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CANNES 2017 Directors’ Fortnight / France

A top-of-the-range quintet of French films for Directors’ Fortnight

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- Claire Denis, Carine Tardieu, Sonia Kronlund, Philippe Garrel and Bruno Dumont present 10 French (co-)productions

A top-of-the-range quintet of French films for Directors’ Fortnight
Lover for a Day by Philippe Garrel

With six majority French productions and four minority French productions, France leads the way in the selection for the 49th Directors’ Fortnight (being held from 18 to 28 May as part of the 70th Cannes Film Festival). And among the five filmmakers who will unveil their new opuses are three big names from the international arthouse film scene (Claire Denis, Philippe Garrel and Bruno Dumont) alongside two new faces at Cannes (Carine Tardieu and Sonia Kronlund). 

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Claire Denis will open Directors’ Fortnight with Un beau soleil intérieur [+see also:
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, her 12th feature film in a career that has seen her selected six times at Venice (most notably in competition with No Fear, No Die in 1990, The Intruder [+see also:
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in 2004 and White Material [+see also:
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in 2009), four times in the official selection at Cannes (in competition with Chocolat in 1988, out of competition in 2001 and in Un Certain Regard in 1994 and 2013) and once at Locarno (where she won the Golden Leopard in 1996). Her latest film, an adaptation of A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments by Roland Barthes, the screenplay for which was written by the director herself together with Jean-Pol Fargeau, brings together a star-studded cast including Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu, Xavier Beauvois, Bruno Podalydès, Josiane Balasko, Alex Descas, Paul Blain, Nicolas Duvauchelle and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Produced by Olivier Delbosc for Curiosa Films, Un beau soleil intérieur notably received an advance on receipts from the CNC. It will be distributed in France by Ad Vitam, and is being sold by Films Distribution.

With Lover for a Day [+see also:
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, his 26th feature film, Philippe Garrel is back at Directors’ Fortnight for the third time following his previous appearances in 1969 and 2015 (In the Shadow of Women [+see also:
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). Selected six times in competition at Venice with J’entends plus la guitare (which won the Silver Lion in 1991), Night Wind in 1999, Wild Innocence in 2001, Regular Lovers [+see also:
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(which won the Silver Lion in 2005), A Burning Hot Summer [+see also:
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in 2011 and Jealousy [+see also:
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in 2013, the filmmaker also participated in the competition at Cannes in 2008 with Frontier of Dawn [+see also:
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. His latest opus stars Eric Caravaca, Esther Garrel and Louise Chevillotte in a story (the screenplay for which was written by the director with Jean-Claude Carrière, Caroline Deruas and Arlette Langmann) about a father and his 23 year-old daughter, who comes back home one day because she’s just been dumped, and the new woman in the former’s life, who is also 23 years-old and lives with him. Produced by Saïd Ben Saïd and Michel Merkt for SBS Productions (which will release the film in France on 31 May and is handling international sales) on a budget of €2.41 million, Lover for a Day was co-produced by Arte France Cinéma and supported with an advance on receipts from the CNC. The director of photography for the film was Swiss cinematographer Renato Berta, and the music was composed by Jean-Louis Aubert

With his musical comedy Jeannette, the Childhood of Joan of Arc [+see also:
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, Bruno Dumont is also back for his third time at Directors’ Fortnight following on from 1997 (when he won the Special Mention of the Caméra d’Or for The Life of Jesus) and2014 (Li’l Quinquin [+see also:
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). Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1999 with Humanity and in 2006 for Flanders [+see also:
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, the director was selected in competition last year with Slack Bay [+see also:
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, and was also chosen for Un Certain Regard in 2011. He has also participated once in the competition at Venice (Twentynine Palms [+see also:
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in 2003) and Berlin (Camille Claudel 1915 [+see also:
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in 2013). An adaptation of the book Le Mystère de la charité de Jeanne d'Arc by Charles Péguy (published in 1896), his latest film brings together a cast including Lise Leplat Prudhomme, Jeanne Voisin, Lucile Gauthier and Victoria Lefebvre. Produced by Jean Bréhat for Taos Films,  Jeannette was co-produced by Arte France and supported by Pictanovo Région Hauts de France and Le Fresnoy. Distribution in French theatres will be handled by Memento Films, and international sales by Luxbox

With Just To Be Sure [+see also:
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, her third feature film, Carine Tardieu will this year make her debut at Cannes. The director of In Mom’s Head [+see also:
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(2007) and The Dandelions [+see also:
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(2012) has brought together a cast featuring Belgian actors François Damiens, Cécile de France, André Wilms, Alice de Lencquesaing, Guy Marchand and Esteban. Written by Tardieu, Raphaële Moussafir and Michel Leclerc, with contributions from Baya Kasmi, the screenplay centres around Erwan, who discovers at the age of 45 that his father is not his father. After doing some digging, he tracks down his biological father… Produced by Antoine Rein and Fabrice Goldstein for Karé Productions on a budget of €5.2 million, Just To Be Sure was co-produced by France 2 Cinéma, SND (which will release the film in France on 6 September this year and is handling international sales) and Belgian company Umedia, and has also been pre-purchased by Canal+ and Ciné+.

With Nothingwood [+see also:
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, her debut feature, Sonia Kronlund will also be stepping out on the Croisette. Her documentary, which centres around the most popular and prolific actor/producer/director in Afghanistan, follows him on the set of his 111th film. Produced by Laurent Lavolé for Gloria Films on a budget of €0.69 million, including an advance on receipts from the CNC, Nothingwood will be released in French theatres on 14 June by Pyramide, which is also selling the film internationally.

As it happens, the sixth majority French production featured in the selection is also a documentary: West of the Jordan River [+see also:
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by Israeli director Amos Gitaï. Produced by Patricia Boutinard Rouelle for Nilaya Productions and pre-purchased by France 2, the film will be released in France by Sophie Dulac Distribution, and is being sold by Doc & Film International. Lastly, US filmmaker Abel Ferrara's Alive in France [+see also:
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 is produced by Paris-based outfit Bathysphère Productions.

France will also shine at Directors’ Fortnight with four minority co-productions, one of which it also had a hand in as associate producer (via Janja Kralj for KinoElektron) with Lithuania (Studija Kinema): Frost [+see also:
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by Sharunas Bartas. This will be the filmmaker’s third time at Directors’ Fortnight following on from 2005 and 2015, with a film starring Vanessa Paradis, Andrzej Chyra, Mantas Janciauskas and Lyja Maknaviciute. Also co-produced by the Ukraine (Insightmedia Ltd/Tato Film), Poland (Donten & Lacroix), by Michel Merkt and Parisian company Reborn Production, the feature is being sold internationally by Luxbox. 

Last but not least, the selection also includes A Ciambra [+see also:
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by Italian director Jonas Carpignano (co-produced by Haut et court, which will distribute the film in France; being sold by Luxbox), Intruder [+see also:
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by Leonardo di Costanzo (co-produced by Capricci which will distribute the film in France – being sold by The Match Factory), Mobile Homes [+see also:
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 by Canadian director Vladimir de Fontenay (co-produced by Madeleine Films and Incognito Films), and I Am Not A Witch [+see also:
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interview: Rungano Nyoni
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 by Zambian filmmaker Rungano Nyoni (co-produced by Juliette Grandmont for Clandestine Films with the United Kingdom and Germany; being sold internationally by Kinology).

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(Translated from French)

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