27/03/2007

Unifrance, the international promotional agency for French cinema, is stepping things up a gear on British territory with A Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, which kicks off in London on Thursday.

A selection of 12 features, which have been acquired by distributors and are scheduled for release before autumn 2007, will screen at the prestigious Curzon Mayfair until April 1.

The event – which features twice as many films as in 2006 – will be attended by a strong contingent of French directors and actors, including Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, Romain Duris, François Cluzet, Sabine Azéma, Isabelle Carré, Lambert Wilson and Sylvie Testud.

According to Unifrance expert Elizabeth Conter, who will analyse the territory in an interview published by Cineuropa on Thursday, 2007 is expected to be a very promising year for French cinema in the UK.

Meanwhile, Unifrance president Margaret Menegoz has highlighted: "The British market is difficult for all foreign language films, which makes distributors’ jobs particularly delicate. Some have had faith in French cinema for a long time, while others have taken up the challenge of distribution in theatres only recently, but all are very dynamic and want to attract more British cinemagoers to French films."

Opened by Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – a current hit at the French box office and also doing well in Germany (see news) – the festival will also present Guillaume Canet’s Tell No One [+see also:
trailer
film profile], winner of four Cesars in 2007, including Best Director and Best Actor.

Other titles include Patrice Leconte’s My Best Friend [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see interview), Bruno Dumont’s Cannes and Venice award-winning Flanders [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see article and interview), Private Fears in Public Places [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Alain Resnais (see article and interview) and, last but not least, three films well received in Cannes last May: Xavier Giannoli’s The Singer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see news), Christophe Honoré’s Inside Paris [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see article) and Tony Gatlif’s Transylvania [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see news).

The highly diversified programme will be completed by Stéphane Brizé’s Not Here to Be Loved [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see article), Santiago Amigorena’s A Few Days in September [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see news), Gela and Temur Babluani’s The Legacy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see article) and Fisssures [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Alanté Kavaïté (see article).

Round table discussions for professionals will focus on the recent changes to the UK tax system, which will impact co-production funding.

(Translated from French)