With 15 French films and 13 coproductions released in North American theaters in the first six months of the year, 2000 is showing itself to be an excellent year for French fare. Indeed more French films hit American screens in the first half of 2000 than in all of 1999! "East-West", by Régis Wargnier, was honored with a nomination at the Oscars and at the Golden Globe Awards, and raked in close to $3 million at the box-office. Other standout performers are: "Good Work" by Claire Denis, "Humanité" by Bruno Dumont (acclaimed by critics, this film's run at the New York Film Forum was extended by 4 weeks, before touring numerous cities in the USA) and "Time Regained" by Raoul Ruiz, which was released in numerous theaters in the summer and fall of 2000. In summer, François Ozon traveled to the States to promote two of his films, "Water Drops on Burning Rocks" and "Criminal Lovers". André Téchiné's film "Alice and Martin" and Patrice Leconte's "Girl on the Bridge", have also already hit the screens. Patrice Leconte was in the USA in July in preparation for the release of his film. The summer season also saw the re-release of Luc Besson's film "The Big Blue". "An Affair of Love" by Frédéric Fonteyne, "Place Vendôme" by Nicole Garcia, and "Pola X" by Léos Carax were also released in August and September. Catherine Deneuve starred in these two films and was in New York late July. Léos Carax and Guillaume Depardieu also made the trip to the USA in August. Winstar, the distributor of "Pola X", is also handling the release of both "Boy Meets Girl" and "Bad Blood", never before seen in the United States. "Human Resources" by Laurent Cantet and "Venus Beauty Institute" by Tonie Marshall was released in the fall. Leading up to the release of "Venus Beauty Institute" in New York and Los Angeles on October 27, the director, accompanied by the film's three leading actresses Nathalie Baye, Mathilde Seigner and Audrey Tautou, was in New York from October 14 to 17.
