18/01/2008

The 20th edition of the Premiers Plans Film Festival in Angers kicks off today and lasts until January 27.

This hotbed of young European cinematic talent has led to the discovery of directors such as Fatih Akin, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Arnaud Desplechin, François Ozon, Nick Park, Cristi Puiu, Danny Boyle, Djamshed Usmonov, Marc Recha, Corneliu Porumboiu, Hubert Sauper and Thomas Vinterberg.

The event, which this year pays homage to Alain Resnais, Jeanne Moreau and the best films in the festival’s history, will host a broad panorama of European productions, including features, shorts, animated works and student films.

The titles in the competition section devoted to debut European include Autumn Ball [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Estonian director Veiko Õunpuu, which won the Grand Prize in the Horizons sections at the 2007 Venice Film Festival (see Special Report); and German film The Unpolished [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Pia Marais, a Pandora production which scooped a Tiger Award at the 2007 Rotterdam Film Festival.

Two French films are also competing: Emmanuel Saget’s Les Grands s'allongent par terre (“Adults Lie Down on the Ground”, Les Films Pelléas) and Cyril Gelblat’s Les Murs porteurs (“The Carrier Walls”) starring Miou Miou, Charles Berling and Giovanna Mezzogiorno (see news).

The line-up also includes Me by Spanish director Rafa Cortès, which was unveiled at Rotterdam, presented as Fipresci Revelation of the Year 2007 and screened at the 2007 Cannes Critics’ Week; as well as Tricks [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrzej Jakimowski
interview: Tomasz Gąssowski
film profile] by Polish director Andrzej Jakimowski (see interview), which screened at Venice Days 2007 (see Special Report) and won the Europa Cinemas Label Award.

Noteworthy titles screening out of competition include the feature Le Printemps est vite arrivé (“Spring Soon Comes Round”) by actress Nathalie Boutefeu; and the UK experimental docu-fiction Build a Ship, Sail to Sadness by Laurin Federlein.

Screenplay readings will unveil Philippe Van Leeuw’s La Vacillante (“The Wavering Woman”, a Les Films du Mogho production, read by Isabelle Carré); Jacques Sechaud’s Suerte (“Fate”, Château Rouge Production); Meyar Al-Roumi’s Le Chemin des figuiers (“The Fig Tree Path”, Bizibi Productions); Roland Edzard’s Les Gens ne savent pas peut-être (“Perhaps People Don’t Know”, Unlimited); and Katell Quillévéré’s Un poison violent (“A Violent Poison”, Les Films du Bélier).

(Translated from French)