15/09/2005

Eight majority French productions and six minority co-productions will take part in the 53rd edition of the Donostia Festival - San Sebastian which kicks off today in the Basque city and runs until the 24th September. In official competition, the director Anne Fontaine screens her 7th feature Entre ses mains. With a budget of 5-6 million euros, the film played by Benoît Poelvoorde and Isabelle Carré was produced by French companies Ciné B and Soudaine Compagnie in co-production with Belgian K2 and with the aid of Wallimage and of CRRAV (Regional Audiovisual Centre for Nord-Pas-de-Calais). In charge of international sales, Pathé will release Entre ses mains on French screens on the 21st September on 170 prints.

Equally in competition for the Golden Shell: Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé by Stéphane Brizé with Patrick Chesnais and Anne Consigny in the principal roles. Produced by Miléna Poylo and Gilles Sacuto for TS Productions, this second feature was made with a budget of 2,19 million euros including an Advance on Receipts of 480 000 euros from National Film Centre (CNC), a pre-sale from Canal + and aid of 315 000 euros from the Ile-de-France region. Rezo Films, who handle international sales, will distribute the film in France on the 12th October with 80 prints. Finally, the official competition includes two minority French co-productions: Sud Express by Chema de la Peña and Gabriel Velázquez (majority Spanish production) and El Aura by Fabian Bielinsky (Metropolitan co-producing at 18% of this Argentine-Spanish film).

As for the Zabaltegi section – New Directors highlights Alex by José Alcalá, produced, distributed in France (release 26 October) and sold internationally by Gémini Films. Played notably by Marie Raynal and Gérard Meylan, this first feature had a budget of 1,44 million euros including Advance on Receipts from the CNC of 450 000 euros. Boasting a sumptuous cast with Olivier Gourmet, Dominique Blanc, Marion Cotillard and Julie Depardieu, the other French candidate on course is Sauf le respect que je vous dois by Fabienne Godet, a film with a 1,99 million euros budget including 420 000 euros Advance on Receipts from the CNC. Produced by Le Bureau Films, this first feature will be distributed in French from the 11th January 2006 by Haut et Court.
Lastly, the Zabaltegi selection– Festivals’ Top offers Holy Lola by Bertrand Tavernier, L'enfer by Danis Tanovic (French-Italian-Belgian-Japanese co-production), Vers le sud [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laurent Cantet
interview: Robin Campillo
interview: Simon Arnal-Szlovak
film profile] by Laurent Cantet and Batalla en el cielo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlos Reygadas
interview: Jean Labadie
film profile] (French-Mexican-Belgian) by Carlos Reygadas. Other minority co-productions being screened are Mary [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Abel Ferrara, Paradise Now [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Hany Abu-Assad and A Letter of Fire d’Asoka Handagama (Sri Lanka - France), and not forgetting Geminis (Argentine – France) by Albertina Carri in the Horizons section.

(Translated from French)