News

Paris-based Playtime has unveiled a strong Cannes film market sales slate, which includes competition titles “About Dry Grasses” and “Homecoming.”

“About Dry Grasses” is by Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who won the Palme d’Or in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.” The film follows Samet, a young art teacher, who is finishing his fourth year of compulsory service in a remote village in Anatolia. After a turn of events he can hardly make sense of, he loses his hopes of escaping the grim life he seems to be stuck in, and hopes that his encounter with fellow teacher Nuray will help him overcome his angst. Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar and Musab Ekici are among the cast.

“Homecoming,” by French director Catherine Corsini who won the 2021 Queer Palm for “The Divide,” follows Khédidja, who minds a wealthy Parisian family’s children for a summer in Corsica. She brings along her own two...

France has set aside $5.6b to support cultural sector in wake of pandemic.

Veteran centre-right politician Roselyne Bachelot has been announced as France’s new minister of culture, becoming the fifth person to take-up the portfolio in five years.

She arrives in the post as the country’s culture sector faces its most challenging period since World War Two due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a recent study by the French culture ministry, revenue for the entire sector has fallen by 25%, or $25bn (€22.3bn), in the wake of the pandemic and national lockdown.

Prior to the outbreak of the virus,...

Portrait of an Artist: Provost’s Examination a Showcase for Devos

Continuing with the resuscitation of another female artist, which was the subject of his 2008 film Seraphine, an international success, director Martin Provost examines the life of author Violette Leduc with the simply named Violette (also the title of a late 70’s film by Chabrol starring the young Huppert as a murderess—also a true story). While comparison to his previous work may potentially render a less favorable critique of this latest venture, it’s still a compelling resurrection of an author whose reputation is still overshadowed by her more famous mentor and contemporary, Simone De Beauvoir. As a portrait of the relationship between these two women, the film is exceptionally engaging and engrossing. Emmanuelle Devos and Sandrine Kiberlaine deliver rewarding performances, strikingly at odds as they are genuinely complimentary.

During WWII, Violette Leduc (Emmanuelle Devos) is hiding in the...

Extremely well received at last month’s edition of Tiff, Martin Provost’s Violette becomes purchase number two (after Bethlehem) in just as many weeks for Jeff Lipsky’s Adopt Films. Screen Daily reports that the NYC-based distrib will release the biopic in May or June of next year.

Gist: Co-written by Provost, Marc Abdelnour and René de Ceccatty, Emmanuelle Devos stars in the eponymous role as the bisexual postwar author Violette Leduc, who was born out of wedlock and raised in poverty and went on to become the world renowned writer of The Bastard. This sees Sandrine Kiberlain star as Simone de Bouvoir, Jacques Bonnaffé as Jean Genet, Olivier Py as Maurice Sachs and Olivier Gourmet as Jacques Guérin.

Worth Noting: Leduc actually saw her novel novel Thérèse and Isabelle be adapted into a 1968 film by director Radley Metzger and starring Essy Persson and Anna Gael.

Do We Care?...

Exclusive: Venice winner Sacro Gra sells to eight more territories.

Doc & Film International has closed multiple deals on Martin Provost’s recent Toronto world premiere Violette including a Us sale to Adopt Films.

Rights have gone to Mongrel/Metropole in Canada, Golem in Spain, Madman in Australia and New Zealand, Kool Distribution in Germany, Immovision in Brazil, Cineplex in Colombia, Folkets Bio in Sweden and Xenix in Switzerland.

Further deals closed with Cdi Films in Argentina, Swallow Wings in Taiwan, Filmladen in Austria and Cinema Mondo in Finland.

Diaphana will launch the film in France in November, Big Bang in Belgium and Contact in the Netherlands.

Emmanuelle Devos stars in the eponymous role as the bisexual postwar author Violette Leduc, who was born out of wedlock and raised in poverty and went on to become the world renowned writer of The Bastard.

Violette also stars Sandrine Kiberlain as Simone de Bouvoir, Jacques Bonnaffé as [link...

Doc & Film International has closed multiple deals on Martin Provost’s recent Toronto world premiere Violette including a Us sale to Adopt Films.

Rights have gone to Mongrel/Metropole in Canada, Golem in Spain, Madman in Australia and New Zealand, Kool Distribution in Germany, Immovision in Brazil, Cineplex in Colombia, Folkets Bio in Sweden and Xenix in Switzerland.

Further deals closed with Cdi Films in Argentina, Swallow Wings in Taiwan, Filmladen in Austria and Cinema Mondo in Finland.

Diaphana will launch the film in France in November, Big Bang in Belgium and Contact in the Netherlands.

Emmanuelle Devos stars in the eponymous role as the bisexual postwar author Violette Leduc, who was born out of wedlock and raised in poverty and went on to become the world renowned writer of The Bastard.

Violette also stars Sandrine Kiberlain as Simone de Bouvoir, Jacques Bonnaffé as Jean Genet, Olivier Py as Maurice Sachs and Olivier Gourmet as Jacques Guérin. Provost...