25/01/2005 - The story of Christophe Barratier's first feature film is a fairytale indeed. Last Tuesday (1/25), Les Choristes (The Choir) has been selected to compete with four other films for the Oscar as best foreign film.

The story of Christophe Barratier's first feature film is a fairytale indeed. Last Tuesday (1/25), Les Choristes (The Choir) has been selected to compete with four other films for the Oscar as best foreign film. The famous award ceremony will be held on the 27th of February. But the fairytale does not end there! The film has been nominated in yet another category, Oscar for the best song, with "Look To Your Path".
Since it was released in France on the 17th of March 2004, it has not only sold over 8,5 million tickets in the homeland but it has also been welcomed enthusiastically by foreign audiences (bringing 3 million euros benefits from Spain in the first seven weeks after its release there, and 1 million euros benefits from Italy in no more than 13 weeks). In 2004, Les Choristes has brought a 12,5 million euros profit altogether from foreign countries. These figures are expected to raise considerably since the nominations for the Oscars have attracted even more attention on the film. Furthermore, Miramax Films et IFC Films took advantage of yesterday's Sundance Festival to sign up a contract ensuring a joint-distribution in North America for Christophe Barratier's film (Miramax handles movie theaters, and IFC gets the rights for television broadcasting).

This fantastic success, especially for a film with a middle budget (5,33 million euros) can of course be explained by the quality of the main actors Gérard Jugnot and Français Berléand, as well the nostalgic charm conveyed by this choir of schoolboys in a 1949 boarding school. Les Choristes, which already got 8 nominations for the French Cesar Awards, is now given the opportunity to carry its musical magic to Hollywood, to the great joy of its already numerous admirers as well as its producer's (Galatée Films)and co-producers', (Pathé Renn Productions, France 2 Cinéma, Novo Arturo Films, and Vega Film).

(Translated from French)