Le bal des actrices has begun

29/10/2007

Last Wednesday, young director-actress Maïwenn (31) started shooting her second feature film, Le bal des actrices (“The Actress’ Ball”), in Paris.

Discovered in Forgive Me [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (which picked up two nominations at the 2007 César Awards, for Best First Film and Best Female Newcomer), Maïwenn (sister of actress Isild Le Besco and former partner of Luc Besson) continues to pursue her radical aesthetic combining fiction and documentary, autobiography and pure invention, and this time takes on the subject of the film world.

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Written by the filmmaker, the screenplay retraces the trials and tribulations of a female director who wants to make a documentary about actresses - who are popular, unknown, highbrow, comical or forgotten. Filming everything with or without their consent, she gets caught up in their world and is eaten alive by these women who are as fragile as they are manipulative.

Appearing once again in her own film, Maïwenn has brought together an impressive cast (despite withdrawals from Isabelle Adjani and Monica Bellucci) where all the characters play themselves. The distinguished actresses include Jeanne Balibar, Marina Foïs, Charlotte Rampling, Romane Bohringer, Karin Viard, Julie Depardieu, Linh-Dan Pham, Mélanie Doutey, Mylène Jampanoï, Muriel Robin, Karole Rocher and Estelle Lefébure.

Male roles are played by rapper Joey Starr and the director Bertrand Blier, as well as the two stars of Forgive Me: Pascal Greggory and Marie-France Pisier.

Produced by François Kraus and Denis Pineau-Valencienne for Les Films du Kiosque (collaborators on Maïwenn’s previous film and also initiators of Intimate Enemies [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Florent Emilio Siri, which is currently on release), Le bal des actrices received co-production support from France 2 Cinéma and presales from Canal + and Ciné Cinéma.