13/04/2015 - Emmanuelle Bercot’s film, starring Catherine Deneuve, is to open the 68th Cannes International Film Festival

Standing Tall by Emmanuelle Bercot

After much suspense and just three days before the Official Selection of the 68^th Cannes International Film Festival (which will be held from 13-24 May 2015) is due to be announced, the film that will open the festival has finally been revealed. Kicking things off will be Standing Tall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuelle Bercot
film profile] by French director Emmanuelle Bercot (see article). It’s worth noting that it hasn’t yet been decided whether the film will be shown in or out of competition.

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Standing Tall is the fifth feature film by a director who’s become a bit of a regular at all the major film festivals (with Clément in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2001, Backstage [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] which was shown out of competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2005 and On My Way [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] which was shown in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in 2013). With a cast that includes Catherine Deneuve, the young Rod Paradot, Benoît Magimel and Sara Forestier, the storyline (written by the director and Marcia Romano) tells the story of the educational journey of Malony, as he grows from a six-year-old into an 18-year-old: along the way a juvenile court judge and a social worker work tirelessly to try to save the young offender.

Produced by François Kraus and Denis Pineau-Valencienne for Les Films du Kiosque, Standing Tall was co-produced by France 2 Cinéma and Wild Bunch (and will be released in French film theatres on 13 May). The film has been pre-purchased by Canal+ and Ciné+, and is being backed by the advance on receipts of the CNC, Pictanovo and Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, as well as Sofica Manon, Palatine Etoile, Soficinéma and Sofitvciné. International sales are being handled by Elle Driver.

(Translated from French)