29 European films out before year end

by Fabien Lemercier

27/07/2007 - German films will have pride of place in French cinemas in the last quarter of 2007 (end August-December 28), well ahead of its British and Italian counterparts, while only a few Scandinavian and Spanish features will make it to screens.

For the last season of the year, French distributors have programmed 29 non-national European productions compared to 53 European films released in the same period in 2006 and 26 features in the last quarter of 2005.

With a single title, the Romanian new wave will be in the spotlight on August 29 with Cristian Mungiu’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [trailer, film focus] (see article), which will be released in theatres by Bac Films and Why Not Productions.

The renaissance of German cinema in France will try to make itself felt with nine features, including Fatih Akin’s Cannes-winning The Edge of Heaven [trailer, film focus] (November 14, Pyramide).

Other noteworthy titles are Four Minutes [trailer] by Chris Kraus (September 26, EuropaCorp Distribution), Stefan Ruzowitzky’s The Counterfeiter (November 14, Rezo Films), Valeska Grisebach’s Longing [trailer] (October 3, Bodega Films), Ann-Kristin Reyels’ Hounds [trailer] (November release, ASC Distribution), Volker Schlöndorff’s French/German co-production Ulzhan (December 5, Rezo Films) and Dominik Graf’s The Red Cockatoo (December release, CTV International).

Last but not least, rounding out the selection are two animated films: Hayo Freitag’s The Three Robbers (December 19, Gebeka Films) and The Adventures of Prince Achmed (December 5, Carlotta Films).

Six British titles will be hitting screens. First up are Shane Meadows’ highly acclaimed This is England (Ad Vitam) and Control by Dutch director Anton Corbijn (La Fabrique de Films), which won the Europa Cinemas Label at the 2007 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, both out September 26.

They will be followed by Julian Jarrold’s Jane (October 17, La Fabrique de Films), Kevin Macdonald’s documentary My Enemy’s Enemy (November 7, Wild Bunch Distribution), Shekhar Kapur’s The Golden Age (December 12, Studio Canall) and Mark Palansky’s Pénélope (December 19, ARP Sélection).

Other releases include three Italian films by well-known directors, such as Daniele Luchetti’s Cannes Certain Regard entry (see interview) My Brother Is an Only Child [trailer, film focus] (September 12, Studio Canal).

Further new Italian arrivals are Marco Bellocchio’s The Wedding Director (August 22, Films sans frontières) and Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Unknown [trailer] (November release, Alexart/Wysios/LBE).

The last of the Italian bunch is Doug Lefler’s five-way co-production (Italy/France/UK/Slovakia/Tunisia) The Last Legion [trailer] (September 19, Quinta Communications).

European co-productions on show include Peter Greenaway’s Nightwatching [trailer] (December release, Bac Films), while only one Spanish title hits screens Isaki Lacuesta’s The Legend of Time (November release, Colifilms Distribution).

Scandinavia will be represented by Danish director Pernille Fischer Christensen’s Soap [trailer, film focus] (September 26, Equation) and You, the Living [trailer, film focus] by Sweden’s Roy Andersson (October 31, Les Films du Losange).

Cinephiles will finally be able to see two films presented at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival: White Palms by Hungarian helmer Szabolcs Hadju (November release, Epicentre Films) and Colossal Youth [trailer] by Portugal’s Pedro Costa (October release, Equation).

Other co-productions due for release are Alain Berliner’s French/Belgian/Luxembourg title Gone For a Dance (August 29, Eurozoom ); Benoît Mariage French/Belgian film Cow Boy, starring Benoît Poelvoorde (December 5, UGC); and Romanian/French/Italian title Youth Without Youth [trailer] by US director Francis Ford Coppola (November release, Pathé).

(Translated from French)