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Una película que habla de las relaciones y los prejuicios con los barrios más humildes y sus gentes. © Disney

Ya está aquí el primer tráiler de “Al Otro Barrio”, una comedia social basada en la historia original y en la película “Jusqu’ici tout va bien”, escrita por Khaled Amara, Mohamed Hamidi y Michaël Souhaité y dirigida por Mohamed Hamidi.

En “Al Otro Barrio”, intentar engañar a Hacienda ha sido una opción demasiado tentadora para Andrés (Quim Gutiérrez), pero no contaba con que le pillaran. Y eso es exactamente lo que le ha ocurrido. Además de la multa millonaria que le ha caído encima, ahora debe trasladar sus oficinas al barrio de Los Caños, en las afueras más marginales de la capital, o eso le parece a él. Pero lo cierto es que Andrés se estaba aprovechando de una jugosa subvención por tener allí su sede, sin haber pisado nunca el barrio.

Canneseries has lined up world premieres of international titles including Apple TV+’s Franklin, Disney+’s Becoming Karl Lagerfeld and Netflix’s French comedy Fiasco for its seventh edition which runs in Cannes from April 5-10 in parallel with MipTV.

Franklin, produced by ITV Studios America with Apple Studios, stars Michael Douglas as the titular US founding father in a story about his time on a mission to France in 1776. Douglas, also an executive producer on the eight-episode limited series, is expected to attend the event.

“We can’t do a premiere in Cannes of Franklin without Franklin himself aka Michael Douglas,...

Michael Douglas-starrer Franklin and Disney+’s Becoming Karl Lagerfeld featuring Daniel Brühl will have their world premieres at this year’s Canneseries.

The April event will be closed by Apple TV+’s Franklin, the TV series that stars Douglas as the U.S. founding father.

Also featuring in the starry lineup are Prime Video’s Fallout based on the video game with Kyle MacLachlan and Ella Purnell. Both will be awarded, with the Canal+ Icon Award and the Madame Figaro Rising Star Award respectively, the latter for the Yellowjackets breakout.

Franklin, Becoming Karl Lagerfeld and Fallout are leading a starry lineup for the seventh Canneseries.

Other shows to feature include Canal+’s Terminal from Jamel Debbouze and Mohamed Hamidi and Netflix France’s Fiasco starring Cesar winner Pierre Niney.

Shows in competition include Denmark’s Dark Horse, Norway’s Dumbsday, China’s To The Wonder and Spain-Sweden co-pro This is not Sweden.

Michael Douglas, Kyle MacLachlan, Ella Purnell and Daniel Brühl are among the high-caliber stars who will take part in the seventh edition of Canneseries. The robust lineup, unveiled today by Canneseries’ artistic director Albin Lewi at a press conference in Paris, boasts the world premiere of Apple TV+’s “Franklin,” starring Michael Douglas as one of the Founding Fathers, and Disney+’s “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” with Daniel Brühl as the acid-tongued designer.

“Franklin,” which will also close the event, is directed by industry veteran Tim Van Patten, behind “Boardwalk Empire” and “Games of Thrones.” Douglas won an Emmy for playing Liberace in “Behind the Candelabra.”

MacLachlan and Purnell will be on the ground to present the international premiere of “Fallout,” the much-anticipated Prime Video show that’s based on a massively popular video game. Both will be feted during the 7th edition of the event, picking up the Canal+ Icon...

Kad Merad, Fatsah Bouyahmed and Oulaya Amamra lead the cast of the French adaptation of The Distinguished Citizen, produced by Axel Films. Having kicked off on 5 March in Morocco, filming on Citoyen d'honneur, the 5th feature film by Mohamed Hamidi (discovered in 2013 via Homeland and nominated for the 2016 European Film Award for Best Comedy thanks to One Man and His Cow) is set to wrap in the Paris region tomorrow. Shining bright in the cast are Kad Merad, Fatsah Bouyahmed (who led the cast of One Man and His Cow), Oulaya Amamra (who bagged the Best New Hope César and...

Gaumont has clinched a raft of deals on Eric Lartigau’s Korea-set romantic comedy #iamhere which had its market premiere at the UniFrance Rendez-Vous with French cinema in Paris.

Headlined by Alain Chabat (“Valerian”) and Bae Doona (“Sense8”), the film was penned by Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain (“Sisters Brothers”). Chabat stars as a prominent French chef with two kids and an ex-wife who falls in love with a mysterious Korean woman (Doona) whom he meets on Instagram. On a whim, Stéphane decides to visit her in Seoul but when she doesn’t show up at the airport, he sets off to find her and spends the next 10 days searching for her . Filled with adventure, his journey allows him to open up to a new world and rediscover himself. Popular French standup comedian Blanche Gardin also stars.

Co-produced and represented by Gaumont, #iamhere was acquired for Latin America (Cinepolis), Canada (Az Films...

Although its ridiculous, borderline offensive international appellation should be condemned to movie title purgatory, the feel-good French comedy New Biz in the Hood (Jusqu’ici tout va bien) actually has a decent concept and a few well-observed jokes, if not quite enough to make this formulaic film work for the long haul.

Co-written and directed by Mohamed Hamidi (One Man and His Cow), and starring Gilles Lellouche — whose own feel-good comedy, Sink or Swim, was a major hit last year — Biz follows the shenanigans of a high-strung Parisian marketing exec forced to move his company to the rough banlieue of La ...

Although its ridiculous, borderline offensive international appellation should be condemned to movie title purgatory, the feel-good French comedy New Biz in the Hood (Jusqu’ici tout va bien) actually has a decent concept and a few well-observed jokes, if not quite enough to make this formulaic film work for the long haul.

Co-written and directed by Mohamed Hamidi (One Man and His Cow), and starring Gilles Lellouche — whose own feel-good comedy, Sink or Swim, was a major hit last year — Biz follows the shenanigans of a high-strung Parisian marketing exec forced to move his company to the rough banlieue of La ...

TF1 Studio has scored a raft of sales on Mohamed Hamidi’s comedy “New Biz in the Hood,” which just won the Audience Award at the Alpe d’Huez International Comedy Film Festival.

“New Biz in the Hood” marks Hamidi’s follow-up to “One Man and His Cow,” which grossed more than $10 million and was nominated for a European Film Award in 2016.

The film stars popular French actor-director Gilles Lellouche (“Sink or Swim”) as Fred Bartel, a Paris entrepreneur who has just won the contract of a lifetime, but government inspectors are threatening to shut down his company for tax fraud. Fred and his trendy, pampered team have to move the business to an underprivileged suburb on the outskirts of Paris, where he unexpectedly bonds with Samy, a local wheeler-dealer who shows him around the neighborhood.

Lellouche stars opposite up-and-coming actors Malik Bentalha (“One Man and his Cow”), Sabrina Ouazani (“Taxi 5”) and Camille Lou.

Gaumont is reteaming with “The Intouchables” and “C’est La Vie” production banner Quad on Mohamed Hamidi (“One Man and His Cow”)’s concept company “Queens of The Field.”

The movie is set in a small rural town which is on the verge of losing its funding along with its field. The threat leads the town women to join forces and launch a football crew in order to defend their city. But in a community where football has always been considered a men’s sport, the women’s team turns the town upside down.

“Queens of The Field” is headlined by a strong French cast, including Kad Merad (“Little Nicholas”), Alban Ivanov (“Sink or Swim”), Sabrina Ouazani (“Taxi 5”) and Céline Sallette (“The Returned”).

Hamidi previously directed “One Man and His Cow,” which grossed over $10 million and was nominated for a European Film Award in 2016.

Gaumont described the film...

Jamel Debbouze is producing under his Kissfilms banner alongside Nicolas Duval-Adassovsky.

Source: Arno Roth

‘;New Biz In The Hood’

French director Mohamed Hamidi, whose 2016 breakout picture One Man And His Cow drew 1.3 million spectators in France and sold well internationally, has started shooting his latest comedy about a trendy communication agency forced to locate to a tough, no-go zone in an outer Paris suburb.

TF1 Studio will launch sales on the film – entitled New Biz In The Hood! (Zone Franche) - at the Unifrance Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris this week (Jan 18-22). The company has released an exclusive first image from the first week on set.

Nicolas Duval-Adassovsky at Paris-based Quad is producing alongside actor-producer star Jamel Debbouze under his Kissfilms banner. Directorial duo Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache are also on board through their production company Ten Films.

Lellouche co-stars as Paris entrepreneur Fred Bartel who falsely claims his rising communication agency is situated...

Comedy from director Mohamed Hamidi (One Man And His Cow) to start shooting in Paris.

Source: Wiki Commons

Jamel Debbouze, Gilles Lellouche, Mohamed Hamidi

French director Mohamed Hamidi, whose 2016 breakout picture One Man And His Cow drew 1.3 million spectators in France and sold well internationally, has started shooting his latest comedy starring Gilles Lellouche and Jamel Debbouze.

The film, provisionally entitled New Biz In The Hood! (Zone Franche), is about a trendy communication agency forced to locate to a tough, no-go zone in an outer Paris suburb.

TF1 Studio will launch sales on the project at the Unifrance Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris this week (Jan 18-22).

Nicolas Duval-Adassovsky at Paris-based Quad is producing alongside actor-producer star Debbouze under his Kissfilms banner. Directorial duo Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache are also on board through their production company Ten Films.

Lellouche co-stars as Paris entrepreneur Fred Bartel who falsely claims his rising communication agency is situated in a tough...

The nominations for the 29th European Film Awards were announced this Saturday in Seville. Four films which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival are included in the race for Best European Film, including the Palme d’Or winner “I, Daniel Blake” and Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle.”

Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” leads the pack with six nominations including Best Film and Best Director. Among the Best Actress and Actor nominees this year are Isabelle Huppert for her critically acclaimed role in “Elle” and Hugh Grant for his charming performance in “Florence Foster Jenkins.”

Read More: British Independent Film Award Nominations: ‘I, Daniel Blake’ Leads with 7

The Efa, in collaboration with the European Film Academy and Efa Productions, honor the greatest achievements in European cinema.

The 2016 European Film Awards will take place on December 10 in Wroclaw, Poland.

Read More: 2016 Ida Documentary Awards Nominations Include ‘13th,’ ‘The White Helmets’ and ‘Fire At...

The Franco-American Cultural Fund, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has announced the program for the 20th Colcoa French Film Festival that will run April 18-26 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The festival will showcase a record 70 films and television series - among them 64 in competition for Colcoa Awards - including four World Premieres, seven International Premieres, 19 North American or U.S. Premieres, 17 West Coast Premieres - and 21 new shorts. Colcoa, is now the world's largest event dedicated to French films and television.

"This 20th anniversary deserves a spectacular, strong program that reflects the diversity of French production, as well as the creativity and dynamism of French filmmakers and producers," stated François Truffart, Colcoa Executive Producer and Artistic Director. "More than ever, we are about to involve audiences in a journey that will stir them, make them laugh, cry, tickle their curiosity, and help them remain optimistic, while recognizing the urgent world zeitgeist."

 "20 years is an achievement for any film festival in Hollywood. This would not have been possible without the commitment of the Franco-American Cultural Fund - a unique partnership of the DGA, the Mpa, la Sacem and the WGA West - creator of the festival in 1996 and supporter of its subsequent development. We also salute French sales companies, official supporters, sponsors, and U.S. distributors, whose loyalty and trust have given the festival its continuing excellence," he added.

Colcoa will open Monday, April 18th with the North American Premiere of "Monsieur Chocolat," a biopic about the first French black clown, co-written by Cyril Gely, Olivier Gorce, Gérard Noiriel, Roschdy Zem, directed by Roschdy Zem, and starring Omar Sy and James Thiérrée. The film will be presented in association with Gaumont, which celebrates its 120th anniversary.

The festival will close its competition on Monday, April 25th with the World Premiere of "Up For Love," the new romantic comedy written and directed by Laurent Tirard, starring Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin and Virginie Efira. "Call My Agent" (Season 1), the most popular French TV series of the year, about a talent agency with actors playing their own roles, will close the Colcoa TV Competition.

Two other TV series, shown for the first time in North America, will be part of the program, presented in association with TV France International and Titrafilm: "The Disappearance," a drama co-written by Marie Deshaires and Catherine Touzet and directed by Charlotte Brändström; and "The Secret of Elise," a supernatural drama written by lsa Marpeau, Marie Vinoy, Marie Deshaires, and Catherine Touzet and directed by Alexandre Laurent, Samir Boitard, Mathieu Simonet, and Mehdi Meskar. The first two episodes of each series will be shown to the Colcoa audience.

To complete the competition, five TV movies will premiere at Colcoa: the North American Premiere of "Borderline," a thriller co-written and directed by Olivier Marchal, the International Premiere of "Carpets and Chaos," a comedy co-written and directed by Nader Takmil Homayoun, the International Premiere of "Stolen Babies," a drama written by Julie Jézéquel and directed by Golden Globe winner Alain Berliner; the International Premiere of "The Wall-Crosser," a fantasy written and directed by Dante Desarthes, based on Marcel Aymé's book; and the North American Premiere of "Woman Under the Influence," a drama written and directed by Claude-Michel Rome. 

The feature film selection (40 features and documentaries and 21 shorts), will feature exclusive presentations. "Fanny's Journey," an epic drama written and directed by Lola Doillon, starring Cecile de France, is also a World Premiere. The U.S. Premiere of the thriller "Made in France," written and directed by Nicolas Boukhrief, is a film which did not have theatrical release in France because of sensitivity following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.  Colcoa also will present the U.S. Premiere of Robert Guédiguian's provocative film about the Armenian genocide, "Don't Tell Me the Boy Was Mad." The U.S. Premiere of Oscar ® winner Claude Lelouch's new film "Un plus Une," starring Jean Dujardin and Elsa Zylberstein, will screen, in addition to another U.S. Premiere of "All Gone South," the comedy sequel co-written and co-directed by Nicolas Benamou and Philippe Lacheau, two years after the success of Babysitting at Colcoa in 2014.

Several established writers/directors return and other known artists have been selected: Academy Award nominee Christian Carion ("Come What May"- with Cohen Media Group), Anne Fontaine ("The Innocents" - with Music Box Films), Vincent Garencq ("Kalinka"), Academy Award nominee Jean-Paul Rappeneau ("Families"), Christian Vincent ("Courted"), Maïwenn ("My King" - with Film Movement)

Every year, the Colcoa program is dedicated to a new generation of talent, many of whose films are included in Colcoa's French NeWave 2.0 Series: Samuel Collardey ("Land Legs"), Clément Cogitor ("Neither Heaven Nor Earth" - with Film Movement), Philippe Faucon - the writer/director of the 2016 César Best film winner ("Fatima" - with Kino Lorber), Emmanuel Finkiel ("A Decent Man"), Eva Husson ("Bang Gang" - with Samuel Goldwyn), Laurent Larivière ("I am a Soldier"), and Orelsan and Christophe Offenstein ("Uncompleted Song").

The After 10 Series at Colcoa invites audiences to explore new frontiers with an exclusive program, including the French-Belgian co-production from writer/director Bouli Lanners ("The First, the Last"), the new dark comedy from Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern, starring Gérard Depardieu ("Saint Amour"), and Frédéric Schoendoerffer ("Past Convoy").

Two anticipated films about women in Muslim countries will be part of theWord Cinema Produced by France Series: the Franco-Moroccan co-production, "Much Loved," written and directed by Nabil Ayouch, premiered at the Director's Fortnight in 2015, and remains banned in Morocco; and, "As I Open My Eyes," a Franco-Tunisian film from female writer/director Leyla Bouzid (with Kino Lorber). The Argentine film, "Eva Doesn't Sleep," written and directed by Pablo Agüero will complete the series.

Two documentaries focusing on significant environmental issues will premiere at Colcoa: the closing film of the last Cannes Film Festival, "Ice and the Sky" (with Music Box Films) from Academy Award winner Luc Jacquet (March of the Penguins), and a special presentation following the United Nations screening of the 2016 Cesar winner for Best Documentary, "Tomorrow," written and directed by Cédric Dion and Mélanie Laurent. "The Frankenstein Complex," a tribute to the creators of big screen creatures, written and directed by Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet, will complete this high profile documentary series.

All other Colcoa series are back in 2016: the Colcoa Classics Series with an exclusive program of digitally restored premieres (see February 19th press release); the Happy Hour Talks PanelSeriesin association withVariety (April 19-25); the Short Film Competition (Sunday, April 24 -  March press release); the Focus on a Filmmaker, this year with writer/director Jean-Paul Rappeneau (Thursday, April 21); and the Focus on a Producer will be with Dominique Besnehard (Saturday, April 23).

Animation, an important part of the French film industry, will be shown at Colcoa with the premiere of Rémi Chayé's new film: "Long Way North" (with Shout Factory).

 As is Colcoa tradition, comedieswill join the program almost every day, including the romantic comedy "Love at First Child," co-written and directed by Anne Giaffieri, starring Patrick Bruel and Isabelle Carré, Benoît's Graffin's "Hopefully," with Sandrine Kiberlain and Edouard Baer, Jean-Francois Richet's "One Wild Moment," starring Francois Cluzet and Vincent Cassel, and the new French hit "One Man and His Cow," written and directed by Mohamed Hamidi.

This last film will also be shown to the 3,000 students and teachers who will attend the now five High School Screenings (April 19-25) as part of the Colcoa Educational Program presented in association with Elma (European Languages and Movies in America). Two master classes for college and university students will complete the program.

For the ninth year, Lafca will partner with Colcoa Cinema for the Critics' Awards. The complete recipients list of the 2015 Awards - including the U.S. distributor winner of the Colcoa Coming Soon Award, presented in association with Kpcc, will be announced on Wednesday, April 27. Colcoa Awards are presented in association with Titrafilm, TV5 Monde USA, and Air Tahiti Nui.

Each month will focus on a different theme, genre or region.

The BFI Southbank is launching a year-long monthly programme dedicated to Arab cinema from the region and its diaspora.

Discover Arab Cinema kicks off in November and will show contemporary and classic Arab films, including shorts and features.

Each month’s programme will be organised by a different theme, genre or region, with the first three months (November 2013 – January 2014) dedicated to Egyptian cinema, the Family in Middle Eastern societies and Algerian cinema.

Mona Deeley programmes in association with the Zenith Foundation.

Films to be shown include Tawfik Abu Wael’s Thirst; Yahia Al Abdallah’s The Last Friday; Mohamad Lakhdar Hamina’s Chronicle of the Years of Fire; Mohamed Hamidi’s Homeland; Ibrahim El Batout’s Eye of the Sun; and Ahmad Abdallah’s Microphone.

Cannes – In a last-minute addition to the Cannes film festival, Homeland by first-time filmmaker Mohamed Hamidi has been added to the official selection as an out-of-competition special screening, organizers announced on Tuesday. As part of the festival’s ongoing efforts to include the local community, the screening of the French comedy will only be open to high school students from the Provence-Alpes, Cote d’Azur region. Director Hamidi and star Jamel Debbouze will attend. Debbouze, best known in the U.S. for his role as the abused grocer’s assistant in Amelie, is a mega-star in

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