Mediawan Rights has boarded “Kabul,” a highly anticipated thriller series produced by France’s 24 25 Films and Cinétévé.
Shervin Alenabi (“Tehran”) and “Euphoria’s” Eric Dane (in a small role) have joined the international cast of the show, which already comprises Jonathan Zaccaï (“Le bureau des legendes”), Thibault Evrard (“The Night of the 12th”), Vassilis Kukalawi (“Kandahar”), Jeanne Goursaud (“Pax Massilia”), Gianmarco Saurino (“L’estate piu Calda”) and Valentina Cervi (“Medici: Masters of Florence”).
The series, set against the backdrop of U.S. troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and Taliban’s sweep to power, just started filming on April 1. Mediawan Rights will introduce the gripping series project to international buyers at upcoming markets, and is handling worldwide distribution with the participation of Entourage.
“Kabul” explores the chaotic evacuation of various characters, from diplomats to soldiers to civilians, who desperately seek refuge and solidarity in a country in crisis, with the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul.
Shervin Alenabi (“Tehran”) and “Euphoria’s” Eric Dane (in a small role) have joined the international cast of the show, which already comprises Jonathan Zaccaï (“Le bureau des legendes”), Thibault Evrard (“The Night of the 12th”), Vassilis Kukalawi (“Kandahar”), Jeanne Goursaud (“Pax Massilia”), Gianmarco Saurino (“L’estate piu Calda”) and Valentina Cervi (“Medici: Masters of Florence”).
The series, set against the backdrop of U.S. troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and Taliban’s sweep to power, just started filming on April 1. Mediawan Rights will introduce the gripping series project to international buyers at upcoming markets, and is handling worldwide distribution with the participation of Entourage.
“Kabul” explores the chaotic evacuation of various characters, from diplomats to soldiers to civilians, who desperately seek refuge and solidarity in a country in crisis, with the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul.
- 4/4/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
French director Yann Gozlan is set to reunite with Pierre Niney, the French star of his two most successful movies “Un homme idéal” and “Black Box,” for his next film, “Gourou.”
“Gourou” is being co-produced by Wassim Beji at Wy Productions, the Paris-based company behind “Black Box and “Un Homme Ideal,” and Niney’s banner Ninety Films.
While the plot is currently under wraps, the project is being teased as a deep dive into the world of coaching and follows the rise of a personal development guru who turns out to be toxic. The script is by Jean-Baptiste Delafon, whose credits include “Of Money and Blood” which played at Venice, and Gozlan.
One of France’s most bankable and busiest French actors, Niney won a Cesar Award for his performance as French fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent in Jalil Lespert’s biopic in 2015, and went on to work with Anne Fontaine...
“Gourou” is being co-produced by Wassim Beji at Wy Productions, the Paris-based company behind “Black Box and “Un Homme Ideal,” and Niney’s banner Ninety Films.
While the plot is currently under wraps, the project is being teased as a deep dive into the world of coaching and follows the rise of a personal development guru who turns out to be toxic. The script is by Jean-Baptiste Delafon, whose credits include “Of Money and Blood” which played at Venice, and Gozlan.
One of France’s most bankable and busiest French actors, Niney won a Cesar Award for his performance as French fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent in Jalil Lespert’s biopic in 2015, and went on to work with Anne Fontaine...
- 3/15/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Paris-based company 2425 Films, recently acquired by Mediawan, is working with a pool of rising filmmakers on timely movies, including Charly Delwart’s “1,5 degré,” Ilan Duran Cohen’s “Le coup d’apres” and Thomas Kruithof’s “Les Braises.”
2425 Films, founded by Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber, has been thriving with smart, high-concept commercial movies, such as Yann Gozlan’s “La boite noire” and “An Ideal Man,” as well as the thriller “Burn Out.” The company also presented Gozlan’s latest film, “Visions,” a thriller starring Diane Kruger (co-produced by Eagle Team Entetainment) at this year’s Angouleme Film Festival.
Duran Cohen’s “Le coup d’apres” is a film set in the world of French politics, with a duo of French stars, Marina Fois and Laurent Laffite, who previously co-starred in “Papa ou Maman,” a French hit comedy franchise. Laffite, who also stars in Netflix’s limited series “Tapie,” plays...
2425 Films, founded by Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber, has been thriving with smart, high-concept commercial movies, such as Yann Gozlan’s “La boite noire” and “An Ideal Man,” as well as the thriller “Burn Out.” The company also presented Gozlan’s latest film, “Visions,” a thriller starring Diane Kruger (co-produced by Eagle Team Entetainment) at this year’s Angouleme Film Festival.
Duran Cohen’s “Le coup d’apres” is a film set in the world of French politics, with a duo of French stars, Marina Fois and Laurent Laffite, who previously co-starred in “Papa ou Maman,” a French hit comedy franchise. Laffite, who also stars in Netflix’s limited series “Tapie,” plays...
- 11/1/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
"Visions" is a new live-action, France-produced 'psychological thriller', directed by Yann Gozlan, starring Diane Kruger, Mathieu Kassovitz, Marta Nieto, Amira Casar, Grégory Fitoussi and Élodie Navarre, with a theatrical release Tba:
"...airline captain 'Estelle' is married to the overly protective 'Guillaume'...
"...whose life suddenly spirals out of control upon the appearance of old flame 'Anna', a photographer..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...airline captain 'Estelle' is married to the overly protective 'Guillaume'...
"...whose life suddenly spirals out of control upon the appearance of old flame 'Anna', a photographer..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 9/8/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Cannes may get all the attention, but France’s summer film festivals are essential launchpads for local features ready to hit the international market. Here are the ones to look out for.
In August of 2011, a little French film about the bond between a wealthy quadriplegic and his fun-loving caretaker premiered at a festival in a small Southwestern town in France.
Now in its 16th edition, The Angouleme Francophone Film Festival was the first stop for global sensation The Intouchables, which went on to gross more than $445m at the box office worldwide and even get its own US remake...
In August of 2011, a little French film about the bond between a wealthy quadriplegic and his fun-loving caretaker premiered at a festival in a small Southwestern town in France.
Now in its 16th edition, The Angouleme Francophone Film Festival was the first stop for global sensation The Intouchables, which went on to gross more than $445m at the box office worldwide and even get its own US remake...
- 8/9/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Diane Kruger is set to receive the Golden Eye Award at this year’s Zurich Film Festival. Famed for working with directors including Quentin Tarantino, Wolfgang Peterson and Robert Zemeckis, the 47-year-old is renowned as one of Hollywood’s finest character actresses and is probably best known for her roles as Helen of Sparta in 2004’s ‘Troy’, Bridget von Hammersmark in Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and Anna in 2009’s ‘Mr. Nobody’. She said: “Thank you Zurich Film Festival for this wonderful recognition. I’m honoured and proud to be part of the impressive list of past honourees. “I look forward to return to Zurich and celebrate with all of you in October!” Diane will receive the Golden Eye Award on 2 October, with the Zurich Film Festival taking place from 28 September to 8 October. Christian Jungen, Zurich Film Festival’s artistic director, said in a statement: “Diane Kruger is one of cinema’s most versatile character actresses.
- 8/3/2023
- by BANG Showbiz Reporter
- Bang Showbiz
Diane Kruger To Be Feted At Zurich
Diane Kruger is set to receive Zurich’s Golden Eye Award during the fest’s latest edition, running September 28-October 8. Kruger will accept the award on October 2 and present her latest pic Visions, by French filmmaker Yann Gozlan. In the pic, Kruger plays a married airline captain whose life flies out of control when she bumps into an old flame. Previous winners of Zurich’s Golden Eye Award include Eddie Redmayne, Iris Berben, Kristen Stewart, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Malkovich, Helen Hunt and Olivia Colman. “Thank you Zurich Film Festival for this wonderful recognition,” Kruger said. “I’m honored and proud to be part of the impressive list of past honorees. I look forward to returning to Zurich and celebrating with all of you in October.”
Asian Achievers Awards Sets Shortlist
Exclusive: The shortlist for this year’s Asian Achievers Awards has been revealed.
Diane Kruger is set to receive Zurich’s Golden Eye Award during the fest’s latest edition, running September 28-October 8. Kruger will accept the award on October 2 and present her latest pic Visions, by French filmmaker Yann Gozlan. In the pic, Kruger plays a married airline captain whose life flies out of control when she bumps into an old flame. Previous winners of Zurich’s Golden Eye Award include Eddie Redmayne, Iris Berben, Kristen Stewart, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Malkovich, Helen Hunt and Olivia Colman. “Thank you Zurich Film Festival for this wonderful recognition,” Kruger said. “I’m honored and proud to be part of the impressive list of past honorees. I look forward to returning to Zurich and celebrating with all of you in October.”
Asian Achievers Awards Sets Shortlist
Exclusive: The shortlist for this year’s Asian Achievers Awards has been revealed.
- 8/3/2023
- by Zac Ntim and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Los Angeles, August 3 (Ians) Actress Diane Kruger, known for ‘Troy’, ‘Inglorious Basterds’, ‘National Treasure’ among many more, is set to receive the Golden Eye Award at the 2023 edition of Zurich Film Festival.
Her role in Fatih Akin’s ‘In the Fade’, as a victim of neo-Nazi violence seeking bloody revenge, won her the best actress prize in Cannes in 2017. More recently, she starred in Neil Jordan’s 1930s-set crime thriller ‘Marlowe’ alongside Liam Neeson. The film screened in Zurich in 2022.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, announcing the honour, Zurich Film Festival artistic director Christian Jungen said: “Diane Kruger is one of cinema’s most versatile character actresses. She not only becomes wholly absorbed in each and every role she takes on, but also imparts her characters with great depth.”
“In addition to her powerful charisma, she possesses the rare ability to captivate audiences with her irresistible, somewhat enigmatic aura…For these reasons,...
Her role in Fatih Akin’s ‘In the Fade’, as a victim of neo-Nazi violence seeking bloody revenge, won her the best actress prize in Cannes in 2017. More recently, she starred in Neil Jordan’s 1930s-set crime thriller ‘Marlowe’ alongside Liam Neeson. The film screened in Zurich in 2022.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, announcing the honour, Zurich Film Festival artistic director Christian Jungen said: “Diane Kruger is one of cinema’s most versatile character actresses. She not only becomes wholly absorbed in each and every role she takes on, but also imparts her characters with great depth.”
“In addition to her powerful charisma, she possesses the rare ability to captivate audiences with her irresistible, somewhat enigmatic aura…For these reasons,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
German actress Diane Kruger will be honored with the Golden Eye award, a lifetime achievement prize, at this year’s Zurich Film Festival, the festival announced Thursday.
Kruger has had a diverse career, balancing roles in global blockbusters — she is arguably best-known for her turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and for her performances alongside Nicolas Cage in the National Treasure films — with work in more international and art house movies. Her starring role in Fatih Akin’s In the Fade, as a victim of neo-Nazi violence who seeks bloody revenge, won her the best actress prize in Cannes in 2017. More recently, she starred in Neil Jordan’s 1930s-set crime thriller Marlowe alongside Liam Neeson. Marlowe screened in Zurich last year.
“Diane Kruger is one of cinema’s most versatile character actresses. She not only becomes wholly absorbed in each and every role she takes on, but also imparts her characters with great depth,...
Kruger has had a diverse career, balancing roles in global blockbusters — she is arguably best-known for her turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and for her performances alongside Nicolas Cage in the National Treasure films — with work in more international and art house movies. Her starring role in Fatih Akin’s In the Fade, as a victim of neo-Nazi violence who seeks bloody revenge, won her the best actress prize in Cannes in 2017. More recently, she starred in Neil Jordan’s 1930s-set crime thriller Marlowe alongside Liam Neeson. Marlowe screened in Zurich last year.
“Diane Kruger is one of cinema’s most versatile character actresses. She not only becomes wholly absorbed in each and every role she takes on, but also imparts her characters with great depth,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Burgeoning Paris-based film and TV content group Mediawan has acquired a majority stake in French production company 24 25 Films.
Led by co-founding producers Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber, the company has a proven track record in producing mainstream box office hits in France.
Successes include Yann Gozlan’s 2021 Pierre Niney-starring mystery thriller Black Box, which grossed $9.4 million at the French box office, as well as the director’s previous film A Perfect Man.
Further productions include Thomas Kruithof’s political drama Promises as well as the award-winning comedy In The Game by Robin Sykes.
Its new action-comedy Cash by Jérémie Rozan, starring Raphaël Quenard, Agathe Rousselle and Igor Gotesman, has been in the number one slot on Netflix in France, since its launch on the platform on July 6.
24 25 Films joins a growing number of successful cinema-skewed companies operating under the Mediawan banner including Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Brad Pitt’s Plan B,...
Led by co-founding producers Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber, the company has a proven track record in producing mainstream box office hits in France.
Successes include Yann Gozlan’s 2021 Pierre Niney-starring mystery thriller Black Box, which grossed $9.4 million at the French box office, as well as the director’s previous film A Perfect Man.
Further productions include Thomas Kruithof’s political drama Promises as well as the award-winning comedy In The Game by Robin Sykes.
Its new action-comedy Cash by Jérémie Rozan, starring Raphaël Quenard, Agathe Rousselle and Igor Gotesman, has been in the number one slot on Netflix in France, since its launch on the platform on July 6.
24 25 Films joins a growing number of successful cinema-skewed companies operating under the Mediawan banner including Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Brad Pitt’s Plan B,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The prolific Paris-based producers are behind a slew of successful features including Thomas Kruithof’s Promises with Isabelle Huppert.
European production powerhouse Mediawan has taken a majority stake in Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber’s 24 25 films.
The prolific Paris-based producers are behind a slew of successful features including Yann Gozlan’s Cesar-nominated Black Box, Thomas Kruithof’s Promises with Isabelle Huppert and most recently Jeremie Rozan’s action comedy Gold Brick (Cash) that has been the number 1 film on Netflix in France since its release on the streamer on July 6 and is currently in the Global non-English language top...
European production powerhouse Mediawan has taken a majority stake in Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber’s 24 25 films.
The prolific Paris-based producers are behind a slew of successful features including Yann Gozlan’s Cesar-nominated Black Box, Thomas Kruithof’s Promises with Isabelle Huppert and most recently Jeremie Rozan’s action comedy Gold Brick (Cash) that has been the number 1 film on Netflix in France since its release on the streamer on July 6 and is currently in the Global non-English language top...
- 7/12/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Film stars Raphael Personnaz and Jeanne Balibar.
Paris-based Snd has boarded Anne Fontaine’s Boléro about the birth of the renowned orchestral work from Maurice Ravel, now shooting in France.
Set in the Roaring 1920s, the film stars Raphael Personnaz, known for Our Brothers, Julia(s) and The French Minister, as the composer. Jeanne Balibar, who has appeared in Lost Illusions, Cold War and Grace Of Monaco, plays the Russian dancer-choreographer Ida Rubinstein who commissioned the now legendary music.
Snd, the film arm of France’s M6 group, is on board as co-producer and French distributor and is launching international sales at Cannes.
Paris-based Snd has boarded Anne Fontaine’s Boléro about the birth of the renowned orchestral work from Maurice Ravel, now shooting in France.
Set in the Roaring 1920s, the film stars Raphael Personnaz, known for Our Brothers, Julia(s) and The French Minister, as the composer. Jeanne Balibar, who has appeared in Lost Illusions, Cold War and Grace Of Monaco, plays the Russian dancer-choreographer Ida Rubinstein who commissioned the now legendary music.
Snd, the film arm of France’s M6 group, is on board as co-producer and French distributor and is launching international sales at Cannes.
- 5/3/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
No slot (yet) of Bertrand Bonello, Michel Gondry, Bruno Dumont, Robin Campillo, Catherine Corsini and Quentin Dupieux.
The opening film of Cannes 2023 is Maiwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, a period drama that delves into French history, was shot in Versailles and sees its US star Johnny Depp speaking French.
Un Certain Regard will also open with a French title, Thomas Cailley’s Le Règne Animal, while the Competition refreshingly feaures two films by female French filmmakers, Catherine Breillat and Justine Triet, and the new film from Vietnamese-born, France-based Tran Anh Hung,
Breillat’s rise-from-retirement film is Last Summer, while Tran...
The opening film of Cannes 2023 is Maiwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, a period drama that delves into French history, was shot in Versailles and sees its US star Johnny Depp speaking French.
Un Certain Regard will also open with a French title, Thomas Cailley’s Le Règne Animal, while the Competition refreshingly feaures two films by female French filmmakers, Catherine Breillat and Justine Triet, and the new film from Vietnamese-born, France-based Tran Anh Hung,
Breillat’s rise-from-retirement film is Last Summer, while Tran...
- 4/13/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
The wedding comedy stars Christian Clavier and Sylvie Testud.
Snd has found distribution matches across the globe for Julien Hervé’s wedding comedy Ooh La La!, signing deals in several territories as the title gets its market premiere at EFM.
The feature film arm of France’s M6 broadcasting group has sold the film to Sphere in Canada, to Weltkino for Germany and Austria, to Kinoswiat in Poland, Vertigo in Hungary, Blitz for the Balkans, All Media for Cis and SKeye for in-flight entertainment. The sales follow Snd’s previous deals to Belga in Benelux, Tri Pictures in Spain, Nos...
Snd has found distribution matches across the globe for Julien Hervé’s wedding comedy Ooh La La!, signing deals in several territories as the title gets its market premiere at EFM.
The feature film arm of France’s M6 broadcasting group has sold the film to Sphere in Canada, to Weltkino for Germany and Austria, to Kinoswiat in Poland, Vertigo in Hungary, Blitz for the Balkans, All Media for Cis and SKeye for in-flight entertainment. The sales follow Snd’s previous deals to Belga in Benelux, Tri Pictures in Spain, Nos...
- 2/18/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Snd has picked up the international distribution rights to “Visions,” Yann Gozlan’s (“Black Box”) psychological thriller starring Diane Kruger (“Inglorious Basterds”) and Mathieu Kassovitz (“The Bureau”).
The French Riviera-set movie, produced by Eagles Team Entertainment, 24 25 Films and Snd, just finished shooting in the South of France and Japan. Snd handles French distribution and worldwide sales rights. The theatrical release is planned for 2023.
Kruger stars as Estelle, a brilliant airline captain who leads a seemingly perfect life with her husband Guillaume, a renowned doctor. When she accidentally bumps into Ana, a former flame, Estelle falls in love all over again. As their affair gets more intense, Estelle has recurring visions, nightmares and hallucinations, and when Ana disappears mysteriously, she starts losing grip on reality.
“Visions” marks Gozlan’s follow up to “Black Box” which was a major hit in France where it sold over 1.2 million admissions and traveled to 45 countries.
The French Riviera-set movie, produced by Eagles Team Entertainment, 24 25 Films and Snd, just finished shooting in the South of France and Japan. Snd handles French distribution and worldwide sales rights. The theatrical release is planned for 2023.
Kruger stars as Estelle, a brilliant airline captain who leads a seemingly perfect life with her husband Guillaume, a renowned doctor. When she accidentally bumps into Ana, a former flame, Estelle falls in love all over again. As their affair gets more intense, Estelle has recurring visions, nightmares and hallucinations, and when Ana disappears mysteriously, she starts losing grip on reality.
“Visions” marks Gozlan’s follow up to “Black Box” which was a major hit in France where it sold over 1.2 million admissions and traveled to 45 countries.
- 8/31/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Amira Casar (The Contractor), Billie Boulet (The Worst Witch) and Ashley Brooke (The Blacklist) are set as series regulars, joining Bel Powley, Liev Schreiber and Joe Cole in Disney+’s A Small Light, a limited series from National Geographic that tells the remarkable story of a Dutch woman who risked her life to shelter Anne Frank’s family from the Nazis for more than two years and then preserved Anne’s diary. The project comes from Grey’s Anatomy alums Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, Susanna Fogel, ABC Signature and Keshet Studios.
The eight-episode limited series centers on 20-something secretary Miep Gies (Powley), who didn’t hesitate when her boss Otto Frank (Schreiber) asked her to hide him and his family from the Nazis during World War II. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan (Cole) and several other everyday heroes watched over the eight souls hiding in the secret annex.
The eight-episode limited series centers on 20-something secretary Miep Gies (Powley), who didn’t hesitate when her boss Otto Frank (Schreiber) asked her to hide him and his family from the Nazis during World War II. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan (Cole) and several other everyday heroes watched over the eight souls hiding in the secret annex.
- 6/10/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Buckle up. “Black Box” is the kind of smart, taut conspiracy thriller Hollywood used to consistently make, only this one hails from France, which has been beating the American studios at their own game lately in the good-movies-for-grown-ups department. Centered on the eponymous device, recovered from a freak airplane accident, this engaging if slightly overlong film stars Pierre Niney as an obsessive forensic analyst who hears the words “Allahu Akbar!” on a recovered cockpit voice recorder and can’t quite believe his ears.
If the setup sounds a bit like Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out,” that’s hardly a bad thing, except “Black Box” centers on high-altitude hijinks, rather than a Chappaquiddick-like car crash. Opening the movie in mid-air, director Yann Gozlan leaves the crisis mostly up to the imagination, firing our neurons rather than our adrenaline receptors as he dollies backward from the cockpit, through the cabin, all...
If the setup sounds a bit like Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out,” that’s hardly a bad thing, except “Black Box” centers on high-altitude hijinks, rather than a Chappaquiddick-like car crash. Opening the movie in mid-air, director Yann Gozlan leaves the crisis mostly up to the imagination, firing our neurons rather than our adrenaline receptors as he dollies backward from the cockpit, through the cabin, all...
- 5/5/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Guilt By Aviation: Gozlan Delivers Intrigue with Paranoia Tinged Tech Thriller
Director Yann Gozlan returns to the realm of social pariahs in his fourth film, Black Box, an elegantly constructed tech thriller hearkening back to intelligent genre films from the 1990s. Focusing on familiar themes regarding his protagonists (who always seem to be hemmed in either by their considerable specific skill sets or a lack of them), Gozlan also reunites with his 2015’s A Perfect Man (read review) headliner Pierre Niney. Slick and unexpectedly intelligent, even with its inclusion of familiar conspiracy tropes, its navigation of aviation technicalities crafted by global terrorism and evolving industrial possibilities suggests a world on a wire subjected to the same unpredictable human factor as of old.…...
Director Yann Gozlan returns to the realm of social pariahs in his fourth film, Black Box, an elegantly constructed tech thriller hearkening back to intelligent genre films from the 1990s. Focusing on familiar themes regarding his protagonists (who always seem to be hemmed in either by their considerable specific skill sets or a lack of them), Gozlan also reunites with his 2015’s A Perfect Man (read review) headliner Pierre Niney. Slick and unexpectedly intelligent, even with its inclusion of familiar conspiracy tropes, its navigation of aviation technicalities crafted by global terrorism and evolving industrial possibilities suggests a world on a wire subjected to the same unpredictable human factor as of old.…...
- 4/28/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Even for the twisty paranoid thriller sub-genre, there is a whole lot going on in Yann Gozlan’s Black Box. Not boring yet not quite enveloping, the film never reaches its boiling point despite plenty of bluster. The story concerns Mathieu (Pierre Niney), a young black box analyst tasked with examining the recorded remains of a tragic plane crash. All 300 passengers died in what appears to be a terrorist attack aboard a brand-new aircraft. The deeper Mathieu digs, the more complicated things, of course, become. This plus a senior colleague (Olivier Rabourdin) who mysteriously disappeared breeds an obsession to discover the truth. A request to quickly clean up the mess from his stalwart supervisor (André Dussollier), alongside some willful ignorance from a friendly airline executive (Sébastien Pouderoux), and additional pressure from Mathieu’s own partner Noemie (Lou de Laâge)––herself responsible for certifying the planes that fly, including the one...
- 4/28/2022
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Rolling off an unpredictable and crowded race, Xavier Giannoli’s period piece “Lost Illusions” and Leos Carax’s musical romance “Annette” scooped the top prizes at the 47th Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, on Friday evening. “Lost Illusions,” which led the nominations, won seven awards, including best film and best male newcomer. “Annette,” which world premiered on opening night at the Cannes Film Festival, won five awards, including best director and original score for Ron Mael and Russell Mael from the rock band Sparks, who performed live during the Cesar ceremony.
The glitzy in-person event took place at the Olympia theater in Paris with prestigious guests including Adam Driver, who was nominated for his performance in “Annette,” and Cate Blanchett, who received the honorary Cesar Award from the hands of Isabelle Huppert. Celebrated by a long and rowdy standing ovation, Blanchett got up on stage and gave a long hug to Huppert.
The glitzy in-person event took place at the Olympia theater in Paris with prestigious guests including Adam Driver, who was nominated for his performance in “Annette,” and Cate Blanchett, who received the honorary Cesar Award from the hands of Isabelle Huppert. Celebrated by a long and rowdy standing ovation, Blanchett got up on stage and gave a long hug to Huppert.
- 2/25/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
In the early days of what we used to call “coronavirus” in March 2020, before we all became budding epidemiologists, people flocked to Steven Soderbergh’s eerily prophetic 2011 drama “Contagion” on streaming services. Within a month or so, the movie was propelled from the 270th slot to the second most watched film in the Warner Bros. library, according to numbers from iTunes.
Two years down the line, Covid-19, which shut down the world and altered our way of life, hasn’t yet made its way into many series and movies, apart from a handful of fleeting acknowledgements. (Berlin competition contender “Both Sides of the Blade” from Claire Denis and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Oscar-nominated “Drive My Car” are examples.) For comparison, the Spanish Flu, which killed more than 50 million people worldwide over roughly two years following World War I, is still nearly invisible in popular culture to this day.
“There have been...
Two years down the line, Covid-19, which shut down the world and altered our way of life, hasn’t yet made its way into many series and movies, apart from a handful of fleeting acknowledgements. (Berlin competition contender “Both Sides of the Blade” from Claire Denis and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Oscar-nominated “Drive My Car” are examples.) For comparison, the Spanish Flu, which killed more than 50 million people worldwide over roughly two years following World War I, is still nearly invisible in popular culture to this day.
“There have been...
- 2/12/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Ceremony for awards voted on by 4,363 members of the César academy will take place on February 25.
Xavier Giannoli’s literary adaptation Lost Illusions is the frontrunner in the nomination stage of the 47th edition of France’s César awards, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette and Valérie Lemercier’s Aline.
France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences unveiled the nomination list online on Wednesday morning (January 26), ahead of the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 25.
Giannoli’s adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s eponymous 19th-century novel, which premiered in competition at Venice last year, was nominated in...
Xavier Giannoli’s literary adaptation Lost Illusions is the frontrunner in the nomination stage of the 47th edition of France’s César awards, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette and Valérie Lemercier’s Aline.
France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences unveiled the nomination list online on Wednesday morning (January 26), ahead of the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 25.
Giannoli’s adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s eponymous 19th-century novel, which premiered in competition at Venice last year, was nominated in...
- 1/26/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Update: Xavier Giannoli’s Illusions Perdues (Lost Illusions) leads nominations for the 2022 César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscar. The Venice premiere scored 15 mentions, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette, which opened the Cannes Film Festival last year and has 11 nominations. They are followed by Valérie Lemercier’s Aline, the musical dramedy inspired by the life of Céline Dion which also debuted in Cannes and has 10 nods. (Scroll down for the full list of nominations.)
Interestingly, the three films that France shortlisted for the International Feature Academy Award race came in on the lower end. Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold) took seven nominations, while Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening settles for four, tying Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane.
The latter was France’s eventual entry to the Oscars, but did not make the shortlist. It was also shut out of the Best Film category at the Césars today.
Interestingly, the three films that France shortlisted for the International Feature Academy Award race came in on the lower end. Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold) took seven nominations, while Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening settles for four, tying Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane.
The latter was France’s eventual entry to the Oscars, but did not make the shortlist. It was also shut out of the Best Film category at the Césars today.
- 1/26/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Xavier Giannoli’s sprawling period piece “Lost Illusions,” Valerie Lemercier’s Celine Dion biopic “Aline” and Leos Carax’s musical romance “Annette” with Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver are leading the race at France’s 47th Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars.
Other top Cesar contenders include Cedric Jimenez’s action-packed cop drama “Bac Nord,” Catherine Corsini’s social drama “La fracture,” Yann Gozlan’s thriller Boite noire,” Jacques Audiard’s contemporary love drama “Paris, 13th District” and Arthur Harari’s WW2-set “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle.”
Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening” and Julia Ducournau’s Cannes’ Palme d’Or-winning “Titane” earned four nods each.
Vying for 15 Cesar Awards, “Lost Illusions” is a big-budget adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s masterpiece starring Benjamin Voisin (“Summer of 85”), Cecile de France (“The Young Pope”), Vincent Lacoste (“Victoria”), Xavier Dolan and Jeanne Balibar (“Les Miserables”) all of whom earned nominations.
Other top Cesar contenders include Cedric Jimenez’s action-packed cop drama “Bac Nord,” Catherine Corsini’s social drama “La fracture,” Yann Gozlan’s thriller Boite noire,” Jacques Audiard’s contemporary love drama “Paris, 13th District” and Arthur Harari’s WW2-set “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle.”
Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening” and Julia Ducournau’s Cannes’ Palme d’Or-winning “Titane” earned four nods each.
Vying for 15 Cesar Awards, “Lost Illusions” is a big-budget adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s masterpiece starring Benjamin Voisin (“Summer of 85”), Cecile de France (“The Young Pope”), Vincent Lacoste (“Victoria”), Xavier Dolan and Jeanne Balibar (“Les Miserables”) all of whom earned nominations.
- 1/26/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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,...
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,...
- 11/17/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
“Black Box,” Studiocanal’s flight-themed French thriller with Pierre Niney (“Yves Saint Laurent”) has been acquired by Distrib Films for U.S. distribution.
Directed by Yann Gozlan, the movie had its North American premiere on Nov. 5 at Colcoa, the French film and series festival in Los Angeles. The movie, which also stars Marine Vacth (“Young And Beautiful”) reteams Niney with Gozlan following “A Perfect Man.”
Niney stars as a skilled black box analyst investigating the deadly crash of a brand new aircraft. As he uncovers disturbing details, he has to deal with the fact that his wife (Vacth) happens to work for the authorities. The film was produced by Paris-based outfit 2425 and Wy Productions. Studiocanal co-produced, distributed in France and is handling international sales. The deal with Distrib Films doesn’t include SVOD rights in the U.S.
Gozlan penned the script with Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard and Simon Moutairou, in collaboration with Jérémie Guez.
Directed by Yann Gozlan, the movie had its North American premiere on Nov. 5 at Colcoa, the French film and series festival in Los Angeles. The movie, which also stars Marine Vacth (“Young And Beautiful”) reteams Niney with Gozlan following “A Perfect Man.”
Niney stars as a skilled black box analyst investigating the deadly crash of a brand new aircraft. As he uncovers disturbing details, he has to deal with the fact that his wife (Vacth) happens to work for the authorities. The film was produced by Paris-based outfit 2425 and Wy Productions. Studiocanal co-produced, distributed in France and is handling international sales. The deal with Distrib Films doesn’t include SVOD rights in the U.S.
Gozlan penned the script with Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard and Simon Moutairou, in collaboration with Jérémie Guez.
- 11/6/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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...
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...
- 10/11/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
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...
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...
- 10/11/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The cast also includes Lou de Laâge, André Dussollier and Olivier Rabourdin. The film is being produced by 2425 Films and Wy Productions, and sold by StudioCanal. Since 9 September, in the Paris region, Yann Gozlan has been filming Black Box (French title: La Boîte noire), his fourth feature after Caged (2010), A Perfect Man (667 000 tickets sold in France in 2015) and Burn Out (2018). The film reunites the director with Pierre Niney, who was already the lead in A Perfect Man.The film also stars Lou de Laâge (designated Shooting Star 2016 by the European Film Promotion, nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress in 2014 and in 2015 for Jappeloup and...
Exclusive: French distribution and production force StudioCanal is launching sales in Cannes on $20M-budgeted, English-language animated film Around The World, and flight-themed thriller Black Box, starring Pierre Niney (Yves Saint Laurent) and Marine Vacth (Young And Beautiful).
Despicable Me outfit Mac Guff is handling the animation on the former, an update of the Jules Verne classic Around The World in Eighty Days, this time featuring a marmoset and a con man frog who set off to achieve a record-breaking journey. The Cottonwood Media-produced project, which is one of the biggest new animated projects at this year’s Cannes market, already has positive feedback from buyers, I understand.
Script comes from Ice Age: The Meltdown scribe Gerry Swallow. Samuel Tourneux, Oscar-nominated for his 2008 short Even Pigeons Go to Heaven, is making his feature debut on the project, which is in pre-production.
StudioCanal head of sales Anne Chérel told us of the project,...
Despicable Me outfit Mac Guff is handling the animation on the former, an update of the Jules Verne classic Around The World in Eighty Days, this time featuring a marmoset and a con man frog who set off to achieve a record-breaking journey. The Cottonwood Media-produced project, which is one of the biggest new animated projects at this year’s Cannes market, already has positive feedback from buyers, I understand.
Script comes from Ice Age: The Meltdown scribe Gerry Swallow. Samuel Tourneux, Oscar-nominated for his 2008 short Even Pigeons Go to Heaven, is making his feature debut on the project, which is in pre-production.
StudioCanal head of sales Anne Chérel told us of the project,...
- 5/13/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Eric Barbier’s “Promise at Dawn” will headline the 2018 Colcoa French Film Festival on April 23, the Franco-American Cultural Fund announced Tuesday.
“Promise at Dawn” is an adaptation of French author Romain Gary’s autobiography that stars Pierre Niney and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The film will kick off the screenings of 37 new features and documentaries competing for the Colcoa Cinema Awards at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The event will present a record total of 86 films, TV shows, digital series, and virtual reality programs, 75 of which will be considered for the Colcoa awards throughout the week’s festivities, which will culminate on May 1.
Colcoa executive producer and artistic director Francois Truffart also announced that this year’s festival will set aside a day exclusively for screening first films made by female writers and directors. The day, titled “Focus on a Filmmaker Day,” will honor writer, director, and actor Melanie...
“Promise at Dawn” is an adaptation of French author Romain Gary’s autobiography that stars Pierre Niney and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The film will kick off the screenings of 37 new features and documentaries competing for the Colcoa Cinema Awards at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The event will present a record total of 86 films, TV shows, digital series, and virtual reality programs, 75 of which will be considered for the Colcoa awards throughout the week’s festivities, which will culminate on May 1.
Colcoa executive producer and artistic director Francois Truffart also announced that this year’s festival will set aside a day exclusively for screening first films made by female writers and directors. The day, titled “Focus on a Filmmaker Day,” will honor writer, director, and actor Melanie...
- 4/4/2018
- by Christi Carras
- Variety Film + TV
MaryAnn’s quick take… This would-be faux-70s paranoid thriller piles on too-obvious intrigue and embarrassing clichés, and lacks suspense, thrills, and a protagonist to care about. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Unemployed accountant Duval (François Cluzet) takes a mysterious job with mysterious Clément (Denis Podalydès) that comes about after a mysterious late-night phone call and a mysterious Saturday-morning job interview (in a completely unmysteriously deserted Parisian business district, because it’s the weekend, but there’s nothing odd about that, nosirree). The job — transcribing recordings of conversations from tapped phones — comes with mysterious strict instructions about confidentiality and secrecy and mysteriously bizarre instructions about (among other things) the appropriate timing of the opening and closing of the blinds in the near-empty apartment he’ll be working in.
Such mysterious. Many intrigue.
Scribe piles on too-obvious intrigue,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Unemployed accountant Duval (François Cluzet) takes a mysterious job with mysterious Clément (Denis Podalydès) that comes about after a mysterious late-night phone call and a mysterious Saturday-morning job interview (in a completely unmysteriously deserted Parisian business district, because it’s the weekend, but there’s nothing odd about that, nosirree). The job — transcribing recordings of conversations from tapped phones — comes with mysterious strict instructions about confidentiality and secrecy and mysteriously bizarre instructions about (among other things) the appropriate timing of the opening and closing of the blinds in the near-empty apartment he’ll be working in.
Such mysterious. Many intrigue.
Scribe piles on too-obvious intrigue,...
- 7/21/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Sbiff) has revealed its third annual Wave Film Festival, running July 15 through July 19. This festival highlights eleven brand new French films at the historic Riviera Theatre. Herewith the lineup, with language courtesy of the festival. Read More: Locarno to Honor French Actress Bulle Ogier, Favorite of Rivette, Chabrol and Fassbinder "A Perfect Man" / (Director: Yann Gozlan, Screenwriters: Yann Gozlan, Guillaume Lemans, Grégoire Vigneron) - Mathieu Vasseur is an aspiring writer. But as the refusal letters pile up, he takes a part-time job as a mover. Going through the contents of a recently deceased old soldier’s home, Mathieu discovers a dusty, hand-written diary. Intrigued, he takes the manuscript home to read. And he can’t put it down! Indeed the soldier’s story is captivating. Mathieu submits the book as its own to a publishing house. And he gets his first publishing deal. And the book is a huge.
- 7/7/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Montreal’s genre film festival to showcase 135 features and almost 300 shorts across its three-week run from July 14-Aug 4.Scroll down for line-up
Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its full line-up for its upcoming 19th edition which kicks off next Tuesday [July 14].
Over its three-week run, the Montreal-based genre film festival will showcase 135 features, including 22 world, 13 international premieres and 21 North American premieres, and almost 300 short films.
Shinji Higuchi’s Attack on Titan will receive its Canadian premiere as the closing film of this year’s edition on Aug 4. The live-action film is based on Hajime Isyama’s steampunk fantasy war opera manga series.
Additional highlights of the final wave of titles include the world premieres of Malik Bader’s thriller Cash Only and Ken Ochiai’s Ninja the Monster, as well as the Canadian premiere of Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion’s horror comedy Cooties starring Elijah Wood.
A trio of Sion Sono films will also be shown at this...
Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its full line-up for its upcoming 19th edition which kicks off next Tuesday [July 14].
Over its three-week run, the Montreal-based genre film festival will showcase 135 features, including 22 world, 13 international premieres and 21 North American premieres, and almost 300 short films.
Shinji Higuchi’s Attack on Titan will receive its Canadian premiere as the closing film of this year’s edition on Aug 4. The live-action film is based on Hajime Isyama’s steampunk fantasy war opera manga series.
Additional highlights of the final wave of titles include the world premieres of Malik Bader’s thriller Cash Only and Ken Ochiai’s Ninja the Monster, as well as the Canadian premiere of Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion’s horror comedy Cooties starring Elijah Wood.
A trio of Sion Sono films will also be shown at this...
- 7/7/2015
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
The 19th Annual Fantasia Film Festival is only a week away, beginning July 14 and running through August 4. And as promised for today, they’ve revealed their full line-up of films screening at 2015’s festival in Montreal.
This year’s line-up boasts 22 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, and 21 North American Premieres. Both Marvel’s Ant-Man and the animated Miss Hokusai were previously announced, but now they’ve added the much anticipated Attack on Titan movie as their closing night film. Other highlights include the Sundance darlings Cooties, starring Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson, Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by the upcoming Spider-man director Jon Watts, and a trio of films from horror auteur Sion Sono.
See the full line-up announcement of films below via Fantasia’s Facebook page, and be sure to check out their website at fantasiafestival.com for additional information.
****
Fantasia 2015:
36 Countries, 135 Features, and Nearly 300 Short Films
- Including 22 World Premieres,...
This year’s line-up boasts 22 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, and 21 North American Premieres. Both Marvel’s Ant-Man and the animated Miss Hokusai were previously announced, but now they’ve added the much anticipated Attack on Titan movie as their closing night film. Other highlights include the Sundance darlings Cooties, starring Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson, Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by the upcoming Spider-man director Jon Watts, and a trio of films from horror auteur Sion Sono.
See the full line-up announcement of films below via Fantasia’s Facebook page, and be sure to check out their website at fantasiafestival.com for additional information.
****
Fantasia 2015:
36 Countries, 135 Features, and Nearly 300 Short Films
- Including 22 World Premieres,...
- 7/7/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Exclusive: Key deals for Backup Media on Cannes Directors’ Fortnight entry.
French finance outfit Backup Media, which represents Takashi Miike’s Directors’ Fortnight entry Yakuza Apocalypse, has closed deals on the action-horror with German-speaking territories (Koch), France (The Jokers) and Benelux (Cineart).
Nikkatsu is handling Asian rights to the film about a yakuza vampire boss, starring The Raid’s Yayan Ruhlan and Riri Furanki (Like Father, Like Son).
Paris-based financier Backup, run by Joel Thibout, Jean-Baptiste Babin and David Atlan-Jackson, joined the project last Afm as part of a push for high-profile Asian art-house and genre films.
The outfit has backed a host of ambitious French, European and Us films to date, including Nicolas Saada’s Taj Mahal, Yann Gozlan’s thriller A Perfect Man, Benoit Jacquot’s Diary of a Chambermaid, Ma Ma, starring Penelope Cruz, Pablo Virzi’s Human Capital and Martin Koolhoven’s upcoming thriller Brimstone.
Prolific cult Japanese director Miike played in competition...
French finance outfit Backup Media, which represents Takashi Miike’s Directors’ Fortnight entry Yakuza Apocalypse, has closed deals on the action-horror with German-speaking territories (Koch), France (The Jokers) and Benelux (Cineart).
Nikkatsu is handling Asian rights to the film about a yakuza vampire boss, starring The Raid’s Yayan Ruhlan and Riri Furanki (Like Father, Like Son).
Paris-based financier Backup, run by Joel Thibout, Jean-Baptiste Babin and David Atlan-Jackson, joined the project last Afm as part of a push for high-profile Asian art-house and genre films.
The outfit has backed a host of ambitious French, European and Us films to date, including Nicolas Saada’s Taj Mahal, Yann Gozlan’s thriller A Perfect Man, Benoit Jacquot’s Diary of a Chambermaid, Ma Ma, starring Penelope Cruz, Pablo Virzi’s Human Capital and Martin Koolhoven’s upcoming thriller Brimstone.
Prolific cult Japanese director Miike played in competition...
- 5/20/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Company to also market premiere First Growth [pictured], a family drama set in the vineyards of Burgundy.
France’s Snd is set to launch sales on a trio of new titles at the Cannes Marché, including Julien Rappeneau’s quirky romantic comedy Rosalie Blum.
It is a debut feature for Rappeneau, who is best known as a writer, his credits including father Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s upcoming Families (Belles familles), pop icon Claude Francois bio-pic My Way and Jérôme Salle’s The Burma Conspiracy and Zulu.
An adaptation of popular graphic novel Rosalie Blum, the film revolves around a lonely, thirty-something hairdresser who starts to secretly investigate a 50-year-old woman who seems vaguely familiar.
His clumsy detective work makes her suspicious and she in turn asks her niece to investigate him – a game of hide-and-seek begins with unexpected results.
“It’s a little jewel which we fell in love with straight away,” says Snd sales...
France’s Snd is set to launch sales on a trio of new titles at the Cannes Marché, including Julien Rappeneau’s quirky romantic comedy Rosalie Blum.
It is a debut feature for Rappeneau, who is best known as a writer, his credits including father Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s upcoming Families (Belles familles), pop icon Claude Francois bio-pic My Way and Jérôme Salle’s The Burma Conspiracy and Zulu.
An adaptation of popular graphic novel Rosalie Blum, the film revolves around a lonely, thirty-something hairdresser who starts to secretly investigate a 50-year-old woman who seems vaguely familiar.
His clumsy detective work makes her suspicious and she in turn asks her niece to investigate him – a game of hide-and-seek begins with unexpected results.
“It’s a little jewel which we fell in love with straight away,” says Snd sales...
- 5/1/2015
- ScreenDaily
Words With Friends: Gozlan’s Stylish Noir all Amalgamated Pulp
Enjoyably anxious, director Yann Gozlan’s sophomore feature A Perfect Man (Un homme idéal) would better recall suspense masters like Hitchcock or Chabrol if its narrative felt a little less familiar. As such, it seems more like the B noir cousin of the cinema Gozlan is in conversation with rather than a revisionist take on one of cinema’s greatest femme fatales—karma. Featuring an excellent lead performance from recent Cesar award winning actor Pierre Niney, there’s much to admire even as Gozlan overdoses with increasing complications that hinge on the ludicrous.
Mathieu Vasseur (Niney) is an aspiring novelist, whose first manuscript, The Man From Behind, has been promptly rejected by publishers. Working vaguely as some sort of janitorial staff and/or garbage man, Vasseur stumbles into a lecture being given about scent’s relationship to memory and literature...
Enjoyably anxious, director Yann Gozlan’s sophomore feature A Perfect Man (Un homme idéal) would better recall suspense masters like Hitchcock or Chabrol if its narrative felt a little less familiar. As such, it seems more like the B noir cousin of the cinema Gozlan is in conversation with rather than a revisionist take on one of cinema’s greatest femme fatales—karma. Featuring an excellent lead performance from recent Cesar award winning actor Pierre Niney, there’s much to admire even as Gozlan overdoses with increasing complications that hinge on the ludicrous.
Mathieu Vasseur (Niney) is an aspiring novelist, whose first manuscript, The Man From Behind, has been promptly rejected by publishers. Working vaguely as some sort of janitorial staff and/or garbage man, Vasseur stumbles into a lecture being given about scent’s relationship to memory and literature...
- 4/22/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
This year's 19th Colcoa French Film Festival will run April 20-28 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. Colcoa will open with the North American Premiere of Yann Gozlan's thriller "A Perfect Man," starring Pierre Niney and Ana Girardot, who starred in the creepy French TV series "The Returned." The festival will close its competition on Monday, April 27th with "White Soldier," a drama written and directed by Erick Zonca, and a still-secret feature announced opening day. Colcoa's first-ever Television program will include "Blue Pills," a drama directed by Jean-Philippe Amar, Dante Desarthe's dramedy "Ponzi's Scheme" and "Danbé, Head Up," a drama directed by Bourlem Guerdjou. Watch: Jean Dujardin Is the French Popeye Doyle in "The Connection" Trailer Three more TV series will premiere at Colcoa: "Chefs" (Season 1), a drama co-developed and co-written by Arnaud...
- 4/1/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Franco-American Cultural Fund on Tuesday announced the line-up for 19th Colcoa French Film Festival, set to run in West Hollywood from April 20-28.
The event will kick off with the North American Premiere of Yann Gozlan’s thriller A Perfect Man (pictured) starring Pierre Niney and Ana Girardot and close with a yet-to-be-announced feature and the international premiere of Erick Zonca’s television competition selection White Soldier.
The expanded nine-day event will showcase a record 68 films, of which three are world premieres, seven international premieres, 14 North American or Us Premieres and 16 West Coast premieres.
The feature category includes the world premiere of Clovis Cornillac’s rom-com Blind Date and the international premieres of Emmanuel Mouret’s rom-com Caprice and Elodie Namer’s The Tournament.
Colcoa will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Film Noir Series with Jean Dujardin’s new film The Connection directed by Cédric Jimenez, Frédéric Tellier’s SK1 and Next Time, I’ll Aim...
The event will kick off with the North American Premiere of Yann Gozlan’s thriller A Perfect Man (pictured) starring Pierre Niney and Ana Girardot and close with a yet-to-be-announced feature and the international premiere of Erick Zonca’s television competition selection White Soldier.
The expanded nine-day event will showcase a record 68 films, of which three are world premieres, seven international premieres, 14 North American or Us Premieres and 16 West Coast premieres.
The feature category includes the world premiere of Clovis Cornillac’s rom-com Blind Date and the international premieres of Emmanuel Mouret’s rom-com Caprice and Elodie Namer’s The Tournament.
Colcoa will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Film Noir Series with Jean Dujardin’s new film The Connection directed by Cédric Jimenez, Frédéric Tellier’s SK1 and Next Time, I’ll Aim...
- 3/31/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Paris-based Snd is reuniting with Yves Saint Laurent producer Wassim Béji and star Pierre Niney on Yann Gozlan’s psychological thriller A Perfect Man, about a writer who rips off a dead soldier’s diary as his own work.
The company will launch sales on the project at Cannes.
It is the second time Snd has worked closely with Béji and Niney, who garnered worldwide praise for his performance as legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the recent biopic by Jalil Lespert.
Upcoming French actress Ana Girardot, whose credits include the hit TV series The Returned (Les Revenants) is also attached.
In A Perfect Man, Niney will play aspiring writer Matthieu Vasseur, who takes on a job as a removal man to pay the bills.
While clearing the house of a recently deceased soldier he comes across the man’s hand-written diary. He is captivated by the soldier’s story and decides to send it...
The company will launch sales on the project at Cannes.
It is the second time Snd has worked closely with Béji and Niney, who garnered worldwide praise for his performance as legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the recent biopic by Jalil Lespert.
Upcoming French actress Ana Girardot, whose credits include the hit TV series The Returned (Les Revenants) is also attached.
In A Perfect Man, Niney will play aspiring writer Matthieu Vasseur, who takes on a job as a removal man to pay the bills.
While clearing the house of a recently deceased soldier he comes across the man’s hand-written diary. He is captivated by the soldier’s story and decides to send it...
- 5/8/2014
- ScreenDaily
Director: Yann Gozlan. Review: Adam Wing. France has provided World Cinema with some of the greatest modern horror movies of the past ten years, including the likes of Them (2006), Switchblade Romance (2003), Martyrs (2008), Inside (2007) and The Ordeal (2004). Even when they aren’t quite hitting their stride, French horror movies are a whole lot more enjoyable than their American counterparts. Caged is the directorial debut of Yann Gozlan, and while it may not hit the same dizzy heights as these superior siblings, there’s much to enjoy from this French mash-up of Hostel and Severance. Carole (Zoë Felix) is a young nurse with a humanitarian aid group that has reached the end of its mission. Before you can say, “I have a bad feeling about this”, Carole and her colleagues are kidnapped by mysterious strangers that keep them caged, captive and barely breathing in a sinister steel setting. It’s not long...
- 5/23/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
*Minor spoilers below.
Director: Yann Gozlan.
Writers: Yann Gozlan, and Guillaume Lemans.
Cast: Zoé Felix, Eric Savin, and Arié Elmaleh.
Director Yann Gozlan's Captifs aka Caged was released in the United Kingdom April 4th, through Optimum Releasing. The film is situated in the former Yugoslavia and here, three doctors find themselves in a harrowing situation. This is a scenario that involves vivisection and organ harvesting, which is a theme previously covered in films like Turistas, Repo Men and a smaller film from director Baltasar Kormakur's called Inhale. Both Scott Weinberg of Fearnet.com and Carl Doherty of Shelf Abuse call the film plain: "a genre effort that does nothing to stand out from the rental store shelf" (Shelf). However, this film arouses strong feelings of pity for the characters, and overall the film is suspenseful, as the villains' plans are kept in secret.
Carole (Zoe Felix), Mathias (Eric Savin...
Director: Yann Gozlan.
Writers: Yann Gozlan, and Guillaume Lemans.
Cast: Zoé Felix, Eric Savin, and Arié Elmaleh.
Director Yann Gozlan's Captifs aka Caged was released in the United Kingdom April 4th, through Optimum Releasing. The film is situated in the former Yugoslavia and here, three doctors find themselves in a harrowing situation. This is a scenario that involves vivisection and organ harvesting, which is a theme previously covered in films like Turistas, Repo Men and a smaller film from director Baltasar Kormakur's called Inhale. Both Scott Weinberg of Fearnet.com and Carl Doherty of Shelf Abuse call the film plain: "a genre effort that does nothing to stand out from the rental store shelf" (Shelf). However, this film arouses strong feelings of pity for the characters, and overall the film is suspenseful, as the villains' plans are kept in secret.
Carole (Zoe Felix), Mathias (Eric Savin...
- 4/20/2011
- by Remove28DaysLaterAnalysisThis@gmail.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
French horror has been making tremendous waves recently. Films like Switchblade Romance, Them, Martyrs, The Pack, In Their Sleep, Inside and Frontiers have propelled Gallic filmmakers to the forefront of the genre.
Easily matching – and in many cases completely outdoing – their American counterparts, some of them have even been employed to remake certain American horror films. Case in point: Alexandre Aja and his vicious 2006 The Hills Have Eyes remake.
Continuing the French horror trend is Caged directed by Yann Gozlan. This film is another one of those ‘be careful where you travel’ type of deals. Very much like Hostel, Turistas, The Ruins or The Human Centipede. However unlike those films Caged doesn’t focus on a group of vulnerable tourists, but rather, a trio of doctors working in Eastern Europe as part of a humanitarian aid group.
The group is made up of Carole (Zoé Felix), Samir (Arié Elmaleh) and...
Easily matching – and in many cases completely outdoing – their American counterparts, some of them have even been employed to remake certain American horror films. Case in point: Alexandre Aja and his vicious 2006 The Hills Have Eyes remake.
Continuing the French horror trend is Caged directed by Yann Gozlan. This film is another one of those ‘be careful where you travel’ type of deals. Very much like Hostel, Turistas, The Ruins or The Human Centipede. However unlike those films Caged doesn’t focus on a group of vulnerable tourists, but rather, a trio of doctors working in Eastern Europe as part of a humanitarian aid group.
The group is made up of Carole (Zoé Felix), Samir (Arié Elmaleh) and...
- 4/3/2011
- by Alex Wagner
- FilmShaft.com
Caged
Guest review by Dog Ate My Wookie
Stars: Arié Elmaleh, Eric Savin, Zoé Félix | Written by Guillaume Lemans, Yann Gozlan | Directed by Yann Gozlan
If torture porn has taught me anything over the years, it’s to never, ever travel on a desolate road in a foreign country, let alone travelling in an underwhelming pack of three. Always, I repeat always, travel in numbers, with an over-stock of deadly weaponry. You know, just in case the shit hits the fan. Welcome to Caged, the latest whose in-film rules are of such face-palming stupidity.
A young nurse named Carole (Félix) saves valuable lives as part of a humanitarian aid group. When her mission comes to a close, her short sprint to freedom, along with two males, is thwarted along an isolated road (in a war town Eastern Europe, of all places!) when a van of ominous, but forceful, men carrying...
Guest review by Dog Ate My Wookie
Stars: Arié Elmaleh, Eric Savin, Zoé Félix | Written by Guillaume Lemans, Yann Gozlan | Directed by Yann Gozlan
If torture porn has taught me anything over the years, it’s to never, ever travel on a desolate road in a foreign country, let alone travelling in an underwhelming pack of three. Always, I repeat always, travel in numbers, with an over-stock of deadly weaponry. You know, just in case the shit hits the fan. Welcome to Caged, the latest whose in-film rules are of such face-palming stupidity.
A young nurse named Carole (Félix) saves valuable lives as part of a humanitarian aid group. When her mission comes to a close, her short sprint to freedom, along with two males, is thwarted along an isolated road (in a war town Eastern Europe, of all places!) when a van of ominous, but forceful, men carrying...
- 4/1/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Check out two new teaser trailers for director Yann Gozlan's first feature horror thiller 'Captifs' (aka 'Caged'). The French thriller hit it's home land last October and is still yet to appear overseas. Gozlan is shooting from a script he co-wrote with Guillaume Lemans and it stars Zoe Felix, Eric Savin, and Arie Elmaleh. Check out the new teasers with a look at the full theatrical trailer also below....
- 2/10/2011
- Horror Asylum
First on our radar at this past November's Afm was the French thriller Caged (Captifs), which has already been released overseas. Directed by Yann Gozlan, this afternoon we stumbled across two French teasers and the official trailer, unfortunately there were no English-subbed versions. "Somewhere in Eastern Europe. Carole is a young nurse with a humanitarian aid group that has reached the end of its mission. But just then, the young woman and her two colleagues are kidnapped by strangers for mysterious reasons. Held captive, cared for and kept alive in an oppressive and sinister setting, the three prisoners soon discover with horror what their kidnappers truly have in store for them..."...
- 2/9/2011
- bloody-disgusting.com
A serious horror aficionado might not be blamed for expecting nothing but four-star mini-masterpieces from France these days. The last several years have seen a wonderfully dark deluge of ferocious French imports like High Tension, Inside, Martyrs, and Them -- but it's also yielded a few clunkers (like The Horde) and more than a handful of "good, not great" offerings like Mutants, The Ordeal, The Pack, and today's flick: Caged. Also known as Captifs, Caged comes from first-timer Yann Gozlan, and it tells the tale of three medical professionals on their way to an important assignment who take an ill-advised shortcut and get abducted by despicable men with horrific intentions. If anything I just mentioned...
- 1/3/2011
- FEARnet
While we don't know very much about Caged coming to us from director Yann Gozlan and TF1 International, we do know that it involves really hot women being held in captivity. It's just like a Friday night here at the DC offices only the chicks are the ones who have us in cages.
Dig on the first stills from the flick starring Zoe Felix, Eric Savin, and Arie Elmaleh after the plot crunch below.
Synopsis
Carole is a young nurse with a humanitarian aid group that has reached the end of its mission. But just then, the young woman and her two colleagues are kidnapped by strangers for mysterious reasons. Held captive, cared for and kept alive in an oppressive and sinister setting, the three prisoners soon discover with horror what their kidnappers truly have in store for them.
- Uncle Creepy
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
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Dig on the first stills from the flick starring Zoe Felix, Eric Savin, and Arie Elmaleh after the plot crunch below.
Synopsis
Carole is a young nurse with a humanitarian aid group that has reached the end of its mission. But just then, the young woman and her two colleagues are kidnapped by strangers for mysterious reasons. Held captive, cared for and kept alive in an oppressive and sinister setting, the three prisoners soon discover with horror what their kidnappers truly have in store for them.
- Uncle Creepy
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
- 11/5/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Yann Gozlan's Caged Featuring Zoé Félix, Eric Savin, and Arié Elmaleh, Yann Gozlan's Captifs / Caged won Best Picture honors on Sunday, Oct. 17, at the 2010 edition of ScreamFest La Horror Film Festival. Co-written by Gozlan and Guillaume Lemans, Caged tells the story three humanitarian aid workers kidnapped for mysterious reasons somewhere in Eastern Europe. As per the 2010 ScreamFest La website, "held captive, cared for and kept alive in an oppressive and sinister setting, the three prisoners soon discover with horror what their kidnappers truly have in store for them…" Set in Medieval England during the plague and revolving around the exploits of a daring knight and a beautiful satan worshiper, Chris Smith's Black Death won four awards: Best Director, Best Actor (Sean Bean), Best Cinematography (Sebastian Edschmid), and Best Musical Score (Christian Henson). Also in the cast: Eddie Redmayne and Carice van Houten. Full list of 2010 ScreamFest La...
- 10/21/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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