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CANNES 2015 Directors’ Fortnight / France

Bidegain and Faucon join Garrel and Desplechin

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- Les Cowboys, Fatima, In the Shadow of Women and My Golden Years to be screened during the Directors’ Fortnight, along with Mustang

Bidegain and Faucon join Garrel and Desplechin
Fatima by Philippe Faucon

Among the 17 feature films chosen for the 47th Directors’ Fortnight (to be held from 14 to 24 May as part of the 68th Cannes Film Festival) are five French majority productions. After it was announced early that the films of two filmmakers who are very well known internationally would be showcasing their work: In the Shadow of Women [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Philippe Garrel (which will open the Directors’ Fortnight - see news article) and My Golden Years [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Arnaud Desplechin (news article), a very attractive debut feature film has also been selected: Franco-Belgian production Les Cowboys [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Thomas Bidegain (see news article).

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A skilled screenwriter (who has worked on the likes of A Prophet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile
]
, Rust and Bone [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard
film profile
]
, Dheepan
 [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Jacques Audiard
film profile
]
, Saint Laurent [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Bertrand Bonello
film profile
]
, La famille Bélier [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile
]
, etc.), for his first foray behind the camera, Thomas Bidegain assembled a cast featuring Belgian-born François Damiens, Finnegan Oldfield, Agathe Dronne and American actor John C. Reilly. Written by Bidegain and Noé Debré, the plot centres around a family fascinated by country culture and the Far West, and thrown into turmoil when the eldest daughter disappears (after being recruited by an Islamist group), causing her father and brother to search for her for years… Produced by Alain Attal for Les Productions du Trésor on a budget of €7.99 million, Les Cowboys was co-produced by France 2 Cinéma along with Belgian production companies Films du Fleuve and Lunanime, pre-bought by Canal+ and Ciné+, and supported by an advance on receipts from the CNC. It will be distributed in France by Pathé, which will also handle international sales.

Another film added to the selection is Fatima [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Faucon
film profile
]
by Philippe Faucon (see news article), the 9th feature film of a filmmaker who is a familiar face at festivals (L'Amour was selected for the parallel section at Cannes in 1990, Samia was selected for the parallel section at Venice in 2000, The Betrayal [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
and Dans la vie [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
were selected for the Toronto Film Festival in 2005 and 2007 respectively, and La Désintégration [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
was shown out of competition at Venice in 2011). The director’s new film, a big screen adaptation of Prayer to the Moon by Fatima Elayoubi, features a cast including Soria Zeroual, Zita Hanrot and Kenza Noah Aïche, and tells the story of a woman who lives alone with her two teenage daughters, sacrificing herself for their future and suffering as a result of her lack of fluency in French… Produced by Istiqlal Films on a budget of €2.57 million, Fatima was co-produced by Arte France Cinéma, Rhône-Alpes Cinéma and Canadian production company Possibles Média, and was supported by an advance on receipts from the CNC, the PACA region and the Acsé. Distribution in France and international sales are being managed by Pyramide.

The 5th and final French majority production to be screened during the Directors’ Fortnight will be Mustang [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
film profile
]
by Turkish-born director Deniz Gamze Ergüven. Produced by Charles Gillibert for CG Cinéma with Germany and Turkey, the film was made on a budget of €1.3 million, including the funds generated by the film being pre-bought by Canal+ and Ciné+.

Finally, there will also be five French minority co-productions showcased during the Directors’ Fortnight: Le Tout Nouveau Testament [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaco van Dormael
film profile
]
by Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael (co-produced by France for 20% via Après le déluge, pre-bought by OCS – distribution in France and international sales : Le Pacte), The Here After [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Magnus von Horn
film profile
]
by Swedish filmmaker Magnus von Horn (co-produced by France (11%) via Cinéma Defacto, supported financially by the CNC’s World Cinema Support fund), Peace to us in our Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sharunas Bartas
film profile
]
by Lithuanian-born Sharunas Bartas (co-produced by KinoElektron), Much Loved [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch (sold by Celluloid Dreams) and Arabian Nights [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miguel Gomes
film profile
]
by Portuguese director Miguel Gomes (news).

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(Translated from French)

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