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The Cineuropa folks have unveiled the latest round of Cnc’s advance on receipts projects (eleven in total) and at the top of the list we find the likes of Élie Wajeman, Valérie Donzelli and sophomore features by the next wave of talents in Vincent Le Port and Anaïs Volpé.

Wajeman has been a Cannes regular with all three of his film projects hitting Cannes, he will next work on Le joueur which was co-written with actor Vincent Sornaga. Donzelli, who last premiered Just the Two of Us (2023) in the Cannes Premiere section will once again tackle a book to film project – this time she teamed up with Gilles Marchand for À pied d’œuvre (translates to At Work).…...

French public broadcaster France Televisions has commissioned a raft of new scripted shows, including “Lucky Luke,” an adaptation of the cult graphic novel, and “Rallye 82,” a 1982-set female-led racing show.

“Lucky Luke” is an adventure comedy directed by Benjamin Rocher and penned by Mathieu Leblanc and Thomas Mansuy, based on the “Lucky Luke” comicbook. The eight-part half-hour series is produced by Geraldine Gendre and Lionel Uzan at Federation Studios, and co-produced by Rémi Préchac and Julien Vallespi at Un pour tous productions, and Alban Lenoir at Homerun. Lenoir, the French star of Netflix’s action thriller series “Lost Bullet,” will play Lucky Luke.

“Rallye 82,” directed by Julien Lacombe (“Missions”), takes place during the racing championship in 1982, where Michele Mouton, the only female pilot, beats the odds and wins the race. The script was penned by Lacombe and Haiga Jappain. Producers are Raphael Rocher and Eric Laroche at Empreinte Digitale.

The...

Next month’s Mubi lineup for the U.S. has been unveiled and a number of our recent festival favorites that were awaiting distribution will be coming to the service, including Mr. Bachmann and His Class, Ballad of a White Cow, Madalena, Taste, The Monopoly of Violence, and For Lucio.

One of last year’s great films, Hong Sangsoo’s The Woman Who Ran, will also be arriving, alongside Abel Ferrara’s Ms. 45, the Safdies’ Heaven Knows What, Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz, and Leo McCarey’s Love Affair, with the latter two pairing for a Valentine’s Day double feature.

Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.

February 1 | The Monopoly of Violence | David Dufresne | From France with Love

February 2 | Looking for Venera | Norika Sefa | Festival Focus: Rotterdam

February 3 | Madalena | Madiano Marcheti | Festival Focus: Rotterdam

February 4 | Honey Cigar | Kamir Aïnouz | From France with Love

February 5 | …and...

Running Jan. 14-Feb. 14, this year’s MyFrenchFilmFestival, an online fest organized by France’s film-tv promotional body UniFrance, will mark its 12th edition with a more diversified slate and a greater international push.

Showcasing festival gems, animated crowd-pleasers and outré genre fare – all subtitled in 15 languages – the 13 features and 17 shorts of this year’s selection will reach home viewers via 70 partner platforms as well on MyFrenchFilmFestival.com, where all the shorts will be available to screen free of charge.

Though ranging in presentational style from horror-comedy to bittersweet drama, the 10 films in this year’s feature competition often share similar thematic through lines, with nearly half of them looking at youth struggles from one angle or another. While Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s werewolf thriller “Teddy” tackles late teen growing pains through a more genre prism, Kamir Aïnouz’s “Honey Cigar” does so as a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale; when exploring young adult malaise,...

Emmanuel Mouret’s “Love Affair(s),” Samir Guesmi’s “Ibrahim” and Elie Wajeman’s “Night Doctor” won top prizes at Colcoa, the French film and TV festival.

The festival, which marked its 25th edition, wrapped at the DGA on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles on Nov. 7. It was attended by 14,000 people.

The festival, programmed by Francois Truffart, is organized by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), The Writers Guild of America West (Wgaw) and France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (Sacem).

Colcoa shifted its spring dates to the fall in 2019 as the DGA was being renovated and is now ideally positioned at the start of the awards season in the U.S. The awards ceremony took place at the Sacem headquarters near Paris in the presence of many honorees, notably Guesmi and “Love Affair(s)” producer Frédéric Niedermayer,...

Colcoa Classics to stage Bertrand Tavernier tribute.

The North American Premiere of Emmanuel Carrère’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight opener Between Two Worlds starring Juliette Binoche will open the in-person 25th Colcoa French film and series festival on November 1.

The event runs until November 7 and will screen 55 films and series at the DGA Theatre in Hollywood with a Colcoa Classics tribute to Bertrand Tavernier.

The closing films are Xavier Giannoli’s recent Venice Film Festival Lost Illusions and Arthur Harari’s 2021 Cannes Un Certain Regard opener Onoda, 10,000 Nights In The Jungle.

The feature line-up includes Leyla Bouzid’s A Tale Of Love And Desire...

Emmanuel Carrère’s Ouistreham (Between Two Worlds) has been set as the opening film of the 25th Colcoa French Film and Series Festival. The anniversary edition of the City of Lights, City of Angels fest kicks off on November 1 with the Juliette Binoche-starrer that opened Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes last July before winning the Audience Award at San Sebastian. Cohen Media Group releases in the U.S. in 2022.

Colcoa is running as a live week-long event taking place at the DGA Theater Complex from November 1-7. This year’s edition is dedicated to late filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier and will pay homage to him in the Classics section. The full program will include 55 films and series, as well as 19 shorts. Thirty of the films will compete for the Colcoa Cinema Awards and the Colcoa High School Screenings program will also return, welcoming 3,000 high school students from across Southern California.

Two...

Awarded the Label of the Official Selection, Elie Wajeman’s work will spearhead a line-up of 14 titles, including three market premieres. The Cannes Film Festival’s Online Marché du Film (running 22 - 26 June) is in the viewfinder of international sales agent Be For Films - a firm directed by Pamela Leu, also the Belgian subsidiary of French group Playtime - who will be negotiating on behalf of 14 titles at the event, including one work awarded the Official Selection Label: Night Doctor, by France’s Elie Wajeman.The filmmaker’s 3rd feature film, following on from Alyah (Directors’ Fortnight 2012) and Les Anarchistes (Cannes’ Critics’ Week 2015), stars Vincent Macaigne, Sara Giraudeau and Pio Marmaï in its cast and will be sold via a promo reel. Written by Elie Wajeman and Agnès Feuvre, the story centres around night doctor Mikael. His work is a vocation. Between two patient-visits in difficult neighbourhoods, he...

2020 has seen the cancellation of many film festivals around the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though Cannes, one of the most prestigious festivals, won’t be going ahead they have compiled 2020’s Official Selection.

Comprising of 56 films that would have been selected to play at this year’s festival, the selection is made up of features from filmmakers that have been selected at least before, newcomers, documentary’s and animations.

Amongst the line-up is Steve McQueen’s ‘Lovers Rock’ and ‘Mangrove’ which McQueen has dedicated to George Floyd.

“I dedicate these films to George Floyd and all the other black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are, in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere,” said McQueen. “‘If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.’ Black Lives Matter.”

Others amongst the line-up include Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated ‘The French Dispatch,...

The selection includes films from Wes Anderson, Naomi Kawase and two Steve McQueen projects.

The Cannes Film Festival has announced its special 2020 Official Selection.

Festival President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux revealed the line-up at a press conference in Paris, held without journalists this year.

With the 2020 physical festival cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Official Selection titles will be “supported” by Cannes as they screen in autumn festivals and beyond.

The 56-strong line-up includes Wes Anderson’s French Dispatch; two Steve McQueen projects - Mangrove and Lovers Rock; Maïwenn’s DNA; Naomi Kawase’s True Mothers; Thomas Vinterberg...

Summer of 85The Festival de Cannes has announced 56 films selected for their 2020 Festival, scheduled to have taken place between May 12—23 and cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Films with the official Cannes 2020 label set for a theatrical release before spring 2021 will receive additional support from the Festival when theaters reopen. Films that were predicted to play at the festival and not included in the Cannes 2020 Official Selection—including Leos Carax's Annette, Mia Hansen-Løve's Bergman Island, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Memoria—may premiere elsewhere, while, as previously announced, Paul Verhoeven's Benedetta has delayed its premiere to summer 2021.Official SELECTIONThe French Dispatch (Wes Anderson)Passion Simple (Danielle Arbid)Josep (Aurel)Au Crépuscule (Sharunas Bartas)Les hommes (Lucas Belvaux)Rouge (Farid Bentoumi)Here We Are (Nir Bergman)Teddy (Ludovic & Zoran Boukherma)Un triomphe (Emmanuel Courcol)9 jours à Raqqa (Xavier de Lauzanne)Soul (Pete Docter)Vaurien (Peter Dourountzis)Slalom (Charlène Favier)The Real...

A bit earlier today, in lieu of the actual fest, the Cannes Film Festival announced what their Official Selections would have been. Of course, these movies won’t actually be playing at Cannes, but they will be showing at other festivals around the world over the next handful of months. It would have been an interesting crop of titles, all lumped together in the south of France, and this afternoon, we’re going to take a look at a few of them, as the lineup is being rolled out. Some of the highlights here seem to include Ammonite (starring Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet), Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, Pixar’s Soul, and a pair of new works from Steve McQueen (Lover’s Rock as well as Mangrove). There’s also films like Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut Falling, which played at the Sundance Film Festival, plus much more.

The show is going on for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, even though by now in a normal year we would have known which film would succeed Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” as the new Palme d’Or winner. The original 2020 festival was scheduled to run May 12-23 but was canceled in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Cannes is living on this year as festival president Pierre Lescure and general delegate Thierry Frémaux are announcing the 56 films that made the cut for the 2020 Official Selection. Selected films will be branded with an official Cannes 2020 label that they can take to additional festivals later this year and use when they open in theaters.

The Official Selection at Cannes usually includes the following sections: Competition, Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition, Special Screenings, and Midnight Screenings. The Palme d’Or contenders premiere in the Competition category. Last year’s Cannes Competition section...

Cannes Film Festival will not take place this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the official selection has still been unveiled. While no distinct sections were revealed, Thierry Frémaux and Pierre Lescure took the stage of an empty theater to share the 50-plus films that were accepted to screen at the festival. While those Cannes world premieres will not happen in person or digitally, these films will be able to show the prestigious laurels as they head to other festivals this fall and beyond–except Venice Film Festival, who have said they will not be part of their event.

“This Selection is here, and it’s a beautiful one,” Frémaux said. “Even though movie theatres have been shut for three months – for the first time since the invention of film screening by the Lumière Brothers on December 28, 1895 – this Selection reflects that cinema is more alive than ever. It remains unique,...

Pixar’s “Soul,” Wes Anderson’s star-packed “The French Dispatch” and Steve McQueen’s “Mangrove” and Lover’s Rock” are among the 56 movies which will receive a Cannes 2020 label as part of the festival’s eclectic Official Selection.

Also included in this year’s lineup, are Cannes regulars such as Francois Ozon’s anticipated “Summer 85,” Naomi Kawase’s “True Mothers” and Maiwenn’s “DNA.”

The other celebrated filmmakers who will receive the Cannes 2020 label are Jonathan Nossiter with “Last Words,” Im Sang-soo with “Event” and Thomas Vinterberg with “Another Round.” As many other titles on this year’s lineup, these films were initially tipped for the festival before it canceled its physical edition in April and sticked with the French Riviera-set fest for various reasons, ranging from loyalty to distribution/marketing strategy. For instance, “Summer 85,” which marks Ozon’s follow up to his Berlin Golden Bear winning “By The Grace of God,...

The group helmed by Pamela Leu is selling Swiss director Andrea Štaka’s new work, the front-runner in a hefty line-up which includes Elie Wajeman, Ève Deboise and Éric Gravel’s latest offerings. The European Film Market - set to unfold at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival (running 20 February to 1 March) - is shaping up to be an especially busy one for international sales firm Be For Films, the Belgian subsidiary of the French group Playtime, helmed by Pamela Leu, who will be negotiating on behalf of 16 screening or upcoming titles. Standing tall amongst them is Mare by Switzerland’s Andrea Štaka which will enjoy its world premiere in the Panorama section. Written by the director herself (also the co-author of Mary Queen of...

Vincent Macaigne, Sara Giraudeau and Pio Marmaï top the bill of the filmmaker’s third feature film, a Partizan Films production set to be sold by Be for Films. 9 December saw Elie Wajeman commence filming on Un médecin de nuit, his third feature film following on from Alyah (Directors’ Fortnight 2012) and Les Anarchistes (the opening film of Cannes’ Critics’ Week 2015). Shining bright in the cast are Vincent Macaigne, Sara Giraudeau and Pio Marmaï (nominated Best Actor at the 2019 Césars for The Trouble With You, and set to grace billboards in Comment je suis devenu super-héros in...

The Cannes Film festival was an exceptional edition for French films this year. A focus on the rising generation of French actors and directors that have been highlighted in Cannes and will most certainly be the stars of tomorrow was compiled by Unifrance chief Isabelle Giordano.

They are a force to be reckoned with. Unifrance films is ready to bet that you will certainly hear about these ten talented people. They represent the French cinema of today and will soon be on the screens worldwide.

Emmanuelle Bercot

An actress and a director, Emmanuelle Bercot began by enrolling at the Cours Florent drama school and taking dancing lessons after her baccalaureate. She graduated from Femis in 1998, after winning the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival for her short film "Les Vacances," in 1997. After her first few roles in the films of Jean-François Richet and Michel Deville, her career as an actress took off when Claude Miller gave her one of the main roles in "La Classe de neige" (1998). The following year, she made the headlines with the medium-length film she directed called "La Puce," presented in the selection of Un Certain Regard at Cannes. This film tells of the love affair between a 35-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl, played by Isild Le Besco.

Her first feature-length film, "Clément" (2001), is about the life of a troubled woman who has one adventure after another with various men until she meets a 14-yearold boy. Her second film, "Backstage" (2004), continues to explore teenage angst through a relationship between a hit singer and a young obsessional fan. She earned her first critical and public acclaim with "On My Way" (2013), the third film written by the director for Catherine Deneuve, in which the star plays a woman who has decided to leave everything behind and hit the road in France.

She was indisputably the most talked about person during the Cannes Film Festival 2015, both as an actress and a director. Thierry Frémaux surprised everyone by announcing that "Standing Tall," Emmanuelle Bercot’s fourth feature-length film would open the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Emmanuelle Bercot says that she has rediscovered the social fiber of her beginnings with this tale of juvenile delinquency. After the enthusiastic and unanimous reception of her film, she won the Best Actress Award for her role as a woman under the influence of love in the film "Mon Roi" by Maïwenn, with whom she co-wrote the script for "Polisse," which won the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012

Thomas Bidegain

Thomas Bidegain may well be one of the best known French screenwriters in the profession today, but it took him ten years to achieve this status. His career path in film is anything but ordinary. He started out in the 1990s by distributing and producing independent American films: "Ice Storm" by Ang Lee and "Chasing Sleep" by Michael Walker. He came back to France and joined MK2 where he became director of distribution. In 1999, he returned to production for "Why Not." In 2007, he told the story of his attempt to stop smoking in "Arrêter de fumer tue," a personal diary that was turned into a documentary, then a book.

In the meantime, he began screenwriting and worked on several projects. In 2009, he wrote the screenplay for Jacques Audiard’s film, "A Prophet," alongside Nicolas Peufaillit and Abdel Raouf Dafri, which won the Grand Prix du Jury in 2009. He participated in Audiard’s next film, "Rust and Bone" and "Our Children" by Joachim Lafosse. He was also the co-writer for "Saint Laurent" by Bertrand Bonello. Winning a César for the best original script and a César for the best adaptation, he presented "Cowboys" at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes this year, his first film as a director. He is also co-writer of "Ni le ciel ni la terre" by Clément Cogitore, presented during the Semaine de la Critique, as well as co-writer of the script for Jacques Audiard’s latest film, "Dheepan," which won the Palme d’Or.

Louise Bourgoin

Louise Bourgoin attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts for five years, during which she began her career as a model. After she graduated from art school in 2004, she radically changed direction and became a presenter on cable TV. She was Miss Météo in Le Grand Journal on Canal + from 2006 to 2008. Her slot became essential viewing and attracted a wide audience, including the attention of the film industry.

She began her acting career in "The Girl from Monaco" by Anne Fontaine, and her performance earned her a César nomination for Most Promising Actress. This recognition led to a whole series of roles and launched her career in film. She headed the bill of several films in 2010 ("White as Snow" by Christophe Blanc, "Sweet Valentine" by Emma Luchini, and "Black Heaven" by Gilles Marchand). The same year, Luc Besson selected her for the leading role in "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec."

Since then, Louise Bourgoin has played in film after film, and has taken her first steps in the international scene with her part in the American film "The Love Punch" by Joel Hopkins. She attracted attention at the Cannes Film Festival this year with her unusual role in Laurent Larivière’s first film, "I Am a Soldier," presented at Un Certain Regard.

Anaïs Demoustier

Her passion for acting started at a very young age and rapidly pushed her to take drama classes. She auditioned, when still a teenager, and got her first role alongside Isabelle Huppert in "Time of the Wolf" by Michael Haneke. After this, her career was launched and she played in a series of films among which "L’Année suivante" by Isabelle Czajka, "Hellphone" by James Huth, "The Beautiful Person" by Christophe Honoré, "Sois sage" by Juliette Garcias, "Sweet Evil" by Olivier Coussemacq, "Dear Prudene" by Rebecca Zlotowski, "Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Robert Guédiguian, "Thérèse Desqueyroux" by Claude Miller, "Quai d’Orsay" by Bertrand Tavernier, "Paris Follies" by Marc Fitoussi, etc.

A filmography rich of 30 films for an actress who isn’t 30 years old yet. In 2014, the press talked about the blooming of Anaïs Demoustier because her face and poise became essential to cinema. Present in "Bird People" by Pascale Ferran, "Caprices" by Emmanuel Mouret, "À trois on y va" by Jérôme Bonnell and "The New Girlfriend" by François Ozon, she is Marguerite in the last Valérie Donzelli’s film, "Marguerite et Julien" screened in Official selection in Cannes.

Louis Garrel

The son of actress Brigitte Sy and the director Philippe Garrel, he began his career in film thanks to his father, who started filming him at the age of six in "Emergency Kisses," alongside his mother and his grandfather, Maurice Garrel. He went onto study drama at the Conservatoire National d’Art Dramatique. He made his real cinema debut in 2001 in the film "Ceci est mon corps" by Rodolphe Marconi. Two years later, he played opposite Michael Pitt and the future Bond girl, Eva Green, in "The Dreamers" by Bernardo Bertolucci.

He then starred in another of his father’s films, "Regular Lovers". His performance earned him the César for the Most Promising Actor in 2005. Since then, he has played alongside the greatest, such as Isabelle Huppert in "Ma mère" by Christophe Honoré. This marked the beginning of a long collaboration between the filmmaker and the actor. They worked together in the film "In Paris" with Romain Duris, then in 2007 in "Love Songs" with Ludivine Sagnier, in "The Beautiful Person" with Léa Seydoux, in "Making Plans" for Lena with Chiara Mostroianni and, finally, in " Beloved" with Catherine Deneuve. He also topped the bill with Valéria Bruni Tedeschi in "Actresses," whom he worked with again in 2013 in "A Castle in Italy."

In 2010, he directed a short film, "The Little Tailor," in which he directed Léa Seydoux. He performed once again in one of his father’s films, "A Burning Hot Summer," followed by "Jealousy." In 2014, he starred in Bertrand Bonello’s film "Saint Laurent," a role which led to another César nomination, but this time in the best supporting role category. His first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented at a Certain Regard, was applauded by the critics. He also starred in "Mon Roi," Maïwenn’s fourth feature-length film, alongside Emmanuelle and Vincent Cassel, presented as part of the official selection.

Guillaume Gouix

After studying at the Conservatoire in Marseille and the Ecole Régionale d’Acteur de Cannes, Guillaume Gouix began his career in television. He played the male lead in "The Lion Cubs," by Claire Doyon, in 2003. Noted for his performance, especially the highly physical aspect of it and his intense gaze, he then played a series of supporting roles as a young hoodlum in "Les Mauvais joueurs" by Frédéric Balekdjian and in "Chacun sa nuit," by Jean-Marc Barr and Pascal Arnold. He featured in the 2007 war film "Intimate Enemies" by Florent Emilio Siri, thus confirming his taste for complex characters.

The following year, he was applauded for his performance in the film "Behind the Walls" by Christian Faure. In 2010, he starred in "22 Bullets" by Richard Berry and in 2011, he established his reputation with roles in "Nobody Else But You" by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu, "Et soudain, tout le monde me manque" by Jennifer Devoldere, and "Jimmy Rivière," Teddy Lussi-Modeste’s film debut.

He also appeared in "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen. He more recently starred in "Attila Marcel," by Sylvain Chomet, in which he played the lead role, in "French Women" by Audrey Dana, and "The Connection" by Cédric Jimenez with Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lelouche. He performed in three films presented at Cannes this year ("Les Anarchistes" by Elie Wajeman, which opened the Semaine de la Critique, "La Vie en grand" by Mathieu Vadepied, which closed the week, and in "Enragés" by Eric Hannezo, screened at the Cinéma de la Plage). He also directed his first short film "Alexis Ivanovitch, vous êtes mon héros" in 2011 and will soon start on a feature-length film, which is currently being written. He will be topping the bill in 2015 with "Braqueurs," a thriller by Julien Leclercq.

Ariane Labed

Born in Greece to French parents, Ariane Labed has always navigated between her two countries. She studied drama at the University of Provence and began her acting career treading the boards. After setting up a company combining dance and theater, Ariane Labed returned to live in Greece where she played at the National Theater of Athens. 2010 was the year of her first film, "Attenberg," directed by Athiná-Rachél Tsangári. "Alps" by Yorgos Lanthi-mos, the following year, confirmed the talent of this strangely charming actress. Two years later, she starred in "Before Midnight" by Richard Linklater where she played the role of Anna. The follow-up to "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," this third part of the saga was a great success, making Labed known to a wider audience.

In 2014, she played a young sailor in "Fidelio, Alice’s Odyssey," who is torn between faithfulness and her desire to live her life. Winning the best actress award at the Locarno Film Festival and nominated for a César, the French actress gives a brilliant performance in Lucie Borleteau’s first feature-length film. She joined Yorgos Lanthimos in Cannes in 2015, where he won the Prix du Jury for his film "The Lobster."

Vincent Macaigne

Vincent Macaigne is the leading light in young French cinema. He joined the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris in 1999, appearing on stage and assuming the role of director. His free adaptations of the great classics of literature and drama earned him public and critical acclaim. He directed "The Idiot" by Dostoïevski and presented "Au moins j’aurai laissé un beau cadavre in Avignon," inspired by Hamlet. He also rapidly made a name for himself in demanding art-house films. In 2001, he was seen for the first time in "Replay" by Catherine Corsini. In 2007, he starred in "On War" by Bertrand Bonello and in 2010, in "A Burning Hot Summer" by Philippe Garrel.

Since 2011, Vincent Macaigne’s presence in short, medium and full-length films has gradually increased. Faithful to his directors, he has starred in several of their films. As is the case with his friend Guillaume Brac, who directed him in "Le Naufragé," "Tonnerre" and "Un monde sans femmes." He was awarded the Grand Prix and the Prix Télérama at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and the Prix Lutin for Best Actor in this film. Under the direction of Vincent Mariette, he played in "Les Lézards" then "Fool Circle." In 2013, we find the funny and touching thirty-something in "La fille du 14 juillet" by Antonin Peretjatko, "Age of Panic" by Justine Triet, and "2 Autumns, 3 Winters" by Sébastien Betbeder.

He was discovered by the general public at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Considered a figurehead of the revival of French cinema, Vincent has drawn the attention of the Cahiers du Cinéma, and even the British newspaper The Observer, which referred to him as the “new Gérard Depardieu”. In 2011, he directed "What We’ll Leave Behind," a very well-received medium-length film which won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival. He also starred in Mia Hansen-løve’s 2014 film "Eden." He plays one of the main roles in the actor Louis Garrel’s first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented during the Semaine de la Critique. He also featured in his 2011 film, La Règle de trois.

Vimala Pons

From the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique, where she attended drama classes even though she wanted to be a screenwriter, to circus tents, Vimala Pons is an acrobat in all senses of the word. The 29-year-old actress has established her physical and poetic presence in French art-house films. She began her career in film with Albert Dupontel in "Enfermés dehors" in 2006. She then starred in "Eden Log" by Franck Vestiel in 2007, then in "Granny’s Funeral" by Bruno Podalydès in 2012.

Since then, we have seen her cross France in a little blue dress in "La Fille du 14 juillet," (she plays the girl) by Antonin Peretjatko, and changing into a lioness in "Métamorphoses," by Christophe Honoré. The impetuous muse of French independent film, Vimala Pons played in "Vincent" by Thomas Salvador this year. The actress has made a name for herself in 2015, in particular with "Comme un avion" by Bruno Podalydès, "Je suis à vous tout de suite" by Baya Kasmi, "La vie très privée de Monsieur Sim" by Michel Leclerc, and "L’Ombre des femmes" by Philippe Garrel (presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs this year in Cannes). She has also begun an international career, with a leading role in Paul Verhoeven’s latest film, "Elle."

Alice Winocour

The director Alice Winocour started out at Femis. After going into law, she returned to film and won three prizes for her short film "Kitchen: Prix TV5" for the best French-language short film, best international short film and the Silver Bear at the Festival of Nations (Ebensee). For "Magic Paris," she was awarded the jury prize at the St. Petersburg International Documentary, Short Film and Animated Film Festival.

She continued her career by writing the script for the film "Ordinary," by Vladimir Perisic. At the Cannes Film Festival 2012, Alice Winocour made a marked entry in the international arena with a film by a woman about women and the unchanging way of looking at them. In the film "Augustine," we are told the story of a professor and his patient, played by Vincent Lindon and Soko respectively. In 2015, she brought out her second feature-length film, "Maryland," which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. She is also the co-writer of "Mustang," by Denis Gamze Ergüven, presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.

The Jewish Film Institute's new VOD platform, Jfi On Demand, includes festival favorites from the Sfjff archives over the past three decades, including "5 Days" by Yoav Shamir, "Aliyah" by Elie Wajeman, "Out in the Dark" by Michael Mayer, "Forgiveness" by Udi Aloni, "Live and Become" by Radu Mihaileanu and more. The 35th edition of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival returns to the Bay Area this year from July 23 to August 9, 2015 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, the CinéArts Theatre in Palo Alto, the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, The California Theatre in Berkeley, and the Lakeside Theater in Oakland. Since 1981, the festival has screened over 1500 films. Read More: Noir City and Jewish Film Festival Compete for San Francisco Cinephiles To view all 35 film titles on Jfi On Demand, visit jewishfilminstitute.org.

There is something irresistibly romantic about the concept of the double agent, and it's a narrative that has lent itself to some dramatic cinematic incarnations. It speaks of intrigue, subterfuge, and inner conflict as the pressure of deceiving people who come to trust you tests the strength of your loyalty to bosses and ideologies that begin to seem very far removed. It's a shame, then that the latest entry into this subcategory, Elie Wajeman's "The Anarchists," should be so inert, especially considering the caliber of onscreen talent and the fascinating, relatively little-seen historical period it mines. Detailing a policeman's efforts to infiltrate a radical anarchist group in 1899 Paris, it is a film that could have used some of the passion, conviction, and fire in the belly of its protagonists. There are different ways to approach the "undercover agent" storyline, and Wajeman, in a decision that is characteristic of his linear approach overall,...

The links in our Cannes 2015 Index will take you to reviews and, when available, trailers, clips and interviews. Entries so far include Matteo Garrone's Tale of Tales, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Our Little Sister, Yorgos Lanthimos's The Lobster, Nanni Moretti's My Mother, Laszlo Nemes's Son of Saul, Gus Van Sant's The Sea of Trees, Radu Muntean's One Floor Below, Woody Allen's Irrational Man, Emmanuelle Bercot's Standing Tall, Asif Kapadia's Amy, George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road, Philippe Garrel's In the Shadow of Women and Elie Wajeman's The Anarchists. » - David Hudson...

The links in our Cannes 2015 Index will take you to reviews and, when available, trailers, clips and interviews. Entries so far include Matteo Garrone's Tale of Tales, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Our Little Sister, Yorgos Lanthimos's The Lobster, Nanni Moretti's My Mother, Laszlo Nemes's Son of Saul, Gus Van Sant's The Sea of Trees, Radu Muntean's One Floor Below, Woody Allen's Irrational Man, Emmanuelle Bercot's Standing Tall, Asif Kapadia's Amy, George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road, Philippe Garrel's In the Shadow of Women and Elie Wajeman's The Anarchists. » - David Hudson...

How do you say "awards-bait" in French? Take two of the hottest young stars in France, team them up with a rising star director, and then give them a period topic with obvious shades of hot button current events. The recipe is called Les Anarchistes (or The Anarchists). All things considered, the film lives up to its billing - but that includes trading what might have been a tightly wound plot for a very French sense of character. Starring A Prophet's Tahar Rahim as Jean and Blue is the Warmest Color's Adele Exarchopoulos as Judith, Elie Wajeman's film is set in 1899 Paris. Jean is a regular issue policeman who gets plucked from the ranks for special assignment because of his sharp intellect and lack...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

"Anarchy has rarely seemed a more sedate business than it does in The Anarchists, a handsomely mounted, even more handsomely cast costumer for which a few anachronistic song choices rep the full extent of its radicalism," begins Variety's Guy Lodge. "Effectively a formulaic undercover cop thriller dressed up—and gorgeously so—in fin-de-siecle garb, Elie Wajeman’s polished sophomore feature stars Tahar Rahim as a sensitive police brigadier tapped to infiltrate the individualist anarchist community in 1899 Paris. With Adèle Exarchopoulos cast opposite him as a passionate, persuasive young member of the movement, it’s clear from the outset that Wajeman’s lean narrative will not be rebelling against conformity." We've posted a video interview with the director and we're collecting more reviews. » - David Hudson...

"Anarchy has rarely seemed a more sedate business than it does in The Anarchists, a handsomely mounted, even more handsomely cast costumer for which a few anachronistic song choices rep the full extent of its radicalism," begins Variety's Guy Lodge. "Effectively a formulaic undercover cop thriller dressed up—and gorgeously so—in fin-de-siecle garb, Elie Wajeman’s polished sophomore feature stars Tahar Rahim as a sensitive police brigadier tapped to infiltrate the individualist anarchist community in 1899 Paris. With Adèle Exarchopoulos cast opposite him as a passionate, persuasive young member of the movement, it’s clear from the outset that Wajeman’s lean narrative will not be rebelling against conformity." We've posted a video interview with the director and we're collecting more reviews. » - David Hudson...

Tahar Rahim and Adèle Exarchopoulos give standout performances in a thriller about a young policeman going undercover in radical circles in fin-de-siècle Paris

Cannes’ Critics Week sidebar opens with a film that couldn’t be any more French if it tried. Heady ideological discussion accompanied by swirling fogs of cigarette smoke; merciless beatings handed out by “the pigs”; pouting 22-year-olds who equate political freedom with, you know, other kinds of freedom ... if this film didn’t exist, someone would be working on it right now. Not that the above is any kind of criticism, director and co-writer Elie Wajeman has come up with a vastly entertaining police-infiltration thriller that uses fin-de-siècle radicalism as a exqusitely atmospheric backdrop – though anyone looking for trenchant insights into the pyschopolitics of propaganda by the deed won’t find much here.

Tahar Rahim, of A Prophet and Grand Central, plays a blank-slate foot copper called...

According to Thierry Frémaux, Cannes Film Festival Director, this past year has been an outstanding year for French production and the submissions received for consideration were of exceptional quality. Five French films are in competition in the official selection and will have the honor to be presented at the red carpet events, there are also numerous coproductions, films screening out-of-competition and others in the parallel sections.

Official Selection - In Competition

-"Standing Tall" (La tête haute) - Opening Film

Dir. Emmanuelle Bercot

World Sales: Elle Driver

World Premiere

- "Dheepan - L'homme qui n-amait plus la guerre"

Dir. Jacques Audiard

World Sales: Celluloid Dreams / Wild Bunch

World Premiere

-"The Measure of a Man" (La loi du marché)

Dir. Stéphane Brizé

World Sales :mk2

World Premiere

-"Marguerite & Julien"

Dir. Valérie Donzelli

World Sales: Wild Bunch

World Premiere

-"Mon Roi"

Dir. Maïwenn

World Sales: StudioCanal

World Premiere

- "Valley of Love"

Dir. Guillaume Nicloux

World Sales: Le Pacte

World Premiere

-"Ice and the Sky" (La Glace et le Ciel"

Dir. Luc Jacquet

World Sales: Wild Bunch

World Premiere

Short Film Competition

-"Le Repas dominical" de Céline Devaux – Sacrebleu Productions

-"Sali (Mardi) de Ziya Demirel – oriGine films – Istos Films

-"Ave Maria" de Basil Khalil – Incognito Films – Flying Moon Filmproduktion

Cinefondation

-"Léonardo" de Félix Hazeaux, Thomas Nitsche, Edward Noonan, Franck Pina, Raphaëlle Plantier – Mopa

-"Les Chercheurs" de Aurélien Peilloux – La fémis

Official Selection - Special Screenings

-"Asphalte"

Dir. Samuel Benchetrit

World Sales: TF1 International

World Premiere

-"L'esprit de l'escalier"

Dir. Elad Keidan

Israel/ France

World Sales: The Match Factory

World Premiere

-"Don't Tell Me the Boy Was Mas"(Une histoire de fou)

Dir. Robert Guédiguian

World Sales: mk2

World Premiere

Official Selection - Un Certain Regard

-"I'm a Soldier" (Je suis un Soldat)

Dir. Laurent Larivière

World Sales: Le Pacte

World Premiere

-"Close Protection" (Maryland)

Dir. Alice Winocour

World Sales: Indie Sales

World Premiere

Director's Fortnight

-"In the Shadow of Women" (L'Ombre des Femmes)

Dir. Philippe Garre

l

World Sales: Wild Bunch

World Premiere

-"Les Cowboys"

Dir. Thomas Bidegain

World Sales: Pathé Distribution

World Premiere

-"My Golden Days" (Trois Souvenirs de Ma Jeunesse)

Dir. Arnaud Desplechin

World Sales: Le Pacte

World Premiere

-"Fatima"

Dir. Philippe Faucon

World Sales: Pyramide International

World Premiere

Short Films

-"Calme ta joie" de Emmanuel Laskar – Ecce Films

-"Pitchoune" Reda Kateb – 31 Juin Films

Critic's Week

-"The Anarchists" (Les Anarchists) - Opening Film

Dir. Elie Wajeman

World Sales: Wild Bunch

World Premiere

-"The Wakhan Front" (Ni le Ciel, Ni la Terre)

Dir.Clément Cogitore

World Sales: Indie Sales

World Premiere

-"Les Deux Amis"

Dir. Louis Garrel

World Sales: Indie Sales

World Premiere

-"Learn By Heart" (La Vie en Grand)

Dir. Mathieu Vadepied

World Sales: Gaumont

World Premiere...

Cinefondation and Short Films juries also announced.

Us-Italian actress and film-maker Isabella Rossellini is to preside over the Un Certain Regard jury at the 68th Cannes Film Festival (May 13-24).

The jury members include: the Saudi Arabian director of Wadjda, Haifaa Al-Mansour; Lebanese director-actress Nadine Labaki, who was at Cannes in 2011 with Where Do We Go Now?; Greek film-maker Panos H. Koutras, whose Xenia played in Un Certain Regard last year; and the French star of A Prophet, Tahar Rahim, who stars in Elie Wajeman’s Critics’ Week opener The Anarchists.

A total of 19 films will go head-to=head in Un Certain Regard, which opens on May 14 with a screening of Naomi Kawase’s An.

Running in parallel to the Competition, the Un Certain Regard selection winners will be announced by the jury on May 23.

The film awarded the Un Certain Regard Prize will be shown at the end of Cannes’ closing ceremony.

Last year’s...

Exclusive: Company to launch Radu Mihaileanu’s The History of Love and Studio Ghibli co-production The Red Turtle.

Paris-based sales powerhouse Wild Bunch will kick off sales on Radu Mihaileanu’s saga The History of Love, starring John Hurt, Gemma Arterton and Sophie Nélisse at the Cannes Marché next month.

The mainly New York-set saga, spanning three continents and a period running from just before the Second World War to the present day, is based on Us writer Nicole Krauss’s international bestseller.

Hurt will play Leo, an elderly Polish Jewish immigrant still mourning the loss of his childhood sweetheart in the chaos of war, who is strangely linked to a teenage girl through a long, lost book on love… subtitled ‘the most loved woman in the world’.

“It’s a love story spanning 65 years… revolving around three friends in Poland whose destinies change forever when war breaks out,” Wild Bunch chief Vincent Maraval told ScreenDaily.

It marks...

The complete lineups for the Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week sidebars at Cannes have been announced.Directors' FORTNIGHTOpening Film: In the Shadow of Women (Philippe Garrel)A Perfect Day (Fernando León de Aranoa)Beyond My Grandfather Allende (Marcia Tumbutti)Arabian Nights (Miguel Gomes)Les Cowboys (Thomas Bidegain)Embrace the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)Fatima (Philippe Faucon)Green Room (Jeremy Saulnier)Much Loved (Nabil Ayouch)Mustang (Deniz Gamze Ergüven)Peace to Us in Our Dreams (Sharunas Bartas)Songs My Brothers Taught Me (Chloé Zhao)The Here After (Magnus von Horn)The Brand New Testament (Jaco Van Dormael)My Golden Days (Arnaud Despleschin)Special Screening: Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld (Takashi Miike)Closing Film: Dope (Rick Famuyiwa)Shorts:Blue Thunder (Jean-Marc E. Roy & Philippe David Gagné)Calme ta joie (Emmanuel Laskar)The Broken Past (Martín Morgenfeld & Sebastián Schjaer)Kung Fury (David Sandberg[/link])Pitchoune (Reda Kateb)Trials, Exorcisms (Susana Nobre)Pueblo...

Lead by Charles Tesson, the Cannes Critics’ Week programming team (the competition section that specializes in feature film work from 1st, and 2nd time filmmakers) have revealed the make-up of the 54th edition and it’ll be Elie Wajeman‘s sophomore film Les Anarchistes (our #63 pick in our most anticipated foreign films for 2015) that will open the section. Wajeman who makes his second trip to Cannes (he premiered Aliyah at the Directors’ Fortnight in 2012) collected Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color) and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) for a set in 1899 Paris, France tale about how a poor and orphaned person’s choice to infiltrate a group of anarchists.

Joining his father on the Croisette and in the directing side of things, Louis Garrel gets a special screening status for Les Deux Amis – which stars the actor alongside Vincent Macaigne and About Elly starlet Golshifteh Farahani.

Of the seven selected...

Read More: Cannes Names 2015 Critics' Week Jury President  The 2015 Cannes Film Festival has announced its lineup for this year's Critics' Week. Elie Wajeman's "The Anarchists," about a group of rebel youths in Paris and the man who is supposed to infiltrate them, world premieres and opens this year's lineup. The closing film is "Learn By Hearth," in which a film extra is determined to win the heart of a mysterious salesgirl with plenty of secrets. This year's SXSW Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner "Krisha," from first-time director Trey Edward Shults, is also featured in the competition. Of the 11 feature films selected, nine are first features while two are second. Seven of those are in competition with four being special screenings. There are also 10 short and medium length films in competition. The full lineup is below. Critics' Week is May 14-22.  Feature Films In Special SCREENINGSOpening Film: "The Anarchists (Les.

We've seen a lot of great films and budding filmmakers break out of charming Critics' Week artistic director Charles Tesson's annual slate of 10 films, seven in competition and three out-of-competition. Last year, the sidebar world-premiered the 2015 indie horror hit sensation "It Follows," which is now breaking Us box office precedent as a little indie that could, and did. This year, Critics' Week opens with Elie Wajeman's fin de siècle period drama "The Anarchists," led by hot young international stars Adele Exarchopoulos and Tahar Rahim. The lineup, typical, tips toward French film, including actor Louis Garrel's feature debut "Les Deux Amis" — which from the title already sounds alluringly like a film in his father Philippe Garrel's footsteps. Garrel cowrote the film with Christophe Honoré, who cast Garrel in many of his whimsical films including "Love Songs," "Dans Paris" and 2011 Critics' Week...

“Krisha”

Shortly after last week’s announcement of the In Competition and Un Certain Regard lineups, the 2015 Cannes Film Festival has unveiled one of their sidebar attractions, the Critics Week Lineup of screenings.

The lineup is headlined by a film starring Adele Exarchopolous (Blue is the Warmest Color) called The Anarchists, which will be the opening night movie, is directed by Elie Wajeman and also stars Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Past).

Found in competition is a Canadian director, Andrew Cividino, with his film Sleeping Giant, as well as a film that won the Grand Jury Award at SXSW 2015, Krisha, from director Trey Edward Shults. Critics Week runs from May 14 to May 22. Take a look at the full lineup below via Deadline.

The Anarchists, Elie Wajeman (opening film)

La Vie en Grand, Mathieu Vadepied (closing film)

Les Deux Amis, dir: Louis Garrell (special screening)

In Competition

Dégraded, dir: Arab and Tarzan Abunasser

Krisha,...

The spring is always a bit of a head-spinning time to be a cinephile. In addition to the onslaught of big money blockbusters, the arthouse world rolls out its finest at the Cannes Film Festival and sidebar lineups. And this week kicks off with big news about the lineups in those sister festivals. For those who thought that "Tabu" director Miguel Gomes' epic "Arabian Nights" would be headed to the main show, guess again. THR reveals that the six-hour movie will instead screen at the Cannes Directors' Fortnight. “The breath-taking triptych is inspired by the tales told by Scheherazade and by some events that occurred in Portugal between 2013 and 2014, while the country was subjected to a political power denying all forms of social justice,” the festival's Artistic Director Edouard Waintrop said. Meanwhile, Cannes Critics' Week has unveiled their slate, and the starriest attraction is Elie Wajeman’s “The Anarchists,...

The Critics’ Week program at next month’s Cannes Film Festival announced its competition lineup and special screenings on Monday. Elie Wajeman’s “The Anarchist” will open the program on May 14, and Mathieu Vadepied’s “Learn by Heart” will close it on May 22. Other special screenings include South Korean film “Coin Locker Girl,” directed by Jun-hee, and another French selection, Louis Garrel’s “Les Deux Amis.” Trey Edward Shults’ SXSW grand jury prize winner “Krisha” will make its international premiere in competition during Critics’ Week, a program independent of the Cannes Film Festival and selected by artistic director Charles Tesson.

Elie Wajeman’s The Anarchists, starring Palme d’Or winner Adele Exarchopoulos and Cesar winner Tahar Rahim, to open Critics’ Week

Scroll down for full list

Cannes Critics’ Week, devoted to first and second features, has unveiled the line-up for its 54th edition (May 14-22).

In total, 1,750 shorts and 1,000 features were submitted for consideration.

Artistic director Charles Tesson said this year’s poster - showing actress Lou de Laâge, seemingly embracing the air on a beach - captured the spirit of the parallel section.

“On the poster the actress Lou de Laâge embraces the open horizon in front of her,” he said. “This wonderful energy and amazing life force it carries embody the desire leading us to discover the new breath of fresh air in cinema worldwide.”

The section will open with French Elie Wajeman’s second film The Anarchists (Les Anarchistes) set in Paris in 1899, starring the reportedly sizzling on-screen couple of Tahar Rahim and Adèle Exarchopoulos...

Cannes Critics’ Week has unveiled its lineup for the 2015 edition. Elie Wajeman’s The Anarchists, starring Adele Exarchopolous (La Vie d’Adele) and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) star in the director’s follow-up to Aliyah. The film is set in 1899 Paris and tells the story of a poor and orphan brigadier who is selected to sneak into a group of anarchists. Elsewhere, the typically eclectic lineup chosen by Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson includes the first film from…...

The 54th edition of Critics' Week, La Semaine de la Critique, will open with Elie Wajeman's The Anarchists, with Adèle Exarchopoulos and Tahar Rahim, and close with Mathieu Vadepied's feature debut, a comedy, Learn by Heart. There'll be a special screening of Louis Garrel's debut feature, Les Deux Amis, plus: Augusto Cesar Acevedo's Land and Shade, Jonas Carpignano's Mediterranea, Andrew Cividino's Sleeping Giant, Clément Cogitore's The Wakhan Front, Santiago Mitre's Paulina, Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser's Dégradé, Trey Edward Shults's Krisha and ten shorts. » - David Hudson...

The 54th edition of Critics' Week, La Semaine de la Critique, will open with Elie Wajeman's The Anarchists, with Adèle Exarchopoulos and Tahar Rahim, and close with Mathieu Vadepied's feature debut, a comedy, Learn by Heart. There'll be a special screening of Louis Garrel's debut feature, Les Deux Amis, plus: Augusto Cesar Acevedo's Land and Shade, Jonas Carpignano's Mediterranea, Andrew Cividino's Sleeping Giant, Clément Cogitore's The Wakhan Front, Santiago Mitre's Paulina, Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser's Dégradé, Trey Edward Shults's Krisha and ten shorts. » - David Hudson...

French director Elie Wajeman’s The Anarchists, starring Palme d’Or winner Adele Exarchopoulos and Cesar winner Tahar Rahim, will open the 54th International Critics’ Week program during Cannes, organizers said Monday in unveiling the lineup. The movie is the follow-up to his acclaimed Aliyah. A biting kids comedy from cinematographer-turned-director Mathiueu Vadepied, La Vie en Grand, will serve as the closing film. In between, seven features will run in the section's competition, all but one being first films in the sidebar that focuses on young directors. Among them are Degrade the first feature from Gazan guerilla filmmakers Arab and

read more...

With the world’s most prestigious film festival just around the corner, cineastes have been lasciviously salivating about what’s going to show up at Cannes, with wish lists appearing almost immediately after Berlin (a fest that had one of their most impressive line-ups ever) announced their awards. The remainder of the 2015 fest circuit looks to be a plentiful, diverse porridge, with many of the world’s most renowned auteurs’ sporting brand new titles. While many prognosticators will be sharing the same lists, more or less, hopes are incredibly high for a handful of sure bets, and a gaggle of hopefuls. The main competition always seems easier to postulate, though Thierry Fremaux always throws a few curves, (After the Battle in 2012, The Hunt in 2013 or last year’s Timbuktu, which won the Cesar for Best Picture recently, are a couple ready examples of under-the-radar titles).

Italy seems primed for saturation at the fest.

Exclusive: Company racks up sales on Margarethe von Trotta’s The Misplaced World ahead of Berlinale premiere.

Paris-based sales powerhouse Wild Bunch has unveiled a packed Efm slate, including Margarethe von Trotta’s The Misplaced World, Michel Franco’s English-language debut Chronic and The Goetz Brothers’ Martyrs.

The company is already reporting strong business ahead of the Berlinale Special premiere for The Misplaced World, about a German jazz singer who discovers a family secret when she heads to New York to track down an opera singer who resembles her late mother.

It is von Trotta’s first film since her 2012 Hannah Arendt, which played successfully in theatres worldwide.

So far, The Misplaced World has been picked up for Spain (Golem Distribucion), Greece (Strada Films) Portugal (Leopardo Filmes), Hungary (Vertigo Films), Israel (Nachshon Films), Turkey (Calinos Film), Brazil (Mares Films) and Japan (Gaga Corporation). Van Trotta’s long-time distributor Concorde will release the film in Germany.

Wild Bunch co-chief...

New films on Screenbase this week include Jamie Adams’ Black Mountain Poets, Valérie Donzelli’s romance Marguerite and Julien, and Julie Delpy’s France-set romcom Lolo.Global Screen’s Ooops! Noah Is Gone…

This animated film focuses on a fictional species which discovers it cannot board Noah’s Ark. While two of them manage to make it, their children fall off the Ark. The kids then have to learn how to live by themselves.

The film is directed by Toby Genkel and Sean McCormack, who previously made a name for themselves with Niko. German sales company Global Screen has sold the animation to eOne, Eagle Pictures, Scanbox and Smile Entertainment.

Crime thriller Kidnapping Mr. Heineken

Daniel Alfredson’s new feature stars Anthony Hopkins, Jim Sturgess and Sam Worthington. The plot—based on real events—takes place in the eighties, when a gang kidnapped beer mogul Freddy Heinecken. The screenplay is based on Peter R. de Vries’ book...

Sales company unveils new films by Donzelli, Sfar, Odoul and Garrel at Paris Rendez-vous.

Wild Bunch will kick off sales on nine new French titles at this year’s Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris (Jan 15-19), many of which will be completed in time for a potential Cannes slot, including an incestuous love story by Valérie Donzelli and First World War drama by Damien Odoul.

The company will also show first images of several previously announced productions including Jacques Audiard’s untitled drama revolving around Sri Lankan immigrants in Paris, which it is co-selling with Celluloid Dreams, and Julie Delpy’s France-set romance Lolo, in which she stars as a chic Parisian sophisticate who falls for a geeky It expert played by Dany Boon.

There will also be a promo-reel for Arnaud Desplechin’s My Golden Years (aka Three Memories of Childhood), revisiting the childhood of Paul Dédalus, the protagonist in his 1997 film My Sex Lifewho...

Les Anarchistes

Director: Elie Wajeman // Writers: Elie Wajeman, Gaelle Mace

Elie Wajeman’s directorial debut, Aliyah, landed at Cannes in 2012 in the Director’s Fortnight. An interesting character study that headlined Pio Marmai as a drug dealer hoping to start afresh in Israel also co-starred Adele Haenel and Cedric Kahn. Wajeman’s latest is a period piece, and he’s cast two hot commodities in the leads, Tahar Rahim and from Blue is the Warmest Color, Adele Exarchopoulos. Set in 1899 Paris, a young police sergeant is chosen to infiltrate a group of anarchists, an opportunity he sees to rise through the ranks. However, he soon finds himself becoming attached to the group.

Cast: Tahar Rahim, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Cedric Kahn

Producers: 24 Mai Production’s Lola Gans (La France), France 2 Cinema, Mars Films

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Release Date: We’re expecting Wajeman to be ready in time for Cannes, and...

Elie Wajeman's Les Anarchistes with Adèle Exarchopoulos and Tahar Rahim will begin shooting this week. Exarchopoulos, who, of course, broke through with La vie d'Adèle (Blue Is the Warmest Color) last year, will be appearing with Charlize Theron, Javier Bardem, Jean Reno and Jared Harris in Sean Penn's forthcoming The Last Face. More news of projects in the works: Isabelle Huppert chats a bit about films she'll soon be appearing in, namely, Joachim Trier's Louder Than Bombs, Paul Verhoeven’s Elle and Guillaume Nicloux’s The Valley of Love. "Like full-on bitch" is the way Xavier Dolan describes Jessica Chastain's role in his forthcoming The Death and Life of John F. Donovan. » - David Hudson...

Elie Wajeman's Les Anarchistes with Adèle Exarchopoulos and Tahar Rahim will begin shooting this week. Exarchopoulos, who, of course, broke through with La vie d'Adèle (Blue Is the Warmest Color) last year, will be appearing with Charlize Theron, Javier Bardem, Jean Reno and Jared Harris in Sean Penn's forthcoming The Last Face. More news of projects in the works: Isabelle Huppert chats a bit about films she'll soon be appearing in, namely, Joachim Trier's Louder Than Bombs, Paul Verhoeven’s Elle and Guillaume Nicloux’s The Valley of Love. "Like full-on bitch" is the way Xavier Dolan describes Jessica Chastain's role in his forthcoming The Death and Life of John F. Donovan. » - David Hudson...

The upcoming weekend boasts an onslaught of new Specialty titles vying for audiences. In all likelihood, however, many will have a short big screen life as the fall’s awards contenders ramp up and crowd others out. Five of this week’s dozen-plus newcomers are spotlighted here with Fox Searchlight’s The Drop edging on a wide release. The feature starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and James Gandolfini will bow in over 800 theaters. TWC’s The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby also joins the fray with a platform release. The film also has two accompanying titles told from the perspective of its two main characters, which will be released in more limited runs in October. Magnolia will open its thriller Honeymoon in a day and date release while Dada Films’ Swearnet: The Movie breaks a movie record with the most F-bombs ever. And Cohen Media Group’s My Old Lady bowed Wednesday in limited release.

The Holy Land is Dope; Wajeman’s Effective Family Drama is Surprisingly Subtle

Titled with a Hebrew term for Jewish immigration to Israel from the diaspora, Aliyah traces the uninspiring procedure for an assisted return to the Holy Land, as Alex (Pio Marmaï) prepares to join his restaurateur cousin (David Geselson) in Tel Aviv and leave behind his oppressive lot in Paris. Co-written alongside Gaëlle Macé, Elie Wajeman’s directorial debut is an intimate and unhurried wandering through the circumstantial pressures that have cornered a 27-year-old low-grade drug dealer.

The nature of conversation surrounding his plans requires that Alex confess to not already “knowing Israel”, as he only visited once as a child. It is repeatedly assumed that he is familiar with the land, language and even the holidays, erecting a strict framework for Jewish identity that is uniquely transcended. Alex is nonreligious and entirely aware of the devastating political turmoil,...