01/03/2005

Belgian, Spanish, British, and French productions are released today on the French screens. There are exactly five fiction features and four documentaries to face four American movies (one of which was directed by the French director Jean-François Richet) and an Argentinian one. Amongst the European releases, many coproductions are there to prove than collaboration within Europe is developing ; the axis France-Belgium has been a particularly good example of this type of collaboration.

On of the main features is the latest Costa Gavras, The Ax, starring José Garcia, Karine Viard, Ulrich Tukur, and Olivier Gourmet , and distributed by Mars Distribution. This film, a thriller adapted from a novel by Donald Westlake, was coproduced by the French KG Production, the Belgian company directed by the Dardenne brothers (Les Films du Fleuve), and the Spanish Wanda Vision.
Darwin’s Nightmare by the Austrian Hubert Sauper, elected Best Documentary at the Film Festival Premiers Plans in Angers, is released on 25 copies by its distributor (Ad Vitam). This documentary, besides proving that the genre seduces more and more spectators, is another example of a quality coproduction involved 1001 Productions (France), Coop 99 (Austria), and Saga Film (Belgium).
Another quality film, Hector by the Spanish director Gracia Querejeta, is coming out on the screens —Colifilms decided to launch 20 copies. It is worth noting that this feature film produced by the director’s company, Elias Quereteja PC, together with DeAlplaneta and Ensueno, got four nominations at the latest Goyas.

This week, 9 songs by Michael Winterbottom adds a hint of British eroticism to the program. This Revolution Films production, is distributed on 25 copies by Pan Européenne. Comedies aren’t missing. The public can now discover not only J’irai cracher sur vos tongs by Michel Toesca (France), but also Les gens honnêtes vivent en France by Bob Decout, starring Victoria Abril. This coproduction involving France, la Columbia, Belgium, and Spain, is distributed on no less than 200 copies by Challenge Films. Last but certainly not least, Belgium is predominant this week in the documentary category : 10 copies of Cinéastes à tout prix by Frédéric Sojcher (produced by Saga Film, in collaboration with Flight Movie, the RTBF, and Wip) are launched by L’Envers du Décor, and we also find Ne faites pas de cinéma by Oren Nataf, a French (Les Films du Babue) and Belgian (Marc Levie Visual ) coproduction distributed by Oxygène Associés, a thorough analysis of the 7th art which the aficionados can complete with the French documentary Le Fantôme d’Henri Langlois by Jacques Richard.

(Translated from French)