15/04/2011

At the heart of the attractive Un Certain Regard selection (see news) of the 64th Cannes Film Festival (May 11-22, 2011) is an impressive French contingent spearheaded by Bruno Dumont (53 - photo). Discovered in the Directors’ Fortnight 1996 with The Life of Jesus (Camera d'Or Special Mention), the director won the Grand Jury Prize on the Croisette in 1999 for Humanity and in 2006 for Flanders [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. This year, he will present Hors Satan (see news).

Starring David Dewaele, Alexandra Lematre, Valérie Mestdagh and Sonia Barthelemy, the film was produced by 3B Productions and Le Fresnoy. Its €2m budget included an advance on receipts from the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC), pre-acquisitions from Canal + and CinéCinéma and a grant from the Nord-Pas de Calais region. French distribution and international sales are being handled by Pyramide.

Appearing for the sixth time at Cannes after Last Summer in 1981 and Red Midday in 1984 (in the Perspectives of French Cinema section), Marius and Jeannette (in the Un Certain Regard 1997), Marie-Jo and Her 2 Lovers (in competition in 2002) and The Army of Crime [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (out of competition in 2009), Robert Guédiguian (57) will unveil The Snows of Kilimanjaro (see news). The cast includes the director’s favourite trio of actors (Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Gérard Meylan), alongside Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Maryline Canto and Anaïs Demoustier.

The film was produced by Agat Films & Ex Nihilo for €4.18m. Its budget included co-production support from France 3 Cinéma and La Friche Belle de Mai, pre-acquisitions from Canal+ and CinéCinéma, and funding from the Paca region. Diaphana will distribute the film in French theatres, while Films Distribution is managing international sales.

Discovered in the Un Certain Regard in 2008 with his debut feature Versailles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Geraldine Michelot
interview: Pierre Schoeller
film profile], Pierre Schoeller returns to this section with French/Belgian co-production The Exercise of State (see news), starring Olivier Gourmet, Michel Blanc, Zabou Breitman and Laurent Stocker.

Produced by Denis Freyd for Archipel 35, the €6.55m feature was co-produced by Les Films du Fleuve and France 3 Cinéma, pr-bought by Canal +, CinéCinéma and RTBF, and got financial backing through the CNC’s advance on receipts and from Eurimages. Diaphana will release the title in France and Doc & Film International will sell it internationally.

Also in the Un Certain Regard line-up is Nadine Labaki’s majority French production Where Do We Go Now?, produced by Les Films des Tournelles, and co-produced by France 2 Cinéma with Lebanon and Italy. It will be distributed in France and sold internationally by Pathé.

(Translated from French)