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Anaïs Demoustier, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Denis Podalydès lead the cast of the filmmaker’s first full-length work, a Les Films Pelléas and Année Zéro production sold by Be For Films. Primarily known for her short film Pauline asservie (unveiled in Cannes’ Critics’ Week 2018 and awarded a Special Mention by Clermont-Ferrand’s national jury in 2019) Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet has been shooting her first feature film Les amours d’Anaïs since 3 August. Shining bright in the cast are Anaïs Demoustier, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (currently touring cinemas in Summer of 85 and whom we’ll be seeing next year in Les années 10 and Gli indifferenti) and Denis Podalydès (hitting the big screen on...

When Robert Guédiguian returned to this year’s Venice Film Festival to premiere his latest film, “Gloria Mundi,” he brought nearly the exact same cast that joined him at the 2017 Venice festival for his previous outing, “The House by the Sea.” That is because the French director has built a tightknit troupe over the years, working with the same actors time and time again. Variety sat down with the filmmaker in Venice to ask about his stable of collaborators and his thoughts on recent industry trends.

For your past several films you’ve worked almost exclusively with the same cast of actors. That’s a somewhat uncommon model in modern filmmaking, so what do you think it brings to your work?

It’s like working in a theater troupe, and I’m the leader, the spokesperson for group. I have known these actors for a long time, so they tell me stories,...

The regular major-festival presence of the films of Robert Guédiguian is a curious, if not wholly unwelcome, anomaly. Amid punchier, more provocative, more aesthetically challenging arthouse titles, his work moves to the calmer rhythms of classical naturalism, in which each new title feels more like a new chapter in a career-spanning novel — or a book of interconnected short stories, perhaps — about life and love and social class in the suburbs of Marseille.

Working with the same troupe of excellent actors he has cast in differing permutations through the years, most notably his wife Ariane Ascaride who stars in their twentieth collaboration here, and occupying the same compassionately observed, elegiac register that his mid-to-late middle-age titles have tended to embrace, “Gloria Mundi” is, again, a contemporary, intergenerational, socially conscientious, bittersweet family drama set in the southern French port city. And, at least until an ending marred by some scrappy filmmaking as...

Robert Guédiguian is in pole position for the Venice competition, Olivier Assayas, Philippe Garrel and Costa Gavras are jostling hopefully behind him, while Roman Polanski can only watch and wait. With less than one month to go until the official selection of the 76th Venice Film Festival (running 28 August-7 September) is revealed, there are whispers circulating in Paris (where pre-selectors working for the main upcoming film festivals got together around ten days ago to watch an armful of films) as regards the identity of the French candidates most likely to bag a spot in the Lido-based competition. According to different sources, Robert Guédiguian’s Gloria Mundi (read our article – sold by mk2 Films) will almost certainly enter into the battle for the Golden Lion, a trophy which the director already came close to carrying off in 2017 with The House by the Sea. Rumoured to be on stand-by and...

Paris-based Bac Films is launching a slate of new acquisitions at the UniFrance Rendez-Vous in Paris, including Nicolas Pariser’s “Alice And The Mayor” with Fabrice Luchini, and Antoine de Bary’s concept comedy “My Days of Glory” with Vincent Lacoste.

“Alice And The Mayor” stars Luchini as Paul Théraneau, a prominent French mayor who has run out of ideas after thirty years in politics and enlists the help of a brilliant young philosopher, Alice (Anais Demoustier). The film revolves around their relationship which ultimately shakes the mayor’s convictions.

Marie Garrett, Bac Films’s VP of international sales, said a scene from “Alice And The Mayor” will be shown to buyers at the UniFrance showcase. The executive said the film could almost be described as a philosophical drama dealing with the existential crisis that politicians can experience.

A popular French actor, Luchini starred in “Courted,” “Ma Loute” and “A Man in a Hurry.

The Favourite’s grosses rose 9% to £2.4m in its second weekend.

Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.28.

RankFilm (Distributor)Three-day gross (Jan 11-Jan 13) Total gross to date Week 1 Stan & Ollie (eOne) £2.41m £2.6m 1 2 The Favourite (20th Century Fox) £2.4m £8.3m 2 3 Mary Poppins Returns (Disney) £2.3m £38.3m 4 4 Aquaman (Warner Bros) £1.2m £20.2m 5 5. Bohemian Rhapsody (20th Century Fox) £1m £50m 12 Entertainment One

Stan & Ollie opened at number one in the UK this weekend, grossing £2.41m from 653 sites for an average of £3,675. The film’s overall opening is £2.6m, including preview screenings totalling £162,061,

Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly star in the...

Fox Family is moving forward on “The Royal Rabbits of London” as a hybrid-animated live-action feature film and has tapped Will Davies to adapt, Variety has learned exclusively.

The project is based on the 2016 children’s book authored by Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore, who will serve as executive producers.

The story centers on a runt of a country rabbit uncovering an insidious, secret plot and traveling to London to warn the Royal Rabbits of London, who have secretly protected England’s Royal Family for centuries.

Vanessa Morrison and Ralph Millero will oversee for the project for Fox Family. The book deal was brokered by Luke Speed on behalf of Sheila Crowley at the Curtis Brown Group.

Santa Montefiero has authored “The Italian Matchmaker,” “The Affair,” “The House by the Sea,” “The Summer House,” “Secrets of the Lighthouse,” “A Mother’s Love,” and “The Beekeeper’s Daughter.” Her spouse,...

While the Competition at the 71st Festival de Cannes (May 8-19) so far includes only three women directors, Cannes has selected many films from women filmmakers in such sidebars as Un Certain Regard, Critics’ Week, and Directors’ Fortnight. And the Competition jury led by president Cate Blanchett is dominated by women.

The jury features five women, four men, seven nationalities, and five continents. They will reveal the winners on Saturday, May 19 during the Closing Ceremony.

The 2018 Jury

Cate Blanchett – President (Australian actress, producer)

Chang Chen (Chinese actor)

Ava DuVernay (American writer, director, producer)

Robert Guédiguian (French director, writer, producer)

Khadja Nin (Burundian songwriter, composer, singer)

Léa Seydoux (French actress)

Kristen Stewart (American actress)

Denis Villeneuve (Canadian director, writer)

Andrei Zvyagintsev (Russian director, writer)

Cannes Biographies (below):

Chang Chen – Chinese actor

Chang Chen made his film debut in the late Edward Yang’s “A Brighter Summer Day.” He rose to...

While the Competition at the 71st Festival de Cannes (May 8-19) so far includes only three women directors, Cannes has selected many films from women filmmakers in such sidebars as Un Certain Regard, Critics’ Week, and Directors’ Fortnight. And the Competition jury led by president Cate Blanchett is dominated by women.

The jury features five women, four men, seven nationalities, and five continents. They will reveal the winners on Saturday, May 19 during the Closing Ceremony.

The 2018 Jury

Cate Blanchett – President (Australian actress, producer)

Chang Chen (Chinese actor)

Ava DuVernay (American writer, director, producer)

Robert Guédiguian (French director, writer, producer)

Khadja Nin (Burundian songwriter, composer, singer)

Léa Seydoux (French actress)

Kristen Stewart (American actress)

Denis Villeneuve (Canadian director, writer)

Andrei Zvyagintsev (Russian director, writer)

Cannes Biographies (below):

Chang Chen – Chinese actor

Chang Chen made his film debut in the late Edward Yang’s “A Brighter Summer Day.” He rose to...

Ava DuVernay, Kristen Stewart, Denis Villeneuve, Chang Chen, Robert Guédiguian, Khadja Nin, Léa Seydoux and Andrey Zvyagintsev have been named members of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival Jury.

They will join Cate Blanchett, who was previously named president of the jury at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.

During the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, the jury is made up of five women and four men, only the third time that women have made up a majority of the jury. All three times have come in the last 10 years.

The jurors are of seven nationalities and from five continents.

Also Read: Cannes Lineup Reaches From Spike Lee to Jean-Luc Godard

Blanchett marks the first female jury president since Jane Campion served in 2014. Other women to take on the role this century include Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert and Liv Ullmann. It is the 12th time in festival history a woman has headed the jury. Director, screenwriter and actress Jeanne Moreau served twice, with all others putting in one year each.

The Cannes Film Festival will take over the south of France from May 8-19.

See the full bios for the jury members courtesy of the festival organizers below.

Also Read: Cannes Will Welcome Back Lars von Trier, Says Festival Director

Chang Chen – Chinese actor

Chang Chen made his film debut in the late Edward Yang’s A Brighter Summer Day. He rose to fame in the Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000. His film credits include “Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together” (1997), 2046 (2004), “The Grandmaster” (2013), Hou Hsiao-hsien’s “Three Times” (2005) and “The Assassin” (2015), Tian Zhuangzhuang’s “The Go Master” (2006) John Woo’s “Red Cliff” (2008-2009) “The Last Supper” directed by Lu Chuan (2012). In 2017, he returned for Yang Lu’s film Brotherhood of “Blades II” and recently played in “Forever Young” by Fangfang Li.

Ava DuVernay – American writer, director, producer

Nominated for the Academy Award and Golden Globe and winner of the BAFTA and Emmy, Ava DuVernay is a writer, director, producer and film distributor known for the historical drama “Selma” (2014), the criminal justice documentary “13th” (2016) and the recent Disney cinematic adaptation of the classic children’s novel A wrinkle in Time. Winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Best Director Prize for her film “Middle of Nowhere,” DuVernay amplifies the work of people of color and women directors through her film collective Array.

Robert Guédiguian – French director, writer, producer

The work of Robert Guédiguian, an activist filmmaker, celebrates the city of Marseille where he grew up. Acclaimed by critics when he first started directing in the 80s, he met public success with Marius and Jeannette, which won the Prix Louis-Delluc in 1997.

His film credits include “Marie-Jo et ses deux amours” (2002) “Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars” (2004) “Le Voyage en Arménie” (2007) “Lady Jane” (2008) “L’armée du crime” (2009) “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (2011). His latest film in date, “The House by the Sea” (2017), received enthusiastic response from critics and audience.

Khadja Nin – Burundian songwriter, composer, singer

Youngest of a family of eight Khadja Nin studied music at an early age, before leaving Africa to go to Europe. Her albums are a mix of occidental popmusic, African and afro-cuban rhythms. She gained wide recognition and success with “Sambolera Mayi Son.” “Ya…” (“From me to you”) is a wonderful tribute to Mandela and the video of her song “Mama” was directed by Jeanne Moreau. International Artist, she became a Unicef and Acp Observatory on Migration Good Will Ambassador. She was awarded the Prize “Prix de l’Action Feminine” by the African Women’s League in 2016. She has been committed to support ordinary heroes.

Léa Seydoux – French actress

Rising to fame with Christophe Honoré’s “The Beautiful Person” in 2008, Léa Seydoux is an award-winning actress, notably the Palme d’Or for Abdelatif Kechiche’s “Blue is the Warmest Colour” in 2013. She successfully alternates between author and mainstream films. Her film credits include Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Dear Prudence” and “Grand Central,” Benoît Jacquot’s “Farewell, My Queen” and “Diary of a Chambermaid,” Bertrand Bonello’s “Saint Laurent,” Sam Mendes’ “Spectre,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster” and Xavier Dolan’s “It’s Only the End of the World.”

Kristen Stewart – American actress

Kristen Stewart has been playing roles since an early age and received widespread recognition in 2008 for “The Twilight Saga” film series (2008-12). Her film credit includes “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012), “Equals” by Drake Doremus (2015) “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” by Ang Lee (2016), and several Festival de Cannes Selections such as “On the Road” by Walter Salles (2012) “Clouds of Sils Maria” (2014) and “Personal Shopper” (2016) both by Olivier Assayas (2014) as well as “Café Society” by Woody Allen. She directed her first short film “Come Swim” in 2017.

Denis Villeneuve – Canadian director, writer

Internationally renowned and recently two-time Academy Award winner for “Blade Runner 2049,” Denis Villeneuve made his debut at the National Film Board of Canada in the early 90’s. His first feature, “Un 32 août sur Terre” (1998) was invited to Cannes. He returned there with “Next Floor” (2008), “Polytechnique” (2009) and the Oscar nominated “Sicario” (2015). In 2010 “Incendies” was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. In 2017, Arrival was nominated for 8 Oscars and 9 BAFTAs, including best movie and best director.

Andreï Zvyagintsev – Russian director, writer

Multi-award winning filmmaker Andreï Zvyagintsev has already become one of the most respected directors in Russian and international cinema. He directed his first feature film in 2003 The Return which won him a “Golden Lion” at the Venice Film Festival. He has continued to write and direct award-winning feature films “The Banishment” (2007), “Elena” (2011) and “Leviathan” (2014). His most recent film “Loveless” won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Festival de Cannes, and was among the nominees at the Golden Globe and 90th Academy Awards.

Read original story Ava DuVernay, Kristen Stewart Join Cate Blanchett on 2018 Cannes Film Festival Jury At TheWrap...

The Cannes Film Festival has set its competition jury under president Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett. The festival chose five women and four men, covering seven nationalities and five continents. They will spend plenty of time in dark rooms on the Croisette before revealing the winners Saturday, May 19 during the Closing Ceremony.

The jury for this year’s fest under Blanchett includes Chang Chen (Chinese actor), Ava DuVernay, Robert Guédiguian, Khadja Nin, Léa Seydoux (French actress), Kristen Stewart (American actress), Denis Villeneuve and Andrei Zvyagintsev.

Director-writer-producer Ava DuVernay recently directed Disney’s adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time and champions women and filmmakers of color with her collective Array. Kristen Stewart is regular at Cannes, having starred in many films that played at the fest including On the Road, Personal Shopper and Clouds of Sils Maria.

Léa Seydoux is an acclaimed actress who has appeared in numerous films including Abdelatif Kechiche...

Three middle-aged siblings find themselves in their titular childhood home after their father has had a stroke in The House by the Sea (La Villa), another workmanlike and working-class story against the backdrop of the Marseille area that has the gentle rhythms and knowing ways of most of French filmmaker Robert Guediguian’s output. It also again stars his regular actors, including Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Gerard Meylan, which provides the kind of continuity that allows the director to throw in a flashback to 30-odd years earlier by just editing in a piece of his 1985 film Ki Lo Sa.

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