News

Promotional image for Lupin Season 4 featuring the main cast (Photo Credit – Instagram)

The gentleman thief, Assane Diop, crept back into Paris and graced our Netflix screens again, serving a delicious feast of heists and hijinks. As the modern-day Arsène Lupin, Assane donned countless costumes and accents, pulling off some pretty improbable raids on the rich.

From cheating death to rescuing his mother and throwing his best friend Benjamin under the bus, the escapades were nothing short of thrilling. But now that he’s hanging up his collection of Maurice Leblanc books and contemplating prison time, fans are left wondering: what’s next for Lupin?

When will Lupin season 4 air?

The last season of Lupin dropped in early October 2023, but since then, Netflix has been radio silent on a potential season four renewal. However, George Kay, the show’s creator, teased some intriguing possibilities during a chat with Variety. He mentioned,...

When it comes to animation, you can always rely on the French. They've been innovating and experimenting with the form since the dawn of motion pictures. From magic lantern presentations at the turn of the 20th century to modern works of art like The Triplets Of Belleville and Persepolis, French...

Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach’s “Chicken for Linda!” takes us on a lively and moving journey. The 2023 animated film tells the story of eight-year-old Linda, who longs for her late father’s chicken pepper dish after a misunderstanding with her mother Paulette leaves the girl feeling wronged. What ensues is a delightfully quirky attempt by an overwhelmed but loving mom to fulfill her daughter’s wish, spanning stolen chickens, improbable escapes, and more.

Along the way, we glimpse deeper truths about coping with loss and rebuilding relationships. Linda grapples with her lingering grief through a cherished memory of meals past. Paulette struggles to balance her responsibilities while honoring her daughter’s feelings. Their bond strengthens through comedy and compassion. Musical numbers uplift the story with joy, pathos, and truths about parenting woven into the notes.

Visually, thick brushstrokes and splashes of vibrant color bring the characters to life. Scenes feel plucked from a storybook,...

A throwback, of sorts, to the kinds of animated kids flicks that existed before the advent of Pixar and CGI, Chicken for Linda! (Linda veut du poulet !) is a lovingly hand-drawn ode to the whims and wills of capricious children: specifically, one very stubborn little French girl who won’t take no for an answer when it comes to her favorite meal.

This new collaboration from directors Chiara Malta (Simple Women) and Sébastien Laudenbach (The Girl Without Hands) is a simple and even silly story on the surface, following an action-packed day in the life of its titular heroine as she tries to get her mom to cook a family poultry recipe for dinner. But as the plot — or is that the sauce? — thickens, the film begins to probe deeper, exploring how kids and adults can be affected by the death of a loved one, and how they can eventually try to move on.

GKids is definitely back: After winning its first Oscar for Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” the prestigious indie distributor has another animated contender this season with “Chicken for Linda.” The delightful hand-painted French-Italian musical comedy took the 2023 Annecy Cristal Award and the Animation Is Film Grand Jury Prize.

Directed by the married duo Chiara Malta (the live-action “Simple Women”) and Sébastien Laudenbach (the animated “The Girl Without Hands”), the film is about memory and mother-daughter bonding. After Paulette (voiced by Clotilde Hesme) wrongly punishes 8-year-old Linda (Melinée Leclerc), she tries to make it up to her by cooking her late husband’s signature dish: chicken and peppers. It’s the only memory Linda has of her father, who returns as narrator to help fill the void through magical realism. What ensues is a wild chase to catch a chicken during a supermarket strike.

The project grew out...

Animation has the power to make even the simplest emotions feel as infinite and expressive as our most sacred memories, which — despite the edifying nuance and eye-popping flair of recent films such as “Encanto” and “Across the Spider-Verse” — can make it frustrating that American studios have largely been trending toward overcomplicated plots and realistic design. Sébastien Laudenbach and Chiara Malta’s extremely French “Chicken for Linda” is the clearest possible reminder of what we’ve been missing. It’s about an eight-year-old girl named Linda who wants to eat chicken for dinner. Delightful mayhem ensues.

As in Laudenbach’s “The Girl Without Hands,” all of the characters are traced with thick black lines that lend them the aspirational possibility of a fashion sketch; each of them is filled in with a single swash of color that spills over the charcoal borders of their body whenever they get excited. Linda (voiced by Melinée Leclerc) is yellow,...

In Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach’s Chicken for Linda!, Paulette (Clotilde Hesme) feels guilty about punishing her eight-year-old daughter, Linda (Mélinée Leclerc), for something she didn’t do. To make things up to Linda, Paulette agrees to prepare the dish that was her late husband’s specialty: chicken with peppers. The day of the dinner, though, coincides with a widespread strike, closing all the grocery stores across town and forcing Paulette, with Linda in tow, to improvise. What follows is a charming, madcap race to the dinner table that manages to rope in bumbling cops, a determined older sister, and live poultry.

Chicken for Linda! is beautifully animated in a style that has its roots in the hand-painted aesthetic of Laudenbach’s 2016 film The Girl Without Hands, though it feels completely distinctive. The characters are given cartoonish features through prominent black lines and single colors to distinguish them; Linda...

"You're chickening out, aren't you?" GKids has revealed the full US trailer for a French animated film titled Chicken for Linda!, set for a US release in theaters in April. This hand-painted animation first premiered in the Acid sidebar at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year, with stops at the Annecy, Thessaloniki, and Torino Film Festivals last year as well. A loving mom, Paulette, who feels guilty after unfairly punishing her daughter Linda and would do anything to make it up to her. She sets off to make a "chicken with peppers", even though she doesn't know how to cook. The two talented directors on this film "unleash a unique visual marvel of hand-painted animation with bright, color-blocked characters, and a story that is an intoxicating blend of slapstick comedy, musical, and family drama, as Paulette and Nina ultimately confront the grief of an unspoken tragedy, and the meal that...

Gerard Depardieu: The Fall Of The Ogre was broadcast on France 2

An investigative documentary featuring footage of Gerard Depardieu engaging in lewd, sexist behaviour has sent shockwaves through the world of French cinema.

The documentary, Gerard Depardieu: La Chute De l’Ogre (Gerard Depardieu: The Fall Of The Ogre), was broadcast on December 7, part of France 2’s investigative series Complément d’Enquete.

It includes testimony from actress Helene Darras who said she officially pressed charges against Depardieu after claiming he sexually assaulted her on the set of Fabien Onteniente’s 2008 local comedy Disco. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, an...

Garrel denies all of the accusations that were published in Mediapart.

French New Wave filmmaker and 2023 Berlin Silver Bear-winning director Philippe Garrel has been accused of sexual assault by several women with whom he has worked in his films.

In an investigation conducted by France’s Mediapart, Anna Mouglalis and Clotilde Hesme are among five actresses who allege the 75 year-old director made unwanted advances or offered roles in exchange for sexual favours, all in a professional context.

Garrel maintains his innocence and no official charges have been filed in French courts

The director told Mediapart he has “never kissed a...

Lately, in the overwrought majority of Hollywood blockbusters, nothing less than the fate of the planet hangs in the balance, as some natural disaster or dastardly supervillain threatens to annihilate life as we know it. Such impossibly large stakes may be necessary to justify the CG spectacle of certain Marvel movies, but instead of inspiring excitement, they mostly leave me ambivalent and bored. But focus in on something as simple as whether a young girl can have the chicken dish that reminds her of her late dad, and I’m riveted. Bonus points if said cartoon feels more realistic than most live-action fare.

A uniquely styled and all-around delightful hand-drawn family drama, “Chicken for Linda!” premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, programmed practically out of sight in the Acid, a sidebar dedicated to low-budget independent productions that’s easily overlooked (despite having launched the career of “Anatomy of a Fall...

Chicken For Linda! is a joyful animated family tale that sees a little girl (voiced by Mélinée Leclerc) embark on a farcical musical adventure with her mum Paulette (voiced by Clotilde Hesme) after a mistaken accusation leads Paulette trying to make good on her promise of a special chicken dish for tea. The quest is complicated by a general strike, the shenanigans of the bird in question and the emotional territory Linda and Paulette are navigating after the death of Linda’s dad.

The film - which just took home the top prize at Annecy Film Festival, along with a Gan Foundation award for distribution - has a vibrant palette that represents its characters in single colours and employs a style that, rather than be photorealistic, emphasises the movements of the characters, particularly the children.

The colour...

The letter targets “the political positions displayed by the Cannes Festival” in particular.

More than 123 French actors and actresses have signed an open letter denouncing sexual harassment in the French film industry, calling it “a dysfunctional system that crushes and annihilates”.

On the same day that Cannes welcomed Maïwenn’s Jeanne Du Barry and its star Johnny Depp, and just ahead of the premiere of Catherine Corsini’s Homecoming in competition, the letter targets “the political positions displayed by the Cannes Festival” in particular. “By rolling out the red carpet to men and women who assault, the festival sends the...

Miou Miou as Nona, in the French TV miniseries “Nona And Her Daughters.” Photo credit: Manuel Moutier. Courtesy of MHz Choice

“Nona And Her Daughters” (“Nona Et Ses Filles”) is a character-driven dramedy miniseries from French TV that successfully spans a few genres. Nona (Miou-Miou), after a lifetime devoted to advocacy for women’s rights, shockingly finds herself pregnant at 70. Even worse, the only man she’s been with is proven Not to be the father by a DNA test. Nona has been fiercely independent, heading their city’s equivalent of Planned Parenthood after raising triplet daughters Emmanuelle (Virginie Ledoyen), Gabrielle (Clotilde Hesme), and George (Valerie Donzelli) on her own, without ever being at all sure who sired them. Or caring, for that matter. The trio is about to turn 44, and even more surprised than Nona by this seeming impossibility.

The diverse set of women rally together around this event.

Paris-based sales company will also bring Directors’ Fortnight opener The Goldman Case to the market.

Paris-based Charades has boarded a slew of starry Cannes titles including Mona Achache’s just-announced Special Screening film Little Girl Blue starring Marion Cotillard and Directors’ Fortnight opener The Goldman Case.

The company is also selling Kamal Lazraq’s Hounds premiering in Un Certain Regard, Katell Quillévéré’s Along Came Love set for a Cannes Premiere screening and Chicken For Linda! selected for parallel section Acid, plus will unveil first images from new acquisition Sébastien Vanicek’s Vermin.

Little Girl Blue is inspired by the life of Achache’s mother.

Netflix has set the launch date for Part 3 of “Lupin,” its popular heist series starring Omar Sy, for Oct. 3.

Louis Leterrier, who’s just been tapped to helm the next installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, is back in the director’s chair for the third part of “Lupin,” which will come more than two years after Part 2. As previously reported, the new season of “Lupin” started filming in the French capital in November 2021, so the launch comes a good deal of time after Part 2 debuted in June 2021.

Sy is reprising his role as Assane Diop, a character inspired by the world-famous gentleman thief and master of disguise, Arsène Lupin. The cast will also bring back Ludivine Sagnier and Clotilde Hesme, among others.

The shoot of Part 3 was briefly paused for a day last year following a robbery that saw approximately 20 people breaking onto the set after throwing mortar...

Acid focuses on first films and films without French distribution.

France’s Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema (Acid) has unveiled the nine features it will showcase in its parallel Cannes section, running May 17-26. Acid focuses on films without French distributors and first features.

Six titles are world premieres including Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach’s animated family film Chicken For Linda!, which stars Laetitia Dosch and Clotilde Hesme in a story about a mother who feels guilty for punishing her daughter and tries to make it up to her by making her favourite chicken dish. Charades are handling international sales.

‘Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway’ Gets Behind-The-Scenes Doc Treatment

ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway is getting the behind-the-scenes doc treatment. In Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway: Behind the Screens (w/t), ITV Studios indie Lifted Entertainment and the host’s shingle Mitre Studios will take a fly-on-the-wall approach to the making of one of ITV’s biggest entertainment shows. Documentary makers will embed themselves within the production team for the upcoming 19th season, in a show that regularly dominates the ITV entertainment schedules. Ant & Dec are stalwart ITV hosts, who also helm I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and various one-off specials. The news comes with ITV entertainment set for a shake-up, with The Masked Dancer and Ninja Warrior being rested this year and The Masked Singer set for more mashup specials. “Saturday Night Takeaway is one of the biggest live entertainment shows on television...

Paris-based outfit releases first look image from Jérémy Clapin’s Meanwhile On Earth.

Paris-based Charades has sold Laurent Tirard’s Oh My Goodness! (Juste Ciel!) to a slew of territories and will kick off sales on several all-new titles at Unifrance’s annual Rendez-Vous in Paris including Jérémy Clapin’s Meanwhile On Earth.

Charades will host the first market screening for buyers of Oh My Goodness! after selling the anticipated title from veteran filmmaker Tirard to Prokino in Germany, Selecta Vision in Spain, I Wonder in Italy, Cineart in Benelux, Praesens in Switzerland, Thim Films in Austria, Ads in Hungary,...

Paris-based outfit releases first look image from Jérémy Clapin’s Meanwhile On Earth.

Paris-based Charades has sold Laurent Tirard’s Oh My Goodness! (Juste Ciel!) to a slew of territories and will kick off sales on several all-new titles at Unifrance’s annual Rendez-Vous in Paris including Jérémy Clapin’s Meanwhile On Earth.

Charades will host the first market screening for buyers of Oh My Goodness! after selling the anticipated title from veteran filmmaker Tirard to Prokino in Germany, Selecta Vision in Spain, I Wonder in Italy, Cineart in Benelux, Praesens in Switzerland, Thim Films in Austria, Ads in Hungary,...

The Lost Patient (Le patient) is an Arte TV thriller directed by Christophe Charrier, starring Txomin Vergez and Clotilde Hesme.

A story that has some potential, but it goes unused.

Premise

Thomas has been in a coma for three years when he wakes up and remembers nothing. His psychologist, Anna, informs him that his family has been murdered and that he is the only survivor of the massacre while his sister Laura is still missing.

Movie Review

This feature is a French thriller produced by Arte TV that does not stand out neither in its cinematography, nor – in its difficult condition of being a TV production – in its story. It reduces what could have been good story to a simplistic, and a not a majorly artistic, endeavor.

Txomin Vergez’s performance is good enough, although not outstanding in this a movie that leaves one somewhat indifferent.

‘The Lost Patient’ is laden with clichés,...

Netflix has released the trailer for Part 2 of Lupin, the French thriller series that has become a runaway hit for the streaming platform. The remaining five episodes of the series drop June 11th.

With Assane Diop’s quest for revenge against Hubert Pelligrini in shambles, and his son kidnapped, the wanted thief must now think up a new plan to expose Hubert’s crimes, while Hubert tries to lure Assane back into his trap with a symphony performance hosted by his foundation. Plus the trailer hints at many more high-speed...

Lupin Part 2, the highly-anticipated five-episode second half of Netflix’s hit French series has been set for a June 11 global release. The thriller also has a new trailer which picks up after Part 1’s cliffhanger finale and sees Omar Sy’s Assane Diop having become “the most wanted man in France” (check it out above).

Sy stars as Diop who uses the world famous gentleman thief and master of disguise, Arsène Lupin, as his inspiration. Diop’s quest for revenge against Hubert Pelligrini (Hervé Pierre) has torn his family to pieces, and now with his back to the wall, he must come up with a new plan, even if it means putting himself in danger.

Although Netflix has not disclosed the actual audience for Lupin‘s first half, it was a big hit for the service and was projected to have been watched by 70 million households. Sy told me in...

Lupin is returning to Netflix this summer for another season of twists and turns.

The streamer on Tuesday revealed that Lupin Part 2 would be available to stream Friday, June 11.

Inspired by Arsène Lupin's adventures, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.

The addictive follows professional thief Assane Diop, the only son of an immigrant from Senegal who had come to France to seek a better life for his child.

Assane's father is framed for the theft of an expensive diamond necklace by his employer, the wealthy and powerful Hubert Pellegrini, and hangs himself in his prison cell out of shame, leaving the teenage Assane an orphan.

Twenty-five years later, inspired by a book about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin his father had given him on his birthday, Assane sets out to get revenge on the Pellegrini family, using his charisma and mastery of thievery,...

Starz announced that Romola Garai, Jessica Raine, Tom Cullen and Bella Ramsey are joining the cast of “Becoming Elizabeth.”

The eight-episode series, centered on the early life of Queen Elizabeth, also features the previously announced Alicia von Rittburg as Elizabeth, starring alongside Oliver Zetterström, John Heffernan, Jamie Parker, Jamie Blackley, Jacob Avery, Alexandra Gilbreath, Leo Bill, Ekow Quartey, Alex Macqueen and Olivier Huband.

“Becoming Elizabeth” is created and written by Anya Reiss, who executive produces with George Ormond and George Faber, with Lisa Osborne producing. The series is produced for Starz by Lionsgate Television and The Forge.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

Dates

Netflix announced that “Lupin Part 2” will premiere on June 11. The series’ five-episode second installment follows Assane in search of a new plan after his quest for revenge against Hubert Pelligrini tears his family apart. Omar Sy stars alongside Hervé Pierre, Nicole Garcia, Clotilde Hesme, Ludivine Sagnier,...

Paramount Plus released a trailer for “Rugrats,” an all-new reimagination of the ’90s cartoon debuting on May 27.

In the one-hour premiere episode, “Second Time Around,” Tommy leads the babies on an adventure to help Chuckie after his own courageous endeavor goes horribly wrong.

The series stars E.G. Daily as Tommy Pickles, Nancy Cartwright as Chuckie Finster, Cheryl Chase as Angelica Pickles, Cree Summer as Susie Carmichael and Kath Soucie as both Phil and Lil DeVille, all of whom are reprising their iconic roles.

The series also features new voices, including Ashley Rae Spillers and Tommy Dewey, who voice Tommy’s parents, Didi and Stu Pickles, respectively; Tony Hale as Chuckie’s father, Chas Finster; Natalie Morales as Phil and Lil’s mother, Betty DeVille; Anna Chlumsky and Timothy Simons as Angelica’s parents, Charlotte and Drew Pickles, respectively; Nicole Byer and Omar Miller as Susie’s parents, Lucy and Randy Carmichael,...

Titles include ambulance-set thriller ‘The Shift’ and home invasion drama ‘A Bunch Of Bastards’.

Italian sales firm Minerva Pictures has finalised deals on several genre titles at the recent European Film Market (EFM).

The sales are led by terrorist thriller The Shift, which has been picked up for France (Koba Films), Germany (The Lighthouse) and Japan (New Select).

The Italy-Belgium co-produced is directed by Alessandro Tonda and premiered at Rome Film Fest. Led by Suburra star Adamo Dionisi and Cesar award-winning actress Clotilde Hesme, it centres on two paramedics who unwittingly load a suicide bomber into their ambulance in the wake of a terrorist attack.

(Warning: This post contains spoilers for Part 1 of Netflix’s “Lupin.”)

When Netflix’s smash-hit French series “Lupin” returns with five new episodes this summer, they will bring a much-anticipated conclusion to the first chapter of the Omar Sy-led mystery thriller. And with the Friday release of that action-packed teaser for Part 2, fans are surely wondering if this second installment is also the show’s final.

“We don’t know,” “Lupin” star Sy told TheWrap Saturday. “So of course, at the end of the 10 episodes, we’re going to close something. But the end of something is always the beginning of something else. So we’ll see.”

The five-episode Part 1 of “Lupin” debuted globally Jan. 8 on Netflix and became the first-ever French series to crack the streaming service’s Top 10 list in the U.S. that same week. According to Netflix, 70 million households were projected to have watched “Lupin...

In today’s TV news roundup, The CW announced the premiere date for the sixth and final season of “Supergirl,” and Netflix revealed a teaser for the second part of “Lupin.”

Dates

The CW announced that “Supergirl” will premiere the first part of its sixth and final season on March 30 at 9 p.m. In that time slot now is “Superman and Lois,” which will go on a brief hiatus due to a Covid-related production interruption earlier this season when “Supergirl” begins. The recently-renewed “Superman and Lois” will return on May 18 at 9 p.m., with “Supergirl” slated to complete its final season later this summer. The action-adventure drama series follows the DC character Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), who balances her work as a reporter for CatCo Worldwide Media with her work as Supergirl, keeping National City and the Earth safe from sinister threats. The series also stars David Harewood, Jesse Rath,...

Netflix is on to a winner with Lupin.

That much we've known since the streamer announced that it's on track to reach 70 million subscribers in its first 28 days.

Inspired by Arsène Lupin's adventures, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.

The addictive follows professional thief Assane Diop, the only son of an immigrant from Senegal who had come to France to seek a better life for his child.

Assane's father is framed for the theft of an expensive diamond necklace by his employer, the wealthy and powerful Hubert Pellegrini, and hangs himself in his prison cell out of shame, leaving the teenage Assane an orphan.

Twenty-five years later, inspired by a book about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin his father had given him on his birthday, Assane sets out to get revenge on the Pellegrini family, using his charisma and mastery of thievery,...

Netflix has announced that Part 2 of its smash hit French series Lupin will arrive later this year, after the mystery show became the streaming service’s biggest French international hit to date. It also revealed that Lupin, often described as a “contemporary rereading” of the Gentleman Thief, is on track to reach a whopping 70 million households in its first month of release, putting it close to its big budget fantasy series The Witcher in terms of eyeballs on screens.

Indeed, Lupin Part 1 has smashed expectations so far, trending in Netflix’s Top Ten globally and reaching number one in France, Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Sweden.

The series stars Omar Sy (Jurassic World) as Assane Diop. As a teen, Assane’s life changes dramatically after his father is accused of a crime he didn’t commit and dies. Part 1 follows Assane 25 years later...

Netflix’s Lupin is primed to set a global benchmark for a French series on the service with 70M households projected to watch the five-parter through its first 28 days. That’s bigger than other recent English-language hit series Bridgerton (projected at 63M) and The Queen’s Gambit (62M actuals). The Omar Sy-starrer made its Netflix debut on January 8, and quickly became the first French series to land on the streamer’s U.S. Top 10 list.

It easily launched to No. 1 across in France and remains in that position today. Netflix reports it has also ranked No. 1 in Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Sweden and many other countries. Lupin is 93% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Intouchables’ Sy stars as Assane Diop who uses the world famous gentleman thief and master of disguise, Arsène Lupin, as his inspiration. The French original from Gaumont Télévision is created by George Kay in collaboration with François Uzan (Family Business) and is a contemporary adaptation of the novels penned by French writer Maurice LeBlanc, who created the character in 1905. The books have been adapted into dozens of TV series and movies over the years.

Since the release of the series, the original Leblanc book has regained interest internationally with it now trending on many marketplaces in France, Italy, Spain, the U.S., UK, Korea and others. Just yesterday, French national news radio, FranceInfo, featured the show as part of its daily kids program, FranceInfo Junior, bringing in an Arsène Lupin scholar to educate the youngsters on the character’s origins.

Set in Paris — and making slick use of the city’s locations — Lupin’s first five-part series, Dans L’Ombre D’Arsène (In The Shadow Of Arsène), introduces Sy’s Diop who, as a teenager, saw his life upended when his father died after being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Now, Diop is out to avenge his father, and outwit pretty much everyone along the way.

Louis Leterrier directs episodes 1-3 with Marcela Said (Narcos) on 4-5. Also starring are Hervé Pierre, Nicole Garcia, Clotilde Hesme, Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Shirine Boutella and Soufiane Guerrab. Isabelle Degeorges and Nathan Franck are producers.

Here’s Sy celebrating the news:

70 millions, that's insane!!

Netflix’s French original “Lupin” is the streamer’s latest international hit, and poised to pull in eye-watering numbers for the service.

The SVOD giant projects that the clever Omar Sy-fronted crime caper will be watched by 70 million members within its first 28 days on the platform. The drama launched on Friday and has already nabbed the #1 spot in Netflix’s Top 10 rankings in countries including Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Sweden.

For comparison, consider that Netflix revealed its hit Regency-era fantasy “Bridgerton” was projected to reach 63 million households within 28 days of its Christmas Day debut.

Variety understands that season 4 of hit Spanish drama “La Casa de Papel” (Money Heist) drew a whopping 65 million within 28 days, while the Anya Taylor-Joy fronted chess series “The Queen’s Gambit” pulled in 62 million in that same period.

It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that Netflix doesn...

Netflix’s Lupin made its debut on the service Friday January 8, and quickly became the first French series to land on the streamer’s U.S. Top 10 list. It entered the overall list at No. 8 and was No. 6 on the U.S. series list on Saturday, before jumping up to No. 3 on both rosters Sunday (it’s No. 1 in France and elsewhere). Netflix began sharing Daily Top 10 lists last February.

The Intouchables’ Omar Sy stars as Assane Diop who uses the world famous gentleman thief and master of disguise, Arsène Lupin, as his inspiration. The French original from Gaumont Télévision is created by George Kay in collaboration with François Uzan (Family Business) and is a contemporary adaptation of the novels penned by French writer Maurice LeBlanc, who created the character in 1905. The books have been adapted into dozens of TV series and movies over the years.

Arsène Lupin is a character with a great deal of currency to the French; created by author Maurice Leblanc in 1905, this master thief-turned-detective, a master detective has anchored many short stories and films. None of this character’s history may be known to an American audience as they contemplate hitting play on Netflix’s new series “Lupin,” starring Omar Sy (“The Intouchables”) as a contemporary spin on the character; it shouldn’t stop anyone from checking out a propulsive and cleverly made piece of work about one great heist and its ongoing aftermath.

Sy, here, plays Assane Diop, a Senegalese immigrant whose father died as a result of a false accusation; working as a chauffeur for a wealthy Parisian family, this unlucky fellow was accused of stealing a necklace in their care, one that had belonged to Marie Antoinette. That this name suggests overtones of indolence and selfishness seems no mistake.

In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix announced the premiere date and released a trailer for “Lupin,” and Fox shared an extended teaser for “The Masked Dancer.”

Casting

Netflix announced Page Kennedy, Diamond Lyons, Khali Daniya-Renee Spraggins, Jermelle Simon, Gabrielle Dennis and Journey Christine have been cast in “The Upshaws.” The newly announced actors join Mike Epps, Wanda Sykes and Kim Fields to round out the show’s ensemble. Its plot will follow an African American family trying to make the most of their situation in life. Kennedy takes on the role of a family friend fresh out of prison, while Lyons, Spraggins, Christine and Simon will play the three Upshaw three children. Dennis plays a hairstylist who also happens to be the mother of one of the Upshaw kids. The 10-episode season will premiere in 2021.

Renewals

CBS All Access announced the renewal of “Texas 6,” a docuseries about...

The William Shatner hosted and produced eight-episode series The UnXplained will premiere on the History channel on July 19th. Also in today's Highlights: The Returned Season 2 and Landing Lake release details.

History Channel's The Unxplained Release Details: Press Release: "History will premiere the nonfiction series “The UnXplained,” hosted and executive produced by Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor William Shatner on Friday, July 19 at 10 p.m. Et/Pt. The eight-episode, one-hour anthology series will tackle subjects that have mystified mankind for centuries, from mysterious structures and cursed ancient cities to extraterrestrial sightings and bizarre rituals.

“I’m thrilled to be hosting and producing the new History series ‘The UnXplained” said Shatner. “It’s an intriguing show that will offer viewers credible answers to questions about mysterious phenomena, while also leaving other theories left unexplained.”

From Executive Producer Kevin Burns, the creator, and producer of History’s most popular series, including...

Actress-director Noémie Lvovsky’s “Tomorrow And Thereafter,” a heartfelt homage to the director’s own mother, and Fabien Gorgeart’s “Diane Has the Right Shape,” about one woman’s surrogate motherhood, both won big at the 2019 UniFrance MyFrenchFilmFestival which skewed female in its winners and viewership, making particularly notable inroads into South East Asia and Latin America.

Opening Switzerland’s 2017 Locarno Festival to mixed reviews, “Tomorrow and Thereafter” came good at MyFFF, scoring on Tuesday both its best feature Lacoste Audience Award and International Press Award for the fantasy laced family tale of an increasingly not quite there mother and her precocious eight-year-old who is advised on how to cope with maman, whom she adores, by her talking pet owl.

The Directors Jury prize – adjudicated by Houda Benyamina (“Divines”), Coralie Fargeat (“Revenge”), Mikhael Hers (“Amanda”), Canada’s Kim Nguyen and Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael – went to “Diane Has the Right Shape,...

Cristian Mungiu lead the jury at the 70th edition of the festival.

The winners of the 20th Cinéfondation Selection at the Cannes Film Festival have been announced.

The Cinéfondation Selection consisted of 16 student films, chosen out of 2 600 entries coming from 626 film schools around the world.

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu was president of the Jury that also included Clotilde Hesme, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Barry Jenkins and Eric Khoo.

They handed out the prizes during a ceremony held in the Buñuel Theatre, followed by the screening of the winning films, which were:

First Prize:

Paul Est LÀ (Paul Is Here)

Directed by Valentina Maurel

Insas, Belgium

Second Prize:

Heyvan (AniMal)

Directed by Bahram & Bahman Ark

Iranian National School of Cinema, Iran

Third Prize:

Deux ÉGARÉS Sont Morts (Two Youths Died)

Directed by Tommaso Usberti

La Fémis, France

The Cinéfondation allocates a €15,000 grant for the First Prize, €11,250 for the Second and €7,500 for the Third.

The winner...

Read More: Cannes Critics Week Awards: ‘Makala,’ ‘Gabriel and the Mountain’ Take Top Honors

The Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury headed by Cristian Mungiu and including Clotilde Hesme, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Barry Jenkins and Eric Khoo has awarded the 2017 Cinéfondation Prizes during a ceremony held in the Buñuel Theatre, followed by the screening of the winning films. The winners are:

First Prize

“Paul Est Là” (“Paul Is Here”)

Directed by Valentina Maurel

The Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle (Insas), Belgium

Second Prize

“Heyvan” (“Animal”)

Directed by Bahram Ark and Bahman Ark

Iranian National School of Cinema, Iran

Third Prize

“Deux Égarés Sont Morts” (“Two Youths Died”)

Directed by Tommaso Usberti

La Fémis, France

The Cinéfondation allocates a €15,000 grant for the first prize, €11,250 for the second and €7,500 for the third. The winner of the first prize is also guaranteed the presentation of his or her first feature film at the Cannes Film Festival.

Cannes has announced the full list of actors, filmmakers and other artists on jury duty at this year’s edition of the festival, with the likes of Barry Jenkins, Cristian Mungiu and Joachim Lafosse joining the already-announced jurors. That includes Uma Thurman, who’s serving as President of the Un Certain Regard section, as well as Athina Rachel Tsangari, Maren Ade, Pedro Almodóvar, Park Chan-wook, Jessica Chastain, Will Smith and Fan Binbing.

Monica Bellucci will serve as master of ceremonies for opening and closing night of the festival, which runs from May 17–28.

Read More: Cannes: ‘Dogtooth’ Made Yorgos Lanthimos One of the Most Exciting Filmmakers in the World, and He’s Just Getting Started

Un Certain Regard Jury

The Un Certain Regard Jury will award its prizes to the winners, chosen from its selection of 18 films, during the Closing Ceremony on Saturday, May, 27th in the Debussy Theatre. The opening film is Barbara,...

When a Potiche Ascends the Stairs: Brizé’s Winning, Textured de Maupassant Adaptation

Although cinematic adaptations of French writer Guy de Maupassant still occur with some regularity, few contemporary Gallic auteurs have successfully tackled the naturalist who was a protégé of Flaubert and a contemporary of Zola. Frequent adaptations of his famed short story “Boule de Suif” and Bel-Ami are resurrected regularly, and his stories have inspired auteurs like Robert Wise, Jean-Luc Godard, Marcel Ophüls, and Jean Renoir. However, de Maupassant’s seminal first novel, Une Vie (1883), has been adapted several times outside of France, while previously its most definitive mounting was the 1958 End of Desire headlined by Maria Schell.

For his seventh feature, Stephane Brizé persuasively reflects the subjugation of women’s agency with the fragmented A Woman’s Life, and is perhaps the most auspicious transformation of the author since the handsome productions of the 1950s with this astute period piece featuring an exquisite ensemble of character actors.

After returning from convent school, Jeanne (Judith Chemla) takes joy in assisting her father (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) in the garden and perambulating with her mother (Yolande Moreau), a woman who spends most of her free time scrolling through the contents of letters she received throughout her life. With only the young family maid Rosalie (Nina Meurisse) as a friend and confidante, Jeanne soon finds herself courted by the handsome Viscount Julien de Lamare (Swann Arlaud). Swept into what she’s made to believe is romance, the marriage soon sours when Rosalie is found to be with child after having been raped by Julien. Thus begins Jeanne’s initiation into a world more harrowing than she had anticipated as her ideals and dignity are slowly stripped away.

Judith Chemla, who has starred as a supporting player in a number of period productions for noted auteurs (Tavernier, Techine) comes to the fore as the passive, frustrated center of Brizé’s film. Oblivious to the tendencies and behaviors of those around her, A Woman’s Life gently ushers her from a frivolous young woman of privilege to an increasingly fraught wife forced to contend with a debauched husband.

Brizé’s film has all the potential of a tawdry soap opera, and yet is distilled into fragmented reflections of her escapist tendencies. As we rush through defining moments of her life, time slows as Jeanne disappears into the bright, sunshiny memories which brought her to such a brooding standstill. Chemla is tasked with revealing Jeanne’s persona through inscrutable moments, an object acted upon despite meager efforts to gain control of her life. When escape presents itself upon learning of her own pregnancy at the same time as her husband’s philandering with Rosalie, her own mother confirms her fate by forcing Jeanne to forgive rather than return home.

Yolande Moreau gives a subversively droll performance as a cold maternal figure who has several major secrets of her own. As her counterpart, Jean-Pierre Darroussin nearly disappears within the period garb as Jeanne’s mild mannered father, while a mousy Swann Arlaud is sufficiently unpalatable as her cheating husband. Clotilde Hesme surfaces in a brief subplot which yields shockingly violent results, while rising young actor Finnegan Oldfield (Nocturama; Les Cowboys) shows up in the third act as Jeanne’s selfish teenage son, the specter haunting her golden years and sending her into protracted anguish.

Much like Brizé’s last lauded feature, 2015’s The Measure of a Man, the narrative revolves around distilled, refracted moments informing its protagonist’s mind frame, a person once again trapped by economic necessity in an unfavorable role which whittles away at their resolve.

Collaborating once more with scribe Florence Vignon (who scripted his superb 2009 film Mademoiselle Chambon), they achieve a striking portrait of a woman of certain means as equally weighted down by her expectations and limited control. Brizé also taps Dp Antoine Heberle (who worked on Chambon and A Few Hours of Spring, as well as Ozon’s Under the Sand) who transforms the film into a constant visual juxtaposition of stark, contrasting palettes, ranging from the brooding grays of Jeanne’s present to the golden, sparkling vivaciousness of happy times she can never return to. With stunning finality, a drastic situation boils down to bittersweet reality— “Life is never as good or as bad as you think it is.”

★★★★/☆☆☆☆☆

The post A Woman’s Life | Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.

Title: Chocolat Director: Roschdy Zem Starring: Omar Sy, James Thierrée, Clotilde Hesme, Oliver Gourmet, Frédéric Pierrot, Noémie Lvovsky, Denis Podalydes. The history of the clown Chocolat, the first black circus artist in France, lands on the silver screen. From the circus to the theatre, from anonymity to stardom, Rafael Padilla —more commonly known by his stage name Chocolat — was a clown who entertained Parisians in the early years of the 20th century. His success came by the exceptional partnership with George Footit, since their duo would embody the white clown and the auguste (happy clown). Director Roschdy Zem delivers a wonderfully nuanced story about a black man who not [ Read More ]

The post Chocolat Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Other winners include Eva Husson’s Bang Gang.

The 7th Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 12-19) has awarded its top prize - the Crystal Arrow - to Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows.

The Icelandic film, which debuted at Toronto, won a further three prizes including best actor for the film’s teenage protagonist Atli Óskar Fjalarsson; best cinematography for Sophia Olsson; and the Press Prize.

It adds to an awards haul that includes the top prize at San Sebastian, the Silver Hugo at Chicago, the international jury award at Sao Paulo, the artistic achievement award at Thessaloniki and the Competition 1-2 award at Warsaw.

The coming-of-age story centres on teenager Ari, who has been living with his mother in Reykjavik and is suddenly sent back to the remote Westfjords to live with his father Gunnar.

French film Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) also won four prizes including the grand jury prize. Eva Husson’s film...

Warning: This article contains spoilers that some readers may prefer to avoid.

Good news - The Returned is back, with its beautiful people, Gallic drama and Mogwai chords. Bad news - the first series aired in 2013 and, two years on, all we can remember is "the Lake Pub".

Great news - Digital Spy has prepared a handy guide, for anyone looking to refresh their memories ahead of tonight's (superb) series two premiere:

The basics

The dead have begun returning to life in a small French mountain town. But these are no flesh-chomping zombies - beyond a ferocious appetite, the 'Returned' appear perfectly healthy and normal.

The town, though, is plagued by other strange phenomena - power outages, the reservoir's water level dropping dramatically and strange marks appearing on the bodies of both the living and dead.

What happened in series one's finale?

Remember Toni (Grégory Gadebois), manager of the Lake Pub?...

facebook

twitter

google+

The Returned series 2 arrives on More4 in the UK tonight, Friday the 16th of October. We spoke to its creators and cast…

Fabrice Gobert, the French creator of supernatural drama The Returned, speaks good English. An inevitability of using a second language though, is the odd grammatical slip. One such slip made by Gobert at the press launch for The Returned series two is too perfect to let pass by. A pitfall of writing fantasy TV, Gobert said, is that “you can lost yourself”.

Add a capital letter to the ‘l’ word, and you can say that again.

During its enviably long run, Lost became both the high and low benchmark for atmospheric, existentially fraught TV dramas. Its early seasons gripped viewers, but its later runs frustrated many by failing to achieve the perfect ratio of mysteries to answers. That’s the tricky challenge The Returned is facing in series two.

The Last Hammer Blow

Written by Alix Delaporte, Alain Le Henry

Directed by Alix Delaporte

France 2015

There are both too many stories of depression laced lives and too many happily ever afters. Too few allow the tragedy life to run its course while acknowledging the undercurrent of joy and at times fleeting happiness that bubbles up from below. The Last Hammer Blow begins as another simple, dour look at the struggles of 13 year old Victor (Romain Paul in a star making performance) and his cancer stricken mother Nadia (Clotilde Hesme), as they struggle to survive in a trailer by a remote beach. Having never met his father, and with a mother who needs more care than she can give, Victor has about as much weight on his shoulders as Atlas did, which he accepts with an emotionless grimace, letting fate determine his place in life.

Elements of the Dardennes are...

While the dead returning to life has traditionally been the foray of the horror genre, a number of movies and tv shows over the years have used the premise to tell different kinds of stories. Among the latter group is the French television series The Returned. Also known as Les Revenants, the show made its debut in 2012, growing its fans in ensuing years, with many eagerly anticipating the second season.

Following the airing of the second season premiere and second episode at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, a premiere date has now been announced. The second season will once again air on SundanceTV, beginning on October 31st at 10 pm Et. The second season synopsis is as follows.

The second season picks up six months after the deceased disappeared into the mountains with Simon (Pierre Perrier), Camille (Yara Pilartz), her mother, Claire (Anne Consigny), Julie (Céline Sallette) and the mysterious youngster Victor (Swann Nambotin). Since then,...

"The dead are back." That's the chilling message at the heart of this trailer for The Returned's second series.

The Lake Pub is back open for business on Friday, October 16 at 9pm.

The series will also be moving from Channel 4 to More4.

The Returned centres on a small French town where many of the deceased rise from the dead, seemingly fine and normal.

Series two picks up six months later, with Adele (Clotilde Hesme) about to give birth to Simon's (Pierre Perrier) child.

Lena (Jenna Thiam) and her father Jerome (Frederic Pierrot) are still searching for Claire (Anne Consigny) and Camille (Yara Pilartz), while a mysterious man named Berg (Laurent Lucas) pays a visit to the town, appearing to know more than he actually claims.

The second run is getting a Halloween premiere in the Us, launching October 31 on SundanceTV.

The Returned will finally be back on our screens this autumn - but the spooky French thriller is shifting channels.

The unorthodox zombie series is moving from Channel 4 to More4 for its second series.

It's been two years since The Returned gripped the nation with its tale of deceased French folk coming back from the dead.

Set six months on from the events of the first series, series two will see Adele (Clotilde Hesme) about to give birth to Simon's (Pierre Perrier) child.

Meanwhile Lena (Jenna Thiam) and her father Jerome (Frederic Pierrot) search desperately for Claire (Anne Consigny) and Camille (Yara Pilartz).

Matters are complicated further when a stranger named Berg (Laurent Lucas) - who knows more than he claims - arrives into town. Worse still, a new wave of resurrections could be about to occur.

Channel 4 is yet to confirm when new episodes will air on...