News

MyFrenchFilmFestival, the world’s largest online French-language film festival, kicks off today, offering cinephiles, filmmakers and global audiences alike access to 20 French-language shorts and features.

Created by Unifrance 15 years ago, the festival offers a unique platform for French cinema to be enjoyed by viewers from all corners of the globe. The 2025 edition promises to promote creativity, diversity, and thought-provoking storytelling that explores universal and contemporary themes through an eclectic selection of films.

Running Jan. 17 to Feb. 17, MyFrenchFilmFestival’s 15th edition will showcase 20 films, including nine feature films in competition — four of which are debuts — along with nine short films and a special silent animation short designed for younger audiences.

Mfff’s 2025 competition jury is comprised of French-Iranian actor-producer-director Zar Amir; Danish-American actor-director Viggo Mortensen; French actress-director Noémie Merlant; Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh; and Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev. Their expertise will be counted on to select the winner of this year’s Grand Prix,...

Gu Xiaogang knows firsthand the impact that international film festivals can have.

Gu turned to the Beijing International Film Festival back in 2018 in an effort to get his breakthrough feature, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, made. He took his film to Bjiff’s project market and he walked away with the funds he needed after impressing investors with his story — an intimate look at a family’s life as it evolves across one year — along with his languid style.

The international film world has since felt much the same. Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains went on to become the first Chinese-language film to close Critics’ Week at Cannes in 2019, was selected among the top 10 films of the year by the leading French film magazine Cahier du Cinema in 2020 and led directly to Gu being named a co-winner of the Akira Kurosawa Award at last year’s 36th Tokyo International Film Festival,...

Pulsar Content has boarded “Mikado,” a heartwarming family film written and directed by Baya Kasmi, who previously directed “Iʼm All Yours” and “The (in)famous Youssef Salem.”

“Mikado” is produced by Karé Production (“The Presidentʼs Wife”) and Films Grand Huit (“Disco Boy”). The film stars Felix Moati (“No Manʼs Land”) alongside Ramzy Bedia (“Donʼt Die Too Hard!”) and Vimala Pons (“Vincent Must Die”), who previously worked with Kasmi.

Pulsar Content will be launching international sales at the European Film Market with an exclusive promo-reel.

The film follows Mikado and Laetitia, who lead an alternative lifestyle aboard a van with their home-schooled children Nuage and Zephir. One day, their van breaks down, forcing them to lead a somewhat “normal” life over summer.

“We immediately fell in love with Bayaʼs script,” said Pulsar Content co-founders Gilles Sousa and Marie Garrett. “It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, and a wonderful role for Felix Moati.

Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center have unveiled the lineup for the 29th Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, a festival celebrating contemporary French film running from Feb. 29-March 10.

Thomas Cailley’s “The Animal Kingdom” will screen as the 2024 Opening Night Selection in its New York premiere. The film, which was nominated for 12 Cesar Awards, tells the story of an infection that mutates humans into animal hybrids.

“It is a great honor to open this year’s edition with the French critical and box-office hit ‘The Animal Kingdom’ with director Thomas Cailley in attendance,” said Daniela Elstner, executive director of Unifrance.

Elstner continued, “This remarkable film along with this year’s selection is a great example of the vitality and diversity of French cinema today. A mix of new and established filmmakers together with the stellar presence of actress Marion Cotillard indeed make for a rich 29th edition of this year’s Rendez-Vous With French Cinema.

Exclusive: Golden Globe winner Emma Corrin (The Crown) and Cesar nominee Lucie Zhang are set to star in Jenny Suen’s English language feature debut Peaches, which Coco Francini (Fingernails) will produce and Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton will executive-produce for Dirty Films.

Set in contemporary Hong Kong, the movie will follow two spoiled best friends who scam sugar daddies for a living. When they discover a Hermes Birkin bag they were gifted is a fake, their “boyfriends” and crimes catch up with them.

The film is an adaptation of Vera Chitylova’s 1966 Czech New Wave comedy Daisies.

Paris-based MK2 Films, whose slate includes Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall and Cannes Un Certain Regard winner How to Have Sex, is handling international sales and discussed the project with buyers at last week’s AFM. The film will start production early next year in Hong Kong.

Spanish distributors will present their international titles to exhibitors, broadcasters and platforms st the Merci market.

Seminci, the Valladolid International Film Week, will host an expanded third edition of Spain’s Independent Film Market for the first time from October 25-27.

Known as Merci Valladolid, the market is jointly organised by Seminci and the Association of Independent Film Distributors (Adicine).

The market used to be held at the Seville European Film Festival, which was previously run by Seminici’s new director José Luis Cienfuegos.

Sixteen Spanish independent distributors will present their international titles to exhibitors, television networks and platforms at Merci Valladolid.

”“September is always low,” said Fncf’s Marc-Olivier Sebbag, “People have other things to do.”

Despite a promising summer blockbuster boost and August upswing, France’s September box office struggled with just 8.8m ticket sales and a total gross of approximately €63.2m, based on an average ticket price of €7.

The September slump was down 21.1% compared to the pre-pandemic 2017-2019 average and the lowest since 2005 (8.4m).

However it was up 16.1% from last year’s abysmal 7.6m admissions. Last September’s record low marked the worst month at the French box office since 1980, excluding the pandemic-ridden 2020 when cinemas were closed for most of the year.

The San Sebastian Film Festival added six movies to its competition lineup on Friday.

Joining the list of contenders for the Golden Shell award at the Spanish fest’s 71st edition are the latest films from directors Kitty Green (The Assistant), Isabella Eklöf (Holiday), Xavier Legrand (Jusqu’à la garde/Custody), Kei Chika-Ura (Complicity) and Christos Nikou (Apples), as well as the debut from Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang. Nikou’s new movie features a star-studded cast, including Riz Ahmed, Jessie Buckley, Luke Wilson, Jeremy Allen White and Annie Murphy.

They join a competition program that includes two American titles in Ex-Husbands from director Noah Pritzker (Quitters) and Raven Jackson’s first feature, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.

In addition, Thomas Lilti’s Un métier sérieux (A Real Job) will be part of the special screenings in the San Sabastian official selection, fest organizers said. The new film from...

Aussie filmmaker Kitty Green’s latest pic, The Royal Hotel, starring Julia Garner, and Fingernails, the latest film from Christos Nikou, with Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley, have been added to San Sebastian’s competition lineup.

Overall, six films have been announced as late additions to proceedings in San Seb. The other titles are Kalak (Isabella Eklöf), The Successor (Xavier Legrand), Great Absence (Kei Chika-Ura), and the debut from Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang, A Journey in Spring. Additionally, the French pic A Real Job, directed by Thomas Lilti, will play the fest’s special screenings section.

The Royal Hotel is Kitty Green’s first feature since her 2019 breakout, The Assistant. The film tells the tale of two backpackers (Garner and Jessica Henwick) who take a job in a pub in the remote Australian Outback. Neon has acquired North American rights to the film. Following his debut Apples, which played Telluride,...

Thomas Lilti’s A Real Job will premiere as a special screening.

Films from Xavier Legrand and Kitty Green are among the new titles in the competition line-up of the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

French director Legrand, whose 2017 feature Custody won best film at the Cesars and best director in Venice, brings The Successor, about a designer who discovers a shocking secret after his father dies.

Australian director Green follows up her fiction feature debut hit The Assistant (2019) with The Royal Hotel, about two backpackers who start working at a pub in the remote Australian outback. Julia Garner once again stars in the film,...

Un Métier sérieux

Production on Thomas Lilti‘s fifth feature commenced back in February of ’22 in Normandy with a formidable comprised of Vincent Lacoste, François Cluzet, Louise Bourgoin, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Lucie Zhang, William Lebghil and Bouli Lanners. Having built his filmography around worlds with white coats or institution-themed films, it comes as no surprise that Un Métier sérieux (aka A Real Job) features a dramedy that revolves around the notion of training for the next level. Our money is on the cast here.

Gist: Benjamin, a PhD student without a scholarship, accepts a contract professorship in a college. Without training or experience, faced with a weakened institution, he discovered the difficulties of this profession.…...

Period tragicomedy “Blackport,” backed by Icelandic public broadcaster Ruv and European network Arte, won top honors on Thursday at leading European TV festival Series Mania taking its Grand Prize.

The biggest plaudit at Lille’s Series Mania represents the festival’s second prize for the series after it awarded it best pitch kudos at the Berlinale Co-Pro Series in 2018.

“Blackport” represents a deep-dive into recent Icelandic history, kicking off in 1983 as a quota system is introduced in Iceland to protect fish stock, with ships being granted fishing rights based on their most recent three-year history.

Half family saga, half tragic farce, “Blackport” records how Harpa, a village council secretary builds a local fishing empire in a stunning western fjord but at an ever larger cost as the decade plays out.

Shot on location and based on true fact, “Blackport” oozes two of the calling cards of contemporary drama series: a...

Broadcasting

Channel 4 and Sky in the U.K. have extended their pre-existing, long-term commercial partnership in a new multi-year agreement which, according to the companies, will facilitate greater opportunity for collaboration, commercial growth and innovation as broadcasting evolves going forward.

Under the terms of the new deal, Sky customers will have access to even more Channel 4 content as more than 1000 hours of All 4 — Channel 4’s VoD platform — exclusives are integrated into Sky’s current and future TV products. Channel 4 will benefit from under the new terms by opening avenues to new digital ad revenue streams which can support its Future4 strategy.

“When we set out our Future4 strategy last year, we made clear that securing strategic distribution partnerships would be a vital part of ensuring we can maximize our reach and impact with viewers in a digital age, grow our revenues and compete more effectively for the future,” said Alex Mahon,...

Several titles looking to follow in the wake of ‘Tenet’.

France, opening Wednesday September 2

The biggest opener in France this week is Anne Fontaine’s Police, first seen at the Berlinale in February. Released by Studiocanal, the drama (also known as Night Shift) centres on three Parisian police officers – played by Omar Sy, Virginie Efira and Grégory Gadebois – who debate whether to deport an illegal immigrant (Payman Maadi) while transporting him to the airport.

Sophie Letourneur’s Enormous will also receive a wide release through Memento Films Distribution. First screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) in January, the...

”It’s stressful doing calls at the same time as trying to teach your oldest daughter how to read.”

Former Bac Films managing director Mathieu Robinet was on the verge of launching a new distribution venture when the Covid-19 pandemic put his plans on hold.

Frustrated by his lack of professional activity during France’s lockdown, which began on March 17 and is now easing, he decided to create an itinerant drive-in cinema to keep “the spirit of collective filmgoing alive”. It kicked off successfully in Bordeaux in mid-May but following protests from French exhibitors and last week’s announcement that...

French film executives Mathieu Robinet, former head of Bac Films, and Yohann Comte, co-founder of Charades, have joined forces to launch Drive-in Festival, a not-for-profit initiative that will take place in several cities across the country until theaters reopen.

The initiative was inspired by American drive-in cinemas and similar initiatives created in Germany, South Korea and even Lithuania, where the Vilnius International Film Festival converted airport space into a massive drive-in cinema, said Comte.

Robinet, who conceived the idea of the Drive-in Festival, enlisted Comte and other film executives and received the blessing of cities, individual exhibitors, distributors such as Le Pacte, The Jokers and Wild Bunch, and the National Film Board to put together a line-up of films that can be watched outdoors from people’s cars.

The first session kicked off May 16 in Bordeaux on the Place des Quinconces, which welcomed 200 cars for “Hippocrate,” Thomas Lilti’s film...

Ovid.TV, the newly launched streaming platform created by eight independent-film distributors, is expanding its library. The service has made 10 new titles available to watch, most notably Ben Rivers & Ben Russell’s “A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness” — a Locarno 2013 premiere that travels from an Estonian commune to a Norwegian black-metal show without losing a beat.

Even in the wake of FilmStruck’s closure, the streaming space for film is increasingly crowded. The Criterion Channel officially launches next Monday, April 8, with considerably larger ventures from Disney, Apple, and WarnerMedia forthcoming; even so, Ovid fills such a particular niche that its offerings are unlikely to be found elsewhere. Full information on the 10 new titles:

“A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness” (dir. Ben Rivers & Ben Russell): This festival favorite follows a mysterious character through three seemingly disparate moments in his life.

“Alena” (dir. Daniel di Grado): A transfer...

The special jury prize went to Nir Bergman and Ram Nehari’s Israeli social drama Just For Today,

Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne’s four-part English-language drama The Virtues took the top Grand Prix award at TV festival and industry event Series Mania (March 22-30) in the northern French city of Lille over the weekend.

Lead actor Stephan Graham was also feted with the best actor award for his performance as the troubled, alcoholic protagonist who returns to his family home in Ireland to confront the roots of his problems.

The drama was produced by the UK’s Warp Films...

The international TV event Series Mania unveiled its 2019 winners Saturday during the closing ceremony in France.

Taking place in Lille, this year’s festival ran from March 22-30, and included masterclasses from Uma Thurman, Freddie Highmore, Charlie Brooker and Sharp Objects creator Marti Noxon who will also serve as president of the Official Competition jury.

Also on the jury were The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies, French actress Audrey Fleurot, French writer Delphine de Vigan and Thomas Lilti, creator-director of Canal + hit Hippocrate.

Below is the full list of winners

Official Competition

Grand Prix: The Virtues

Created and written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne (UK)

Directed by: Shane Meadows – Production: Warp Films, Big Arty Productions – Broadcast by: Channel 4 (UK)

Special Jury Prize: Just for Today

Created and written by Nir Bergman and Ram Nehari (Israël)

Written and directed: Nir Bergman – Production: Endemol Shine Israël – Broadcast: Yes TV...

Canal+ Séries will offer original shows and international acquisitions.

France’s Canal Plus Group has announced details of its new streaming service dedicated to high-end TV drama series, which is due to launch via any of its subscriptions packages via on March 12.

Canal+ Séries will offer a combination of Canal Plus’s highly-regarded Créations Originales shows as well as acquisitions of high-end international series. The move is the latest attempt by the pay-tv giant to re-position itself in France’s premium content market, which has been heavily disrupted by the arrival of Netflix and other global digital players.

Figures released in February revealed Netflix,...

‘Lambs of God’ (Photo: Mark Rogers)

Lingo Pictures’ Foxtel-commissioned comedic drama Lambs of God will have its world premiere in official competition at Series Mania next month.

Created by Sarah Lambert and directed by Jeffrey Walker, the show adapted from Marele Day’s novel will compete with nine series from the UK, the Us, Israel, Norway, France and Russia.

Glendyn Ivin’s BBC/ABC psychological drama The Cry, adapted by Jacquelin Perske from the Helen FitzGerald novel, will screen in the International Panorama section of the event which runs from March 22-30 in Lille, northern France.

Sharp Objects creator Marti Noxon will serve as president of the competition jury with The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies, French actress Audrey Fleurot, French writer Delphine de Vigan and Thomas Lilti, creator-director of Canal + hit Hippocrate.

Starring Essie Davis, Ann Dowd, Jessica Barden and Sam Reid, Lambs of God follows three nuns,...

Ever-growing international TV event Series Mania has unveiled an impressive 2019 lineup including new dramas from Netflix, HBO and the UK’s Channel4. Scroll down for the lineups in full.

Taking place in Lille, northern France, this year’s event (March 22-30) will include masterclasses from Uma Thurman, Freddie Highmore, Charlie Brooker and Sharp Objects creator Marti Noxon who will also serve as president of the Official Competition jury. Also on the jury are The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies, French actress Audrey Fleurot (Spiral), French writer Delphine de Vigan and Thomas Lilti, creator-director of Canal + hit Hippocrate.

Thurman will be in town for the international premiere of Netflix Original Series Chambers, a Ya supernatural drama thriller from Stephen Gaghan (Syriana). HBO’s Folklore, an Asian horror anthology, plays in International Competition, as does HBO Europe’s Success, directed by Danis Tanovic (No Man’s Land). Amazon-Arte project Une...

Graced by Uma Thurman, “The Good Doctor” star Freddie Highmore and “Black Mirror” creators Charlie Brooker and Anabel Jones, the 10th edition of Series Mania will kick off March 22 with a prominent Netflix presence, a broader geographical reach and a strong showing of women writers and directors.

Thurman will make the trek to Lille, in northeast France, for the international premiere of Netflix Original Series “Chambers,” which looks like one of the hottest tickets in this year’s 10-title Official Competition. “Chambers” is a Ya supernatural drama thriller from Stephen Gaghan and Turner’s multi-platform Super Deluxe. In it a young heart attack victim begins to take on the sinister characteristics of her deceased heart donor. Thurman plays the donor’s mother.

Thurman, Highmore, and Brooker and Jones will deliver Series Mania masterclasses, as will writer-producer-director Marti Noxon, who is president of the Official Competition jury. Other members of the...

Uma Thurman is set to give a master class at Series Mania. She'll be among the luminaries in Lille, France, for the international TV conference this year and celebrating the world premiere of her new Netflix drama Chambers. 

The master-class program will include Black Mirror producers Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones along with The Good Doctor star Freddie Highmore and Black Earth Rising producer Hugo Blick.

Sharp Objects producer Marti Noxon will also give a master class, as well as serve as head of the official selection jury.

The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies and Hippocrate director Thomas Lilti will serve alongside Noxon, and ...

Snd, the commercial arm of the French TV network M6, has acquired worldwide distribution rights to “Family Shake,” a comedy series written by Baya Kasmi and Michel Leclerc.

Snd is the latest vertically integrated French film group to start handling live-action series, following TF1 Studio, Studiocanal and Gaumont, among others. Produced by Gaëlle Cholet at Elephant, “Family Shake” has been commissioned by M6 in France and will start airing later this year in a primetime slot.

The show centers on the ups and downs of a modern, multi-ethnic and blended family. The ensemble cast comprises Grégory Montel (“Call my agent!”), Nailia Harzoune (“Patients”), Julia Piaton” (“Serial (Bad) Weddings”), Lyès Salem (“Just to be sure”), Biyouna (“Aïcha”) and Djemel Barek (“The Bureau”).

The concept of “Family Shake” seems to bank on the success of the comedy franchise “Serial (Bad) Weddings,” which has a similar topic. The first movie grossed more than...

After recording its third-highest number in the last 50 years in 2017, French theatrical admissions are on track for a 4% drop this year, with an estimated 201 million sold. In dollar terms, however, the French box office is expected to clock in at about €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion), on par with last year, bolstered by the increase of ticket sales for premium large formats such as Imax, Dolby Cinema and 4Dx.

While fewer Hollywood blockbusters drew in French audiences compared with last year, two domestic films managed to sell more than 5 million tickets (grossing more than $37 million each) and four ranked in the top 10. A pair of French comedies released by Pathé, “Les Tuche 3” and Dany Boon’s “La ch’tite famille,” ranked second and third, behind Disney’s “Incredibles 2,” which took in about $44.5 million.

The other top-grossing French films of 2018 were Gilles Lellouche’s “Sink or Swim” (pictured), a star-driven dramedy about a men’s synchronized swimming team,...

The previous two films of France's resident doctor-turned-filmmaker, Thomas Lilti, were called Irreplaceable (Medecin de campagne) and Hippocrates: Diary of a French Doctor, and both were inspired by his own days in the medical profession. Hippocrates (2014), which cast a then up-and-coming Vincent Lacoste as a bumbling hospital intern, premiered at the Cannes Critics' Week and became an unexpectedly robust box-office hit, while 2016's Irreplaceable, which starred Intouchables' Francois Cluzet as a rural doctor, did even better.

The success of these titles, which also sold offshore, no doubt led to the unchecked — or at least, unchecked-feeling — liberty to make ...

The previous two films of France's resident doctor-turned-filmmaker, Thomas Lilti, were called Irreplaceable (Medecin de campagne) and Hippocrates: Diary of a French Doctor, and both were inspired by his own days in the medical profession. Hippocrates (2014), which cast a then up-and-coming Vincent Lacoste as a bumbling hospital intern, premiered at the Cannes Critics' Week and became an unexpectedly robust box-office hit, while 2016's Irreplaceable, which starred Intouchables' Francois Cluzet as a rural doctor, did even better.

The success of these titles, which also sold offshore, no doubt led to the unchecked — or at least, unchecked-feeling — liberty to make ...

The Art of Crime (season 2)

Created by Pierre-Yves Mora, Angele Herry

Broadcaster: France 2

Production: Gaumont

A detective teams with an art historian on mysteries of French heritage.

Sales: Gaumont

Balthazar

Written by Clothilde Jamin, Clelia Constantine

Cast: Tomer Sisley, Helene de Fougerolles

Broadcaster: TF1

Production: Beaubourg Audiovisuel

The cop series follows a handsome and cheeky forensic physician working with a policewoman to solve complex crimes.

Eden

Directed by Dominique Moll, created by Edward Berger, Nele Mueller-Stoefen, Marianne Wendt

Cast: Sylvie Testud

Broadcasters: Arte , Ard

Production: Atlantique Productions, Lupa Film

A small ship carrying refugees goes ashore on a Greek beach causing chaos among tourists, but also transforming some lives.

Sales: Lagardere Studios Distribution

Hippocrates

Written, created by Thomas Lilti, Anais Carpita, Claude Le Pape et Julien Liti, and inspired by Lilti’s movie “Hippocrates,” which played at Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2014.

Cast: Louise Bourgoin, Alice Belaidi

Broadcaster: Canal Plus

Production:...

Winners in the narrative feature competition also included Ray & Liz, The Heiresses and Yomeddine.

Singaporean filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua’s A Land Imagined won the Golden Star in the Feature Narrative competition at the second edition of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, which wrapped on Friday night.

The film, which recently won the Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno film festival, follows a detective investigating the disappearance of a migrant worker.

Ray & Liz, directed by the UK’s Richard Billingham, won the Silver Star in the same competition, while the Bronze Star went to The Heiresses from Paraguay’s Marcelo Martinessi.

Le Pacte has acquired international sales and French distribution rights to “Phil Tippett, Mad Dreams and Monsters,” a documentary directed by Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet, the pair behind the critically acclaimed documentary “The Frankenstein Complex.”

“Mad Dreams and Monsters” charts the sprawling career of Tippett, the animator and vfx artist who won two Oscars for his work on “The Return of the Jedi” and “Jurassic Park.” The documentary showcases exclusive archives from Tippett Studio and discusses his achievements through interviews with Tippett himself, as well as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Paul Verhoeven.

Le Pacte also handled “The Frankenstein Complex,” which shed light on the craft of movie creatures featured in blockbusters such as “King Kong,” “Avatar,” “Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings.”

“‘The Frankenstein Complex’ was a big hit for us — we sold it around the world,” said Camille Neel, head of international sales at Le Pacte,...

Chicago – The art masters, and the masterpieces they have created, become a background culture in our lives… even if we don’t necessarily know the artist. Paul Gauguin is one of those painters-as-cultural-influencer, and a vital point in his artistic life is told in the film “Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Vincent Cassel – best known to American audiences in “Ocean’s Twelve” (and “Thirteen”) – dives into the role of Paul Gauguin like a man possessed, and in many ways this was Gauguin’s most obsessive period. He left everything behind as a French painter to find his “artistic” self in Tahiti, and as many great masters do, paid the price. The story is fascinating and frustrating, much like the artist himself, but doesn’t project an understanding to the artist’s inner life or the Tahitian natives around him. This works as a lesson in being an artist over everything else,...

Le Pacte has closed a flurry of deals to major markets on a pair of buzzed-about French comedies, Patrick Cassir’s “Our Happy Holiday” and Thomas Lilti’s “The Freshmen” at Cannes’s film market.

“The Freshmen” reteams Lilti with French actor Vincent Lacoste who toplined “Hippocrate,” Lilti’s feature debut which world premiered at Cannes’s Critics Week and turned out to be a critical and commercial success in France and abroad.

Le Pacte hosted four market screenings for the film at Cannes and has now sold it to Italy (Movies inspired), Canada (Eye Steel Film), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Austria (Thimfilm) and Benelux (Athena), Colombia, Peru and Ecuador (Cineplex), Central America (Cinepolis).

Camille Neel, Le Pacte’s head of international sales, said Lilti’s last film, “Irreplaceable” sold 1.6 million admissions in France and 1.2 million abroad. “Lilti has become popular among foreign buyers thanks to his great track record — both ‘Hippocrate” and ‘Irreplaceable’ have been successful,...

French actor talks playing Django Reinhardt, the future of nomadic cultures and why he’s not worried about an impending trip to the Us.

“I have the sort of look that allows me to pass from one character called Stéphane to another who is called Mohammed,” says Reda Kateb, star of this year’s Berlinale opener Django, capturing the legendary gypsy jazz guitarist’s escape from the Nazi in World War Two.

It’s not an idle boast. The 40-year-old actor, who was born to a French mother and Algerian actor father and grew up treading amateur theatre boards on the outskirts of Paris, has one of the most diverse filmographies of his generation.

Having got his big screen break in 2009 in the supporting role of Jordi The Gypsy alongside Tahar Rahim Jacques Audiard’s The Prophet, his 25-odd credits since have included a rifle champion in thriller Through The Air; Ngo worker Xavier Libert in [link...

Author: Luke Channell

Thomas Lilti’s Irreplaceable sees him turn the spotlight on a pair of doctors once again, following his critically successful sophomore feature Hippocrate. Lilti’s focus is hardly surprising considering he started his career working as a medical professional before becoming a filmmaker. Irreplaceable revolves around middle-aged country doctor Jean-Pierre Werner (François Cluzet) and his trying relationship with inexperienced new work colleague Nathalie Delezia (Marianne Denicourt). Despite a somewhat pedestrian narrative, Irreplaceable gets by on the strength of its fantastic lead performances.

The film begins on a sombre note, Jean-Pierre is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. After working devoutly as his rural community’s Gp for years, Jean-Pierre has established a firm routine and become attached to his many regular patients. So, when newly-trained city doctor Nathalie arrives to help ease Jean-Pierre’s workload, conflicts inevitably ensue as the two share contrasting viewpoints on life and...

A middle-aged country doctor is diagnosed with a disease that forces him to take on a replacement with little experience in Irreplaceable (Medecin de campagne), from French doctor-turned-director Thomas Lilti. This is the filmmaker’s third feature, after Les Yeux bandés and Hippocrates: Diary of a French Doctor, and indeed, if the latter title, about a medical apprentice at a chaotic Paris hospital, hadn’t already been taken, his latest could have been called Diary of a Country Doctor — which would suggest both what the film is about as well as the story’s gently observational qualities, which ...

A middle-aged country doctor is diagnosed with a disease that forces him to take on a replacement with little experience in Irreplaceable (Medecin de campagne), from French doctor-turned-director Thomas Lilti. This is the filmmaker’s third feature, after Les Yeux bandés and Hippocrates: Diary of a French Doctor, and indeed, if the latter title, about a medical apprentice at a chaotic Paris hospital, hadn’t already been taken, his latest could have been called Diary of a Country Doctor — which would suggest both what the film is about as well as the story’s gently observational qualities, which ...

While UK clinicians will recognise the shonky equipment and form-filling, Thomas Lilti’s film is also suffering from a lack of excitement

This oddly bloodless social-realist exercise finds French writer-director Thomas Lilti striving to redefine doctors as distinct from their superheroic small-screen equivalents; the corridors patrolled by boyish intern Thomas (Vincent Lacoste) house only report-fudging, short-staffing and shonky equipment.

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It was a battle of Yves Saint Laurent biopics at the Césars (the French Oscars, if you will) this year as both the French foreign language Oscar submission "Saint Laurent" (leader of the pack with 10 nods) and "Yves Saint Laurent" picked up a ton of mentions. Oscar players that popped up include "Two Days, One Night" star Marion Cotillard and animated feature "Song of the Sea." Foreign film Oscar nominee "Timbuktu" also had a major showing. And of course, in the Césars' foreign category, films like "Boyhood," "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "12 Years a Slave" are duking it out. Check out the full list of nominees below, and remember to keep track of it all at The Circuit. Best Film "Les Combattants" "Eastern Boys" "La Famille Bélier" "Saint Laurent" "Hippocrate" "Sils Maria" "Timbuktu" Best Director Céline Sciamma, "Bande De Filles" Thomas Cailley, "Les Combattants" Robin Campillo, "Eastern Boys" Thomas Lilti,...

Best Film Love at First Fight Eastern Boys The Belier Family Hippocrates Saint Laurent Sils Maria Timbuktu Best Director Celine Sciamma for Girlhood Thomas Cailley for Love at First Fight...

Designer biopic leads the pack with 10 nominations; Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche in the running for actress awards.Scroll down for full list of nominees

Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent and Olivier Assays’ Sils Maria are the hot favourites in France’s 40th annual Cesar awards.

France’s Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences unveiled the nominations for this year’s César Awards at its traditional news conference at Le Fouquet’s restaurant on the Champs Elysées on Friday morning.

Biopic Saint Laurent - exploring fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s life from 1967 to 1976 - led the pack with 10 nominations including best film, best director for Bonello, best actor for Gaspard Ulliel and best supporting actor for Louis Garrel.

Jalil Lespert’s rival biopic, Yves Saint Laurent, secured seven nominations. While it missed out in the best film and director categories, it scored nods with Pierre Niney for best actor, Charlotte Le Bon for best...

Update, 2:25 Am Pt: Last year’s dueling Yves Saint Laurent biopics each picked up several nominations this morning for France’s César Awards. Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent, the country’s entry for the Foreign Language Oscar, leads the pack with 10 mentions, followed by Thomas Cailley’s Directors’ Fortnight title Les Combattants with nine, and Oscar nominee Timbuktu with eight. Yves Saint Laurent, from helmer Jalil Lespert, took seven nods. Otherwise, there are a number of usual suspects in the batch including Best Actress Oscar nominee Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night, as well as Juliette Binoche for Olivier Assayas’ Sils Maria. In something of a departure — and a first — for the French Académie, they nominated American actress Kristen Stewart for her supporting turn in that Cannes competition entry. (Adrien Brody won the Best Actor prize in 2003 for The Pianist.) There are also six nominations for late 2014 release La Famille Bélier.

The nominations for France's Lumière Awards were announced this morning, and leading the way was the film's Oscar foreign film entry "Saint Laurent" (which sadly didn't make it past the initial culling with the Academy). The film picked up four nominations and will compete for best film with Cannes hit "Girlhood," "La Famille Bélier," "Pas son genre," fellow Oscar foreign hopeful "Timbuktu" and "Three Hearts." Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be announced on Feb. 3. And oh yeah: The Circuit. Best Film "Girlhood" "La Famille Bélier" "Pas son genre" "Saint Laurent" "Timbuktu" "Three Hearts" Best Director Lucas Belvaux, "Pas son genre" Bertrand Bonello, "Saint Laurent" Benoît Jacquot, "Three Hearts" Cédric Kahn, "Wild Life" Céline Sciamma,"Girlhood" Abderrahmane Sissako, "Timbuktu" Best Actor Guillaume Canet, "La prochaine fois je viserai le cœur," "In The Name of My Daughter" Romain Duris, "The New Girlfriend" Mathieu Kassovitz, "Wild Life" Pierre Niney,...

Two Days, One Night, Mommy and Fevers nominated in French-language foreign film category.Scroll down for full list of nominations

The Lumière Awards, France’s version of the Golden Globes, has announced the nominations for its 20th anniversary edition. There is no clear front-runner this year.

Bertrand Bonello’s Yves Saint Laurent biopic Saint Laurent, Benoît Jacquot’s 3 Hearts, starring Gainsbourg and Chiara Mastroianni as sisters who unwittingly fall for the same man, and Eric Lartigau’s Christmas hit La Famille Bélier, about an aspiring singer growing up in deaf family, lead the field with four nominations each including best film.

Céline Sciamma’s gritty urban drama Girlhood (Bande de Fille) and Lucas Belvaux’s chalk-and-cheese romance Not My Type(Pas Mon Genre) and, which were also nominated in the best film category, followed behind with three nominations.

Franco-Mauritanian Abderrahmane Sissako Timbuktu about the impact of Islamic fundamentalism on a rural community in Mali, is the sixth...

The Cannes Film Festival's lineup of films include the Competition titles of several legendary auteurs such as Jean-Luc Godard, David Cronenberg, The Dardenne Brothers, Atom Egoyan, Mike Leigh, and Ken Loach. In the Un Certain Regard section, the highly anticipated film by actor-turned-director Ryan Gosling. Those in the business will be happy to find Alison Thompson in her new company, Sunray Films, selling Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner. Two films out of 18 in Competition are by women, but across all sections there are 15 women directors. Further in Competition, three films are from Canada; two are from U.S. one film is from Latin America (Argentina); one is from Japan; one from Turkey; one from Russia and the rest are European.

Opening Night Film :

Grace of Monaco (Producer: Stone Angels/ U.S. The Weinstein Company) from France by Olivier Dahan

In Competition

Clouds of Sils Maria (Isa: MK2/ U.S. Distribution: IFC Films) from France/ Gremany/ Switzerland by Olivier Assayas

Saint Laurent (Isa: EuropaCorp) from France by Bertrand Bonello

Winter's Sleep aka Kis uykusu (Producer: Zeynofilm ) from Turkey by Nuri Bilge Ceylan who has a great website.

Maps to the Stars (Isa: Entertainment One) from Canada by David Cronenberg

Two Days, One Night (Isa: Wild Bunch/ U.S. Distribution: IFC Films) from Belgium and France by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Mommy (Isa: Seville International) from Canada by Xavier Dolan

The Captive (Isa: Entertainment One) from Canada by Atom Egoyan. You can watch the trailer here.

Goodbye to Language aka Adieu au Langage (Isa: Wild Bunch) from France by Jean-Luc Godard

The Search (Isa: Wild Bunch/ U.S. Distribution: Worldview Entertainment) from France by Michel Hazanavivius

The Homesman (Isa: Europacorp) from U.S. by Tommy Lee Jones

Still the Water (Isa: MK2) from Japan and France by Naomi Kawase ♀

Mr. Turner (Isa: Sunray Films/ U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics) from U.K. by Mike Leigh. Sunray Films is Alison Thompson's new company and she brought the film over from her former employer Focus Features International when they left the international sales business.

Jimmy's Hall (Isa: Wild Bunch) from Ireland and U.K. by Ken Loach

Foxcatcher (Isa: Panorama Media/ U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics) from U.S. by Bennett Miller

Le Meraviglie (Isa: The Match Factory) from Italy, Switzerland and Germany by Alice Rohrwacher ♀

Timbuktu (Isa: Le Pacte) from France by Abderrahmane Sissako

Wild Tales (Isa: Film Factory Entertainment/ U.S. Distribution: Palmera International) from Argentina by Damian Szifron

Leviathan (Isa: Pyramide International) from Russia by Andrey Zvyagintsev

Un Certain Regard

Party Girl (Isa: Pyramide International) from France by Marie Amachoukeli ♀ , Claire Burger ♀ , Samuel Theis

Jauja (Isa: Ndm) from Argentina by Lisandro Alonso

The Blue Room (Isa: Alfama Films) from France by Mathieu Amalric

Misunderstood aka Incompresa aka L'Incomprise (Production: Paradis Films) from Italy by Asia Argento ♀

Titli (Isa: Westend Films) from India by Kanu Behl

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (Isa: Myriad Pictures/ U.S. Distribution: The Weinstein Company) from U.S. by Ned Benson

Bird People (Isa: Films Distribution) from France by Pascale Ferran ♀

Lost River (Isa: Sierra/Affinity) from U.S. by Ryan Gosling

Amour Fou (Isa: Coproduction Office Paris) from Austria by Jessica Hausner ♀

Charlie's Country (Isa: Visit Films) from Australia by Rolf de Heer

Snow in Paradise (Isa: The Match Factory) from U.K. by Andrew Hulme

A Girl at My Door (Isa: Cj Entertainment) from So. Korea by July Jung ♀

Xenia (Isa: Pyramide International) from Greece by Panos Koutras

Run (Isa: Bac) from France by Philippe Lacote

Turist from Sweden and Norway by Ruben Ostlund

Beautiful Youth aka Hermosa Juventud (Producer: Fresdeval Films) by Jaime Rosales

Fantasia by Wang Chao

The Salt of the Earth (Isa: Le Pacte) from Germany and Brazil by Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Away From His Absence (Isa: Bizibi) from Israel by Karen Yedaya ♀

Out of Competition

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dreamworks Animation) from the U.S. by Dean Deblois

Coming Home aka Gui Lai (Isa: Wild Bunch) from China by Zhang Yimou

Special Screenings

Bridges of Sarajevo (Les Ponts de Sarajevo) from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Portugal, Germany, and France

Red Army from the U.S. and Russia by Gabe Polsky

Maidan (Isa: Atoms & Void Bv) from Belarus by Segei Loznitsa

Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait from Syria by Ossama Mohammed

Cartoonists - Foot Soldiers Of Democracy from France by Stephanie Valloatto

Directors' Fortnight

Opening Film: Girlhood aka Bande De Files (Isa: Films Distribution) from France by Céline Sciamma

Closing Film: Pride (Isa:Pathe International) from the U.K. by Matthew Warchus

Features

Alleluia (Isa:snd- Groupe M6) from Belgium and France by Fabrice Du Welz

Catch Me Daddy (Isa: Altitude Film Sales) from the U.K. by Daniel Wolfe

Next To Her aka At Li La Yla (Isa: Films Boutique) from Israel by Asaf Korman

Cold In July (Isa: Memento Films International) from the U.S. by Jim Mickle

Fighters aka Les Combattants (ISa: Bac Films) from France by Thomas Cailley

Gett — The Trial Of Viviane Amsalem (Isa: Films Distribution) from France, Germany, Israel by Ronit & Shlomi Elkabetz

The Tale of Princess Kaguya aka Kaguya-Hime No Monogatari (Isa: Wild Bunch) from Japan by Isao Takahata

Eat Your Bones aka Mange Tes Morts (Isa:Capricci Films) from France by Jean-Charles Hue

A Hard Day aka Kkeut-Kka-Ji-Kan-Da (Isa: Showbox/Mediaples, Inc.) from South Korea by Seong-Hun Kim

National Gallery (Isa: Doc & Film International) from France by Frederick Wiseman

Queen And Country (Isa: Le Pacte) from the U.K. and Ireland by John Boorman

Sheltered aka Refugiado (Isa: Backup Media Films) from Argentina, France, Poland, and Colombia by Diego Lerman

These Final Hours (Isa: Celluloid Dreams/Nightmares) from Australia by Zach Hilditch

Tu Dors Nicole (Isa: Seville International) from Canada by Stéphane Lafleur

Whiplash (Isa:Sierra /Affinity) from the U.S. by Damien Chazelle

Special Screening

P'tit Quinquin by Bruno Dumont

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by Tobe Hooper (4K restoration)

Acid Program

Brooklyn (Produced by Les Enfants de la Dalle) from France by Pascal Tessaud

The Way Out aka Cesta Ven (Produced by Cinema de Facto) from France and the Czech Republic by Petr Vaclav

Challat of Tunis aka Le Challat the Tunis (Produced by Cinetelefilms ) from Tunisia and France by Kaouther Ben Hania

The Girls and the River aka La Fille et le Fleuve (Produced by 31 Juin Films) from France by Aurélia Georges

Mercuriales (Produced by Kazak Productions) from France by Virgil Vernier

New Territories (Produced by Paraiso Production Difussion) from France by Fabianny Deschamps

Insecure aka Qui Vive (Isa: Udi- Urban Distribution International ) from France by Marianne Tardieu

The Rules of the Game aka Les Regles du Jeu (Isa: Doc & Film International) from France by Claudine Bories and Patrice Chagnard

Spartacus & Cassandra (Produced by Morgane Productions) from France by Ioanis Nuguet

Critics' Week

Opening Night: Faire: L'Amour (Fla) from France by Djinn Carrénard

Closing Nigh: Hippocrates aka Hippocrate (Isa: Le Pacte) from France by Thomas Lilti

Features

Darker Than Midnight aka Piu' Buio di Mezzanotte (Isa: Rai Trade) from Italy by Sebastiano Riso

Gente de Bien (Isa: Versatile) from Colombia and France by Franco Lolli

Hope (Isa: Pyramide International) from France by Boris Lojkine

It Follows (Isa: Visit Films) from the U.S. by David Robert Mitchell

Self Made aka Boreg (Isa: Westend Films) from Israel by Shira Geffen

The Tribe aka Plemya (Isa: Alpha Violet) from Ukraine by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy

When Animals Dream aka Nar Dyrene Drommer (Produced by Gaumont) from Denmark by Jonas Alexander Arnby

Critics' Week: Special Screenings

Breathe aka Respire (Produced by Gaumont) from France by Mélanie Laurent

The Kindergarten Teacher aka Haganenet Teacher aka (Isa: Le Pacte) from Israel by Nadav Lapid...

It’s almost astonishing that we’ve managed to guess two (we also had Nadav Lapid pegged for the Main Comp) of the eleven titles unveiled by the Cannes Critics’ Week sidebar earlier today. On our radar we had Djinn Carrénard’s sophomore film (Faire L’Amour has been selected as the opening film) and Jonas Alexander Arnby’s debut (When Animals Dream is one among the seven comp titles) as strong possibilities and we’re excited that an American indie personality we’ve featured on this site before in David Robert Mitchell will be showcasing his sophomore film, It Follows (starring Maika Monroe and Keir Gilchrist) in a section that showcased The Myth Of The American Sleepover back in 2010. Mélanie Laurent’s Respire (which could catapult the careers of thesps Lou de Laâge and Joséphine Japy) receives the Special Screening status alongside Lapid’s The Kindergarten Teacher. Also on...

The lineup for the 53rd Semaine de la Critique (or "Critics' Week") has been announced and feature seven films in competition, four special screenings, and ten short and medium-length films in competition.

Opening Film

Faire: L'amour (Djinn Carrénard)

Competition

Darker Than Midnight (Sebastiano Riso)

The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)

It Follows (David Robert Mitchell)

Gente de bien (Franco Lolli)

When Animals Dream (Jonas Alexander Arnby)

Hope (Boris Lojkine)

Self Made (Shira Geffen)

Closing Film

Hippocrates (Thomas Lilti)

Special Screenings

Breathe (Mélanie Laurent)

The Kindergarten Teacher (Nadav Lapid)

Short And Medium-length Films In Competition

Young Lions of Gypsy (Jonas Carpignan)

Goodnight Cinderella (Carlos Conceição)

The Chicken (Una Gunja)

Back Alley (Cécile Ducrocq)

Crocodile (Gaëlle Denis)

Les fleuves m'ont laissée descendre où je voulais (Laurie Lassalle)

Little Brother (Rémi St-Michel)

Safari (Gerardo Herrero)

TrueLoveStory (Gitanjali Rao)

A Blue Room (Tomasz Siwiński)...

Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival is one of those institutions that generally looks impressive only in retrospect. In advance, it's hard to tell which of the films selected for the sidebar will really land, but look back at the archives, and it's remarkable how many significant films -- from Ken Loach's "Kes" to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu's "Amores Perros" -- have quietly premiered there. In other words, while I don't have much to say right now about this year's Critics' Week selection, announced earlier today, it could yet give us plenty to talk about. As it stands, the most famous name in the lineup isn't one best known for her work behind the camera: French actress Mélanie Laurent, whose second directorial effort, "Respire," will play as a Special Screening in the section. Laurent starred in her 2011 debut, "The Adopted," a middling family melodrama that received a quiet release in France and the UK,...

Melanie Laurent - behind the camera for Breathe in Cannes Critics' Week

The Cannes film festival’s strand Critics’ Week (La semaine de la critique) which has been responsible for encouraging the likes of Ken Loach, François Ozon and Wong Kar-Wai among many, will open with Djinn Carrenard’s Making Love (Faire l’amour), it was announced today (21 April).

Also worth noting in the selection is French actress Melanie Laurent’s second feature as a director Breathe (screening out of competition), while the closing title, also out of competition, will be Thomas Lilti’s second feature Hippocrate.

There are seven films vying for the grand prix with a jury presided over by British director Andrea Arnold (who made Fish Tank).

The section is organised independently by the French film critics association and has been an official parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival since 1962.

Competition

Darker Than Midnight (dir: Sebastiano Riso...

Djinn Carrenard’s second feature to open selection; genre pictures When Animals Dream [pictured] and It Follows to compete in Cannes Critics’ Week.

Djinn Carrénard’s Faire L’Amour (Fla)], revolving around the relationship between a musician and woman on parole, will open the 53rd edition of Cannes Critics’ Week, running May 15-23

The respected parallel selection, focusing on first and second works, unveiled its 2014 line-up on Monday (April 20). In total, the selection committee screened 1,200 feature-length films and 1,770 shorts.

Haitian, France-based Carrénard won France’s prestigious Louis Delluc prize for best first film in 2011 for his buzzy, micro-budget Donoma, which premiered in Cannes in 2010 in the indie-focused Acid selection.

“The director of Donoma instils in his second feature all the energy of the previous one with a sense of drama and character development that really packs a punch,” commented Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson, adding it revolved around, “how to construct love and how to really make love...