Crime films bear their claws in Beaune

by Fabien Lemercier

27/03/2012 - The mood will be tense tomorrow in Beaune, as cinema screens light up for the town’s fourth International Crime Film Festival. Among the nine films in competition until April 1 is No Rest for the Wicked [trailer] by Spanish director Enrique Urbizu, who recently won six Goya awards for the film, including Best Film and Best Director.

Also in the race are the excellent Shadow Dancer [trailer] by British director James Marsh (discovered out of competition in Berlin – read the review), Kill List [trailer] by fellow Brit Ben Wheatley (watch the interview), and Headhunters [trailer] by Norwegian director Morten Tyldum, a German co-production unveiled in Locarno, that went to Toronto and is doing extremely well in Scandinavia, and for which Summit has acquired the rights for a remake. French co-production Headshot by Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang will also be in competition.

In the New Blood section of the competition, the films that stand out are: A.C.A.B.: All Cops Are Bastards [trailer, film focus] by the Italian Stefano Sollima (read the article), the Irish production Behold The Lamb by John McIlduff, and Paris Under Watch [trailer] by French director Cédric Jimenez (article).

American film Contreband by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur, Indonesian production The Raid by Welsh director Gareth Huw Evans, and Spanish-Columbian co-production Inside [trailer] (La Cara Oculta) by Andres Baiz will be screened out of competition.

The Claude-Chabrol Prize for a French film whose cinematography honours the crime film genre will this year be awarded to Guilty [trailer] by Vincent Garenq (watch the interview). The festival will pay tribute to American filmmaker Richard Donner who, like Scottish actor Brian Cox, will give a talk at the event. Finally, the event whose guest of honour is Jean Reno, will screen a series of films paying tribute to the city of London for its influence and mythic status in the crime film genre.

(Translated from French)