France's selection committee has opted for the film by Gilles Bourdos, the most successful French film in the United States this year.
Following in the footsteps of Declaration of War in 2011 and The Intouchables in 2012 (which were not ultimately selected as nominees in the Oscars competition), it's now over to Renoir by Gilles Bourdos to represent France after being chosen as this year's candidate in the 2014 Foreign Language Film category, the final stage prior to the nomination of finalists.
Produced by Marc Missonnier and Olivier Delbosc (Fidélité Films), this film, which tells of the final months in the life of the legendary painter Auguste Renoir, was presented as closing film at Cannes 2012 in the Un Certain Regard section.
Renoir was a surprise hit in the USA in 2013, with 502,064 spectators registered to date and close to $300,000 in ticket sales (distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films). It stands out as the most successful French-language production of 2013, garnering $2.2 million at the box office. All up, the film has attracted almost 600,000 moviegoers in international theaters.
The final list of nominees will be announced in January 2014, with the Oscars ceremony scheduled for February 24.
