23/08/2006

Today marks the arrival in French theatres of a seductive trio of European films straight from May’s Cannes Film Festival.

First in line is 2006 Palme d'Or winner The Wind That Shakes the Barley [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ken Loach
interview: Rebecca O’Brien
film profile] by British helmer Ken Loach (see Focus), which is being released on an impressive 250 prints by Diaphana.

A European co-production between the UK (Sixteen Films), Ireland (Element Films), Germany (EMC Asset), Italy (Bianca Film/ BIM Distribuzione) and Spain (Tornasol Films), the €6.5m The Wind … received backing from the UK Film Council, the Irish Film Board and the Filmstiftung NRW.

A big hit with critics, Taxidermia [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Hungary’s György Pálfi (see interview with director in our Special Report Hungarian blitz on the Croisette) is being released by Memento Films Distribution on an initial 18 screens, and another two in its second week.

Screened at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, the second feature by one of the most original European directors is the result of a European co-production between Hungary (EuroFilm Studio, 50 %), France (Memento Films and La Cinéfacture, 25%) and Austria (Amour Fou Filmproduktion, 25%).

With a €2m budget, the film was also supported by the Hungarian Film Foundation, Eurimages (€200,000), Arte France Cinéma (€350,000), Duna TV, the Vienna Film Fund, ORF and the Austrian Film Institute.

Meanwhile, Cannes official competition title Charlie Says [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by French director Nicole Garcia (see article) – who decided to cut the film by 20 minutes – opens on 350 screens (Mars Distribution ).

With a cast that includes Benoît Magimel, Jean-Pierre Bacri and Benoît Poelvoorde, this fine feature was produced by Les Productions du Trésor on a €7.8m budget, including €350,000 in advance on receipts from the CNC, €1.5m from France 3 Cinéma and pre-sales financing from Canal + and Ciné Cinéma.

(Translated from French)