15/05/2013 - Building ties with filmmakers around the world, French production sparkles back home in the showcase provided by the world's greatest film festival

On the filmmaking side, French cinema will flaunt its finest jewels. Involved in the production of 12 of the 20 feature films competing for the Palme d’Or, it will also be represented by five French filmmakers, including two who are regulars on the Croisette (Arnaud Desplechin and François Ozon - article) and three newcomers (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Abdellatif Kechiche and Arnaud des Pallières – article). Three majority French productions (article) are to be added to this list, signed by Polish director Roman Polanski, Iranian director Ashgar Farhadi and Chadian director Mahamat Saleh Haroun. Four minority coproductions are also in the running: La grande bellezza [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
film profile] by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino (coproduced by Babe Films, Pathé Films and France 2 Cinéma), Only God Forgives [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Nicolas Winding Refn
film profile] by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (coproduced by Gaumont and Wild Bunch), The Immigrant [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by American director James Gray (coproduced by Wild Bunch) and Heli [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Mexican director Amat Escalante (coproduced by Le Pacte). 

In Un Certain Regard, French cinema will again be center-stage with Bastards [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Claire Denis (news – coproduced by Germany), Grand Central [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rebecca Zlotowski
film profile] by Rebecca Zlotowki (article – coproduced by Austria) and L’inconnu du lac [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alain Guiraudie
film profile] by Alain Guiraudie (article), but also with majority productions such as My Sweet Pepper Land [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Kurdish director Hiner Saleem (article – coproduced by Germany) and L’image manquante [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Cambodian director Rithy Panh (Catherine Dussart Production with Arte in coproduction). Also worth noting, the minority productions Miele [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valeria Golino
interview: Valeria Golino
film profile] by Italian director Valeria Golino (coproduced by Les Films des Tournelles and Cité Films) and Wakolda [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Lucia Puenzo (coproduced by Pyramide with Argentina, Spain and Norway).  

In the Official Selection out of competition, Blood Ties [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Guillaume Canet (filmed in New York - article) stands out, together with the documentary Le dernier des injustes [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Claude Lanzmann (coproduced by Austria) and Zulu [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] by Jérôme Salle (news – coproduced by South Africa). It is also worth mentioning the special screening of the Franco-British documentary Week End of a Champion by Frank Simon (coproduced by RP Productions).

Finally, echoes of this French tidal wave surfing along on globalized production will also reverberate in the Directors’ Fortnight (eight majority and four minority productions - article) and the Critics’ Week (three majority productions and one minority production - article).

(Translated from French)