14/09/2005

Today the Palme d’Or winner for 2005, L’Enfant [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne
film profile] (see our Focus) by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, comes out in Belgian cinemas. With Jérémie Renier, whom they discovered in La Promesse and who provides here a shining presence, with Déborah François and Jérémie Segard who are both making their first steps in the large family of the Dardenne, with a cameo role by faithful Olivier Gourmet, L’Enfant is a film of great simplicity, linear and luminous. It follows step by step the travails of Bruno who has survived pillaging and will sell his new-born child without being aware of the monstrous act he is committing. With this sixth feature, the Dardenne leave the sombre vein of Fils [+see also:
trailer
film profile] or the turbulence of Rosetta for a meditation that is more reposed and open and seems to be closure for a long search which began with La Promesse.

Produced by the brothers’ production house, Les Films du Fleuve and RTBF (Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française), in co-production with the French Archipel 35 and Arte France Cinéma, with aid from the French-speaking Community in Belgium, of Wallimages and the Wallone Region, supported by Eurimage and the Media Programme, with a total budget of 3 595 894 euros, the film is distributed in Belgium and Luxembourg by Cinéart-Cinélibre, faithful accomplice of the Dardennes (read Eliane Dubois interview).

Sold internationally by Celluloïd Dreams, the film will be distributed in France with 200 prints on October 19th by Diaphana. On November 3rd it will also reach the cinemas screen of Holland (A Films), Switzerland (Xenix ), Denmark (Camera), in Sweden December 16th (Folkets Bio), Norway (Arthaus), Iceland (Iceland Group), in Spain (Vertigo Films), on December 2nd in Italy (BIM), in Portugal (Atalanta), in Greece (Audio Visual), March 31st next year in the UK (Artificial Eye), In Turkey (umut Sanat), in Hungary (Cirko Film), in Poland (Polsat), in Rumania (Independanta), in Bulgaria (Arfest). Tuck will release it in Jugoslavia and Artdo Buiras in the Baltic countries.

Sold to most of the new European enlargement area, L’Enfant will be distributed by Maywin in Russia on Wednesday the 15th September, by Sony Pictures in the USA on the 17th March, by TVA in Canada, Bitter Ends in Japan, Sponge in South Korea, First Distribution in Hong Kong, Lighthouse in Singapore, Box Office in Thailand, United King in Israël and in the Middle East , in South America by Distribution Compagny (Argentina the 19th January 2006, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay), by Imovision in Brazil, Cineplex in Venezuela and in Mexico and finally by Eurofilms in Peru, in Ecuador and in Bolivia. A beautiful tour of the world for this modest and simple film.

(Translated from French)