14/01/2009

After nine years as head of international sales at Films du Losange, Daniela Elstner has embarked on a new adventure by taking over as director of Doc & Film International.

An offshoot of Doc & Co, the firm – which represents several production companies (Agat Films & Ex Nihilo, Archipel 33, 3 B Productions, JBA Productions, Les Films d’Ici, TS Productions, AMIP, Lapsus, Interscoop) – has a catalogue of 700 (mainly TV) documentaries and is now handling international sales of narrative features.

After kicking off at Venice with Avi Mograbi’s Z32, Doc & Film International is turning things up a notch with three market premières lined up for the 11th French Film Meetings organised in Paris by Unifrance (January 15-19).

The programme includes Sophie Laloy’s Je te mangerai [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (“I’ll Eat You”), starring Judith Davis, Isild Le Besco, Johan Libéreau, Édith Scob and Fabienne Babe. Produced by Ice 3 in co-production with Studio 37 and Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, the film centres on two childhood friends who live together.

Marie leaves her family and moves to Lyon to study piano, moving in with Emma who has been living alone since her father died and her mother left. Marie abides by the rules laid down by her flatmate, who is ever more fascinating, dominating and oppressive.

At the Paris market, Doc & Film International will also present Christine Dory’s Les inséparables [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (“The Inseparables”), starring Guillaume Depardieu in his final role; Darielle Tillon’s Une nouvelle ère glaciaire (“A New Glacier Era”); and the documentary Pelléas et Mélisande.

The line-up also features Merzak Allouache’s Harragas (produced by Libris Film), which is currently shooting. The film traces the journey of a group of young Algerians who cross the Mediterranean illegally.

(Translated from French)