06/03/2006

Last night’s Best Documentary Feature Oscar win for March of the Penguins [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the first feature from French filmmaker Luc Jacquet(see interview) was expected, given the film’s phenomenal theatrical success. Dedicating his award to "all the children in the world who have seen this film", Luc Jacquet also sent a message to the film industry, pointing out how "with low budget documentaries, it is possible to reach the hearts of millions of people without having to use special effects, naked women or violence".

With this Oscar, the director and its producers at the Paris-based company Bonne Pioche (Yves Darondeau, Emmanuel Priou and Christophe Lioud) join the list of Oscar-winning French documentary makers, including Jacques-Yves Cousteau (Oscar winner in 1956 and 1964), Pierre Schoendoerffer (1967) and Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (awarded in 2001 for Murder on a Sunday Morning).

This recognition from Hollywood has paid further tribute to the unbelievable success story of March of the Penguins – made with a small budget of €2.8m. The film has already sold more than 16 million tickets worldwide and has become the most successful French film of all time in the US, exceeding $77m at the box office.

This triumph has been repeated in several territories (with 1.7m admissions in Germany and 2m in France), accompanied by a pre-release on DVD that stunned industry specialists, making those who promoted the adventure – the film’s producers, distributors (BVI in France, Warner Independent Pictures in the US) and international sales company (Wild Bunch) – true visionaries. As for Luc Jacquet, he can now confidently start his next project, The Fox and the Child, which has already been pre-sold throughout almost the entire world, giving it the financial backing necessary to fulfil its ambitions.

(Translated from French)