called 'Black Hole', the film features CG animation. starring Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet as 'Gaspard', Louise Bourgoin as 'Audrey', Melvil Poupaud as 'Vincent', Pauline Etienne as 'Marion', Pierre Niney as 'Yann' and Ali Marhyar as 'Ludo'.
"...Teenagers 'Gaspard' and 'Marion' are madly in love and enjoying summer in the south of France, until they stumble upon a lost cell phone. At first they playfully decide to track down the owner. But the game takes on a much somber path when they find him dead, in a mysterious suicide ceremony.
"Next to him, lies a half unconscious girl, 'Audrey'. With her enigmatic tattoo and her gothic looks, she soon lures Gaspard into 'Black Heaven', a dangerously addictive video game.
"Gaspard discovers an obscure universe,...
Set partially in a virtual world called 'Black Hole', the film features CG animation. starring Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet as 'Gaspard', Louise Bourgoin as 'Audrey', Melvil Poupaud as 'Vincent', Pauline Etienne as 'Marion', Pierre Niney as 'Yann' and Ali Marhyar as 'Ludo'.
"...Teenagers 'Gaspard' and 'Marion' are madly in love and enjoying summer in the south of France, until they stumble upon a lost cell phone. At first they playfully decide to track down the owner. But the game takes on a much somber path when they find him dead, in a mysterious suicide ceremony.
"Next to him, lies a half unconscious girl, 'Audrey'. With her enigmatic tattoo and her gothic looks, she soon lures Gaspard into 'Black Heaven', a dangerously addictive video game.
"Gaspard discovers an obscure universe,...
- 5/1/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Le Pays du Chien Qui Chante
Directors' Fortnight
CANNES — It has taken Yann Dedet 50 years to direct his first feature-length film, "Le Pays du Chien Qui Chante", but it's worth the wait. Dedet was a film editor for most of France's biggest directors — Francois Truffaut, Maurice Pialat, Cedric Kahn — and, clearly, has observed well.
This quirky film tells the tale of two Japanese scientists who come to a small village in eastern France to conduct research. Toyo (Gen Shimaoka) is a musicologist married to Yoshiko Mahiru (Katsuko Nakamura), who studied archeology. The couple are childless, and Toyo suspects he is infertile. He devises a plan for a young man in the village to father a child, providing the couple with an heir.
It's refreshing to watch Dedet bring together Japanese and French cultures without a whiff of stereotyping. Instead, the film unfolds with a poetic simplicity that is completely absorbing. Shimaoka and Nakamura play beautifully understated characters who seem completely at ease in a foreign land. Dedet directs with confidence, picking up the pace to move the story along while pausing to allow the two main characters time to develop.
Unfortunately, the French actors, compared with the Japanese duo, come across as wooden and two-dimensional. But there is plenty in the film to compensate. The stunning scenery of France's Jura region is used to full effect. And Dedet manages to portray a Japanese culture that has embraced the 21st century while remaining deeply rooted in tradition.
Bord de Mer
Directors' Fortnight
CANNES — "Bord de Mer" is a lifeless film that drags an audience into the lives of a group of people in Cayeux, a coastal town in northern France, during the summer. We leave them after 12 months with a sigh of relief.
The story revolves around Marie, a young woman who senses life has more to offer than working in a factory and living with her placid boyfriend, Paul. When not working, she moodily contemplates the skyline, searching for ways of escape. Not surprisingly, her behavior begins to grate, and she finds comfort in the arms of her former boss, Albert, who shares Marie's tendency to sky-gaze. Just sacked from his job, Albert rides off into the night with Marie in his sports car.
Director Julie Lopes-Curval has all too ably portrayed the suffocating, small-town atmosphere. No one knows why they stay, but the idea of leaving is unthinkable. Why Marie is different is never explained. Dialogue is kept to a minimum, so it comes as a shock when, three-quarters of the way through the movie, two characters manage a conversation.
The scenes follow in quick succession with barely time for the audience to identify characters and their relationships to each other. The cast is amateurish and badly rehearsed. Add to this the gray skies, cold winds and uninviting beach and this Cayeux is definitely a place to avoid.
Directors' Fortnight
CANNES — It has taken Yann Dedet 50 years to direct his first feature-length film, "Le Pays du Chien Qui Chante", but it's worth the wait. Dedet was a film editor for most of France's biggest directors — Francois Truffaut, Maurice Pialat, Cedric Kahn — and, clearly, has observed well.
This quirky film tells the tale of two Japanese scientists who come to a small village in eastern France to conduct research. Toyo (Gen Shimaoka) is a musicologist married to Yoshiko Mahiru (Katsuko Nakamura), who studied archeology. The couple are childless, and Toyo suspects he is infertile. He devises a plan for a young man in the village to father a child, providing the couple with an heir.
It's refreshing to watch Dedet bring together Japanese and French cultures without a whiff of stereotyping. Instead, the film unfolds with a poetic simplicity that is completely absorbing. Shimaoka and Nakamura play beautifully understated characters who seem completely at ease in a foreign land. Dedet directs with confidence, picking up the pace to move the story along while pausing to allow the two main characters time to develop.
Unfortunately, the French actors, compared with the Japanese duo, come across as wooden and two-dimensional. But there is plenty in the film to compensate. The stunning scenery of France's Jura region is used to full effect. And Dedet manages to portray a Japanese culture that has embraced the 21st century while remaining deeply rooted in tradition.
Bord de Mer
Directors' Fortnight
CANNES — "Bord de Mer" is a lifeless film that drags an audience into the lives of a group of people in Cayeux, a coastal town in northern France, during the summer. We leave them after 12 months with a sigh of relief.
The story revolves around Marie, a young woman who senses life has more to offer than working in a factory and living with her placid boyfriend, Paul. When not working, she moodily contemplates the skyline, searching for ways of escape. Not surprisingly, her behavior begins to grate, and she finds comfort in the arms of her former boss, Albert, who shares Marie's tendency to sky-gaze. Just sacked from his job, Albert rides off into the night with Marie in his sports car.
Director Julie Lopes-Curval has all too ably portrayed the suffocating, small-town atmosphere. No one knows why they stay, but the idea of leaving is unthinkable. Why Marie is different is never explained. Dialogue is kept to a minimum, so it comes as a shock when, three-quarters of the way through the movie, two characters manage a conversation.
The scenes follow in quick succession with barely time for the audience to identify characters and their relationships to each other. The cast is amateurish and badly rehearsed. Add to this the gray skies, cold winds and uninviting beach and this Cayeux is definitely a place to avoid.
- 5/16/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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