16/01/2009

The 21st Premiers Plans Film Festival in Angers kicks off today and lasts until January 25.

This important place of discovery for young European cinematic talent has previously presented debut works by Fatih Akin, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Danny Boyle, Arnaud Desplechin, François Ozon, Cristi Puiu and Andrzej Jakimowski, among others. This year’s event will unveil 100 debut films in seven sections (five competitive and two non-competitive).

Titles in the debut features competition – whose jury is presided by Claire Denis – include French director Nicolas Saada’s Espion(s) (“Spies”, see news - to be released domestically on January 28 by Mars Distribution); Irish philosophical thriller Helen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joe Lawlor and Christine M…
film profile] by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor (see news); Macdara Vallely’s Irish/UK co-production Peacefire (presented at Karlovy Vary last summer); and Dutch director David Verbeek’s Dutch/French co-production Shanghai Trance (in competition at last year’s Rotterdam Festival).

Also on the competition line-up are two films lauded at Venice 2008: Romanian director Adrian Sitaru’s Hooked [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adrian Sitaru
film profile] (to be launched by Rezo on February 4) and Italian filmmaker Gianni Di Gregorio’s Mid-August Lunch [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (to be released by Le Pacte on March 18).

Screening out of competition are French director Eric Vuillard’s Matteo Falcone, We’ve Never Been to Venice [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Slovenia’s Blaz Kutin, and Jukka Pekka Valkeapaa’s Finnish/German/Estonian/UK co-production The Visitor [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

Homages include Nanni Moretti: His First Films (attended by the Italian director). There will also be tributes to animated filmmaker Jean-François Laguionie and Georgian director Otar Iosseliani, as well as 32 films by Luis Buñuel.

The festival will also host a focus on Belgian animated film, a selection of 21 features made in the US by European directors, screenplay readings, five roundtables on the new economy of film and a Masterclass of young European producers organised by the Baden-Wüttemberg Film Academy and La Fémis.

(Translated from French)