CANNES 2007 Official selection / France
Assayas, Philibert, Lelouch and Birkin out of competition
The official Out of Competition programme at the 60th Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27) will throw the spotlight on four French productions.
Cannes regular Olivier Assayas will this year have a Midnight Screening with his Boarding Gate [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Starring Italy’s Asia Argento, US actor Michael Madsen and China’s Kelly Lin and Carl Ng, the film had many ups-and-downs, having changed producers on several occasions as well as its original cast (see article).
The €2.5m feature was finally produced by Margo films in association with Wild Bunch and Luxembourg’s Samsa Film, and was backed by pre-sales from Canal+ and TPS. The title is expected to be sold worldwide by MK2.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Philibert (To Be and to Have) will present his new documentary Return to Normandie [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see news) in the Special Screenings section.
Produced by Maïa Films and Les Films d'Ici for a €1.69m budget with CNC advances on receipts of €150,000, pre-sales from Canal+ and funding of €400,000 from ARTE France Cinéma (€250,000 in co-production and €150,000 in pre-sales), the film is being sold internationally by Films Distribution.
The festival’s 60th Anniversary Tributes will feature Roman de gare by Claude Lelouch (1966 Palme d’Or with A Man and a Woman), starring Dominique Pinon and Fanny Ardant. The Les Films 13 production carried a €4.21m budget and has been pre-sold to Canal+.
UK singer-actress Jane Birkin’s feature debut Boxes will also be dedicated a tribute. Birkin will star as herself alongside Michel Piccoli, Géraldine Chaplin, Annie Girardot, Lou Doillon, Natacha Régnier, Adèle Exarchopoulos, John Hurt, Maurice Bénichou and Tchéky Karyo in the €2.09m Les Films de la Croisade production. Pyramide is distributing the title in overseas territories.
Other tributes at Cannes include Ulzhan [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by German helmer Volker Schlondorff (Palme d’Or in 1979 for The Tin Drum), scripted by Jean-Claude Carrière and starring Philippe Torreton. The €3.42m French/German/Kazakh co-production was headed by French outfit Fly Times Pictures with backing of €240,000 from ARTE France Cinéma.
International sales on the title are being handled by Rezo Films.
(Translated from French)
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