26/08/2009

An eclectic trio of French films is hitting Belgian screens this week.

First up is a lightweight, late-summer treat: Jennifer Devoldère’s debut film Every Jack Has A Jill [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. This romantic comedy was produced by Quad Films (who are also helming Heartbreaker, starring Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis, which finished shooting this summer). Victory Production is releasing the title on a five-print run in Brussels and Wallonia.

The line-up also includes two Cannes discoveries of very different genres. Alain Guiraudie’s offbeat rural comedy The King of Escape [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is being released on a limited two-print run in Brussels. Presented in the Directors‘ Fortnight, the film won over audiences and critics with its unconventional look at relationships and its improbable but powerful star duo Ludovic Berthillot and Hafsia Herzi.

This week’s heavyweight French release is Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile]. Selected in competition at Cannes, the film was, right to the last minute, hotly tipped to win the Palme d’Or and in the end took home the Grand Prize.

Boosted by rave reviews from an almost unanimous press, the title is being launched on 24 screens in both French and Flemish-speaking Belgium, which is rare for a French production. Distribution is being handled by Flanders-based ABC Distribution, who specialise in auteur films, especially those discovered at festivals.

ABC, who have backed a number of young French auteurs, seem to have a flair for spotting talent, in particular François Ozon (all of whose films they have distributed, except his latest), and more recently Emmanuel Mouret and Cécile Sciamma. The nationwide release of A Prophet is a real gamble.

Finally, this week also sees the limited release on one screen in Gand of French/Philippine co-production Serbis (in Official Competition at Cannes 2008), by acclaimed director Brillante Mendoza, who returned to competition at Cannes this year with his latest work, Kinatay.

(Translated from French)