28/08/2008

As predicted by Cineuropa on February 28 (see news), a U.S. major, in this case Warner, has decided to act as co-producer and international distributor of Anne Fontaine’s Coco avant Chanel project. The film – due to kick off shooting on September 15 for 12 weeks – features a line-up starring Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos and U.S. actor Alessandro Nivola.

Produced by Haut et Court and Ciné @, Coco avant Chanel (worldwide sales by Films Distribution) has already secured co-production funding from Warner France. Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s current art director, will act as technical advisor.

Adapted from L’irrégulière (“The Nonconformist”) by Edmonde Charles-Roux and penned by the director, Camille Fontaine and Oscar-winning British screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons), the film charts the early career of the famous stylist Coco Chanel who started out her career by designing hats in Paris at the beginning of the 1900s and follows her meteoric rise involving numerous patrons.

Coco avant Chanel will mark Fontaine’s eleventh feature. The director, who has led an illustrious career to date (Prix Jean Vigo in 1993 for Les Histoires d'amour finissent mal... en général, a Golden Osella for Best Screenplay at Venice in 1997 for Dry Cleaning, 2001 Locarno competition entrant with How I Killed My Father, 2005 San Sebastian entry with Entre ses mains [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Cannes 2006 out-of-competition entrant with Oh la la! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), will see her latest film La fille de Monaco [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (released August 20 in France) screened next week at the Gala of the Toronto Film Festival.

The life of Coco Chanel is currently attracting much attention (see article on Chanel & Stavinsky: The Secret Story).

(Translated from French)