20/12/2016 - Alain Gomis is back in competition for the second time at Berlin with his fourth feature film. An Andolfi production which is being sold by Jour2Fête

After competing in 2012 with Tey [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Alain Gomis is back in competition at the 67^th Berlin Film Festival (being held from 9 to 19 February 2017) with his fourth feature film: Felicity [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alain Gomis
film profile]. After rising to prominence at Locarno in 2001 with L'Afrance (which won the Leopard for Best First Film) and then participating in Venice Days in 2007 with Andalucia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], the French-Senegalese filmmaker wrote the screenplay for his new opus in partnership with Olivier Loustau and Delphine Zingg.

The plot centres around Félicité (Véronique Beya Mputu), a free and proud woman who sings at night in a bar in Kinshasa. Her life is turned upside down when her 14-year-old son is involved in a motorcycle accident. To save him, she throws herself into a frantic race through the streets of an electric Kinshasa, a world of music and dreams. Then she crosses paths with Tabu… The cast also features Mpaka Longi and Gaetan Claudia.

Produced by Arnaud Dommerc for Andolfi with Granit Films (a company co-founded by the director) and Cinekap (Senegal), Félicité was notably co-produced by Belgian company Need Productions, pre-purchased by TV5 Monde and Canal+ Overseas, and supported by the CNC’s world cinema aid, the International Organisation of La Francophonie, the Normandy region (re-writing aid), the World Cinema Fund of the Berlinale, the Brot für die Welt, the Directorate General for Development (Belgium), the FOPICA of the Ministry of Culture of Senegal, and the Gabonese Institute of Image and Sound. Jour2Fête will release the film in France on 29 March 2017 and handle international sales.

Among the 10 films that have been announced, around half of which are in the running for the Golden Bear 2017, are also two minority French co-productions: Ana, mon amour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Călin Peter Netzer
film profile] by Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer (co-produced by Sophie Dulac Productions which will release the film in France on 3 May 2017) and Colo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teresa Villaverde
film profile] by Portuguese filmmaker Teresa Villaverde (co-produced by Sedna Films and supported by World Cinema Aid and the French-Portuguese aid for development fund).

Also worth mentioning out of competition are the Berlinale Special gala screening of The Young Karl Marx [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Raoul Peck, produced by Agat Films and Velvet Films, and co-produced by France 3 Cinéma, German company Rohfilm and Belgian company Artémis, with the support, among others, of Canal+, an advance on receipts from the CNC, Diaphana, which will distribute the film in France, and Films Distribution which is handling international sales.

(Translated from French)