27/11/2007

Intended for writers who have had no more than three screenplays made into films, the 2007 Grand Prize for Best Screenplay was awarded yesterday to Alain Monne for Percussions.

Adapted with Nathalie Vailloud from Eric Holder’s novel L’homme de chevet, the screenplay, which is set in the Colombian city of Cartagena, retraces the unexpected encounter between a former boxer and the young quadriplegic woman he looks after. A passionate relationship of opposites gradually develops between them: a man with a damaged mind and a healthy body and a woman with a broken body and a healthy mind.

The project is about to enter the financing stage led by production companies Ciné Nominé and Thelma Films.

Funded by the National Centre for Cinematography (CNC), the Grand Prize for Best Screenplay also honoured Noces éphémères (“Ephemeral Wedding”) by Reza Serkanian (an Overlap Films production).

This year’s other finalists included Karin Albou (Little Jerusalem) for Le Chant des mariées (“The Brides’ Song”), which is currently being shot in Tunisia (production Gloria Films); Valérie Gaudissart for Ich bin eine Terroristin (“I’m a Terrorist”, Charivari Films); Annemarie Jacir for Salt of This Sea (JBA Productions); and Jean-Claude Jean for Cendrine (Novi Productions), a film adaptation of Didier Daeninckx’s novel Le Crime de Sainte-Adresse.

Presided by actress Marianne Basler, the 2007 jury also comprised Martin Provost (last year’s winner with Séraphine, see article); Sophie Dulac (producer, distributor and exhibitor and president of Ecrans de Paris); Pierre Héros (director of France 2 Cinéma); Jean Labadie (distributor, Le Pacte) and Géraldine Gendre (assistant director of M6 Films).

The award, whose previous winners include Radu Mihaileanu (Go, See and Become), Julie Bertuccelli (Since Otar Left) and Laurent Cantet (Time Out), has seen almost 50 films produced from the screenplays selected over the last ten years.

(Translated from French)