Unifrance sends French films around the world: selections, delegations, and awards for March 2007.
Festivals / delegations
During a month of March particularly laden with events, Unifrance organized two of its most prestigious festivals:
FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL IN TOKYO (UNIFRANCE)
Catherine Deneuve presided over the delegation comprising:
Jean-Pascal Hattu, Valérie Donzelli and Bruno Todeschini for 7 ans, Cédric Kahn for L’Avion, Bulle Ogier for Belle toujours, Guillaume Nicloux for Le Concile de pierre (The Stone Council), Benoît Magimel for La Demoiselle d’honneur (The Bridesmaid) , Bruno Dumont, Samuel Boidin and Adélaïde Leroux for Flandres (Flanders), Thierry Klifa, Géraldine Pailhas and Christopher Thompson for Le Héros de la famille (Family Hero), Jean-Pierre Améris and Alba Gaïa for Je m’appelle Elisabeth (Call Me Elisabeth), Laurent Tirard and Ludivine Sagnier for Molière, Philippe Lioret for Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas, Christian Volkman for Renaissance, Michel Gondry for La Science des reves (The Science of Sleep), Frédéric Schoendoerffer and Benoît Magimel for Truands (Crime Insiders), Ludivine Sagnier and Bruno Todeschini for Une aventure, and Nobuhiro Suwa and Bruno Todeschini for Un couple parfait. Mathieu Demy came to present a cycle of Jacques Demy’s films.
And for the short films: Alix Delaporte for Comment on freine dans une descente, Martin Ritt for La Leçon de guitare, and Christophe Delsaux for Odile.
FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL “RENDEZVOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA” IN LONDON (UNIFRANCE)
Sabine Azéma, Isabelle Carré and Lambert Wilson for Cœurs (Private Fears in Public Places), Christophe Honoré, Louis Garrel and Joana Preiss for Dans Paris (Inside Paris), Alanté Kavaïté and Emilie Dequenne for Ecoute le temps (Fissures), Bruno Dumont for Flandres (Flanders), Temur Babluani and Georges Babluani for L’Héritage (The Legacy), Stéphane Brizé, Anne Consigny and Patrick Chesnais for Je ne suis pas là for être aimé, Olivier Dahan and Marion Cotillard for La Môme (La Vie en rose), Dany Boon for Mon meilleur ami (My Best Friend), Guillaume Canet and François Cluzet for Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One), Xavier Giannoli for Quand j’étais chanteur (The Singer), Santiago Amigorena, Juliette Binoche, Sara Forestier andTom Riley for Quelques jours en Septembre (A Few Days in September), Tony Gatlif and Amira Casar for Transylvania.
The presentation of “Up and Coming Stars” was hosted by Pascal Arnold and Jean-Marc Barr.
The short films were presented by Olivier Berlemont, the president of Unifrance’s short film commission.
Elsewhere, Unifrance contributed to artistic delegations attending the following festivals:
NEW DIRECTORS NEW FILMS, NEW YORK (FEATURES)
Jean-Pascal Hattu for 7 ans, Kim Massee, Noélie Giraud and Thierry Levaret for Cowboy Angels.
MAR DEL PLATA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (F)
Bruno Dumont for Flandres, and Nicolas Rey for Schuss.
HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (F)
Luc Besson for Arthur and the Invisibles.
FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL IN ATHENS (F)
Catherine Corsini for Les Ambitieux (Ambitious), Michel Ocelot for Azur et Asmar, Fabien Onteniente, Claude Brasseur and Franck Dubosc for Camping, Guillaume Nicloux for Le Concile de Pierre, Alanté Kavaïté and Emilie Dequenne for Ecoute le temps, Stéphane Brizé for Entre adultes (Among Adults), Julie Depardieu for La Faute à Fidel (Blame it on Fidel), Bruno Chiche for Hell, Laurent Tuel pour Jean-Philippe, Pascale Ferran for Lady Chatterley, Roschdy Zem and Pascal Elbé for Mauvaise foi, Patrick Grandperret and Céline Salette for Meurtrières, Martial Fougeron and Nathalie Baye for Mon fils à moi, Laurent Tirard for Molière, Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano and Julie Fournier for Nos jours heureux, Maïwenn Le Besco for Pardonnez-moi (Forgive Me), Eric Lartigau for Prête-moi ta main (How to Get Married and Stay Single), Eric Barbier for (Le Serpent (The Snake), Frédéric Schoendoerffer for Truands.
FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL IN RICHMOND (F)
Claude Miller, accompanied by Annie Miller, presided over the delegation comprising:
Cédric Kahn for L’Avion, Abderrahmane Sissako for Bamako, Jean Marboeuf and Sandrine Le Berre for Coup de sang, Michel Royer and Karl Zero for Dans la peau de Jacques Chirac, Jacques Richard for Le Fantôme d’ Henri Langlois (
RICHMOND FILM FESTIVAL (SHORT FILMS)
Marc Fitoussi for Bonbon au poivre, Olivier Gastinel for Coup de foudre, Julien Lecat and Sylvain Pioutaz for Demain la veille, Guillaume Martinez for Gratte-papier, Alexandre Mehring for Made in Taiwan, Sébastien Machuret for Matopos, Simon Vannes for Même les pigeons vont au paradis, Olivier Ayache-Vidal for Mon dernier role, Violaine Bellet for Le petit Martin, Slony Sow and Pauline Delpech for Périphérique Blues, Béatrice Pollet for Qui sommes nous?, Mathieu-David Cournot for Vote d’eau.
TAMPERE FILM FESTIVAL (S)
Antoine Boutet for Zone of Initial Dilution.
LARISSA FILM FESTIVAL (S)
Maria Donnio for Enceinte jusqu’aux dents.
FESTIVALS / PRIZES
MAR DEL PLATA FILM FESTIVAL (F)
Jardins en automne (Gardens in Autumn) by Otar Iosseliani – Special Jury Prize.
TAMPERE FILM FESTIVAL (S)
Zone of Initial Dilution by Antoine Boutet – Best Documentary Prize.
CLEVELAND FILM FESTIVAL (S)
Water Closed by Valérie Flores – Best Documentary Prize.
Santa Closed by Douglas Attal – Best Student Short Film.
Assisting theatrical releases
Luc Besson for the release of Arthur and the Invisibles in Argentina, Brazil, and Russia, Marion Cotillard for the release of La Môme in Denmark, Quebec, and Sweden, Olivier Dahan for La Môme in the Czech Republic, Pascale Ferran Lady Chatterley in Sweden, Gérard Krawczyk fior Taxi 4 in Russia, Philippe Leclerc for La Reine Soleil (Princess of the Sun) in Egypt, Abderrahmane Sissako Bamako in Quebec.
Interviews given to foreign media representatives in Paris
Anne Fontaine and Julie Gavras gave interviews to Australian media with regard to their latest films selection in the French Film Festival. Both responded to questions from journalists from SBS (a national Australian radio station that broadcasts French programs); Fontaine gave and interview The West Australian (a daily), and Gavras to The Sydney Morning Herald.
