05/12/2007

Last week was marked by the giant release of Daniel Cohen’s French film, Les Deux mondes [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (“The Two Worlds”), and this week the spotlight is on Cowboy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benoît Mariage
film profile], the latest film by Belgian director Benoît Mariage, starring Benoît Poelvoorde, as it prepares to take screens in French-speaking Belgium by storm.

This much-awaited French co-production (see our Focus dedicated to the film), is the subject of a highly orchestrated release by Belga Film on 21 screens, including three prints subtitled in Dutch, destined for cinemas in Brussels.

This week is significant for another reason. Of the seven new titles hitting screens, the only US feature is a UK co-production led by Ingenious Film Partners: The Golden Compass, starring a host of UK actors including Daniel Craig, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ian Mc Shane as well as French actress Eva Green. The film is released by Kinepolis Film Distribution on 63 screens.

This week’s line-up also includes two French films: Heartbeat Detector [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by French director Nicolas Klotz, screened at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2007 and Olivier Jean-Marie’s animated film Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure [+see also:
trailer
film profile], distributed by Alternative Films.

The remaining releases are prestigious French co-productions, France being a country renowned for embracing talented directors. Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes where it screened in competition (see Special Report) Silent Light [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Mexican director Carlos Reygadas is co-produced by Arte France Cinéma and Bac Films, distributed by BFD.

Summer Palace [+see also:
trailer
film profile], by Chinese director Lou Ye, co-produced by French company Rosem Films, supported by the CNC, the Fond Sud, and German company Flying Moon, is distributed by Abc Distribution.

And finally, another film screened in official competition at Cannes this year, Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights [+see also:
trailer
film profile], co-produced by Studio Canal, is being released across Belgium, by Cinéart on 17 screens.

(Translated from French)