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Dany Boon and Audrey Fleurot are setting sail for See The Sea, Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud’s family comedy-drama adapted from hit Mexican film Ya Veremos, and Snd will kick off sales in Cannes.

Actor-director Boon, known for box office hits Welcome To The Sticks and Driving Madeleine, and Fleurot play a divorced couple forced to put aside their differences on an oceanside trip when their son begins to go blind.

Currently shooting in southwestern France, the film is the latest in what has been a boom in local language remakes that will take centre stage at the Cannes market. Pedro Pablo Ibarra...

Other Angle Pictures was founded by Olivier Albou and Laurence Schonberg.

France’s Other Angle Pictures has expanded its footprint into the US market with a new Los Angeles-based arm focused on distribution, production and international sales of French features with a focus on crowd-pleasing comedies and more commercial dramas.

The company, founded by longtime French film executive Olivier Albou and his wife Laurence Schonberg in 2008, is looking to tap into its network of US producers and buyers looking for French remakes and original content. The company intends to acquire titles independently and release them in association with US distribution partners in limited theatrical release.

Running Jan. 10-17, Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous in Paris – an export focused market that unites buyers, producers, talent and press from film and television – will fête its 25th edition with a return to pre-pandemic (in-person) attendance numbers, and a once-more ebullient social calendar, rife with the cocktails, awards ceremonies and evening events that fell by the wayside over the past few vintages.

“We’ll have a renewed effervescence,” says Unifrance director of cinema, Gilles Renouard, of this year’s event. “People are finding each other again, [and] our goal was to get back toward a normal edition with our European distributors.”

Indeed, with 87 films brought to market and more than 400 international film distributors present, such figures mark highs unseen since 2019 – with those numbers bolstered by 100 TV buyers, who have come onboard once Unifrance merged with TV France International in 2021, thus creating a one-stop-shop for film and TV promotion.

“Our objective is not to increase each year,...

Exclusive: As international delegates touch down on the Croisette for what feels like the first “real” Cannes market since the pandemic struck, Olivier Albou is getting ready to hit the ground running. The veteran exec, who heads up sales and production house Other Angle with his wife Laurence Schonberg, has four new films on his slate this year that he’s offering up to international buyers.

The company will be showing footage for Mélanie Auffret’s Sweet Little Things (Les Petites Victoires), starring Julia Piaton and Michel Blanc, about a busy young teacher who’s faced with the challenge of a new student in her class – an explosive 60-year-old man who has finally decided to learn to read and write. Then there’s Jennifer Devoldère’s male midwife feature The Midwife (Sage Homme) starring Karin Viard and Melvin Boomer as well as Jonathan Barré’s Serial Driver (Bonne Conduit) starring...

The Day I Saw Your Heart

Written and directed by Jennifer Devoldère

France, 2011

In Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, Julie Delpy prophetically describes what it means to be French. Delpy’s Celine, while philosophizing with Ethan Hawke’s Jesse, says,

“Each time I wear black, or like, lose my temper, or say anything about anything, you know, they always go, “Oh it’s so French. It’s so cute”. Ugh! I hate that!”

The conceit of her outrage is that no matter what they do, or how they do it, French people have always been able to keep calm and carry on by virtue of being French. This axiom is vividly legitimized in Jennifer Devoldère’s dramatic comedy, The Day I Saw Your Heart, which, although wildly imperfect, magically conciliates its flaws with French charm.

The story follows the 27-year old eccentric, Justine (Mélanie Laurent), and her dysfunctional family, whose...

Fans of Mélanie Laurent can count on the Film Movement folks to import one of her French title items a little bit past the midday point this year (third quarter), as the mini label picked up The Day I Saw Your Heart - a Jennifer Devoldère signed dramedy featuring Laurent, Michel Blanc and Florence Loiret Caille. Gist: Aka Et Soudain Tout le Monde me Manque (which translates to And Suddenly I Miss Everyone) Families are complicated… Especially when Eli, the father, who’s about to be 60, is expecting a baby with his new wife. Upon hearing this news, his two grown daughters, Dom, who is trying to adopt, and Justine, who flits from one boyfriend to the next, are shocked... Worth Noting: This is collaboration number two between the helmer and the actress: Mélanie Laurent previously toplined Devoldère's feature debut, Shoe at Your Foot (2009). Do We Care?: Despite whimsical...

Film Movement has acquired North American rights to the French comedy, "The Day I Saw Your Heart," starring Melanie Laurent ("Beginners") and directed by Jennifer Devoldère The film will open in New York this summer, followed by a limited national roll-out. Full release with film desciption: Film Movement Acquires French Comedy “The Day I Saw Your Heart” French Film Starring Mélanie Laurent to be Distributed in all of North America February 28th, 2012 (New York, NY) - Film Movement (www.filmmovement.com), the North American film distribution company that brings first-run, award-winning independent and foreign films to fans all across the country, announced today their acquisition of The Day I Saw Your Heart (Et Soudain Tout le Monde me Manque). The second feature film from writer/director Jennifer Devoldère, The Day I Saw Your Heart is a French comedy touching on themes of...

Kinology is heading to Cannes with a single title in Copacabana – the Isabelle Huppert starring with her daughter comedy is a focal point in the Critic's Week section this year. It's the projects that they've got on the sales slate that have got my ears perked up in an upright position – beginning with Juan Solanas' next - he is currently shooting Upside Down in Montreal, while Andrew Niccol is still in pre-production mod with The Cross – if I remember correctly it was first announced at last year's Cannes and they are trying to bring down the price tag on the 50 million dollar-ish production. French items worth keeping an eye out for are Benoît Philippon's Lullaby for Pi – which was shot in Canada and would logically find a spot at Tiff. Mathieu Kassovitz also has a project in development . Buried by Rodrigo Cortes - Post-Production Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur) by Pascal Chaumeil...