Wargnier, Corsini, Amelio and Luthardt on offer
Released today on 495 screens through Gaumont Columbia TriStar, crime dramaHave Mercy on Us All [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Régis Wargnier is heading the bill among 12 new releases this Wednesday, eight of which are European productions.
Starring José Garcia, Marie Gillain, Lucas Belvaux and Olivier Gourmet, this first screen adaptation of Fred Vargas’ bestselling novel was produced on a €15m budget by LGM Cinéma, in co-production with Gaumont and TF1 Films Production (€2.27m investment and pre-sales included) and with backing from the Ile de France.
The film follows Commissioner Adamsberg’s investigation following a rumour spread by a town crier about a pest epidemic. After seeing four inverse images painted on the doors inside different apartment blocks in Paris and, soon after, corpses that seem to carry the symptoms of the disease, the Commissioner is intrigued.
Other titles opening in French theatres this week include Catherine Corsini’s Ambitious [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which screened at the RomeFilmFest (see article) and stars Karin Viard and Eric Caravaca. (Pyramide, 226 screens); Olivier Peyon’s Les petites vacances [+see also:
trailer
film profile], with Bernadette Lafont and Claude Brasseur (Pierre Grise Distribution, 35 prints); and Boris Lojkine’s documentary Les âmes errantes (Shellac, 10 screens).
Co-productions hitting Gallic screens include Dol [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Kurdish director Hiner Saleem (co-produced and distributed by Novociné, 19 prints), selected in the Forum at the upcoming Berlinale, and Valley of Flowers by India’s Pan Nalin (a co-production by France’s Elzévir and Germany’s Pandora, released through Diaphana on three screens).
Two top quality European films complete this week’s releases. The Missing Star [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by established Italian filmmaker Gianni Amelio, with star actor Sergio Castellitto (see article and interview with director) opens through Magrytte Films on 18 screens.
Les Acacias are distributing 30 prints of Pingpong [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matthias Luthardt
interview: Sebastian Urzendowsky
film profile], the debut feature by German director Matthias Luthardt, presented at Cannes Critics’ Week 2006 (see Focus).
(Translated from French)
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