Focus on Japan

by Fabien Lemercier

15/06/2005 - Kick-off today for the 13th Yokohama French Festival organised by Unifrance a traditional catwalk for the export of French films to japan, a country that is in third for French films sold abroad with 49 films released last year. Presided over by filmmaker b>Costa Gavras, the event will present, until Sunday, 18 features in the company of many actors, directors and producers with the support of international sales people from Adef.

In the programme are, notably, four films selected for Cannes this year: Lemming [trailer] by Dominik Moll (sold by Celluloïd Dreams), La Moustache by Emmanuel Carrère (Pathé Distribution) and two productions from the slate of Pyramide Internationalwith Peindre ou faire l'amour by Jean-Marie et Arnaud Larrieu and La Petite Jérusalem by Karin Albou. The Festival also offers six feature films which have already seduced the Japanese distributors: De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté by Jacques Audiard, Arsène Lupin by Jean-Paul Salomé, Banlieue 13 by Pierre Morel, Clara et moi by Arnaud Viard, Genesis from the duo Marie Perennou-Claude Nuridsany and Les Poupées russes by Cédric Klapisch.

200 Japanese buyers will attend Yokohama, and add to that 30 more buyers from other Asiatic countries, all keen to do business on: Le Couperet [trailer] by Costa Gavras (sold by Studio Canal), Va, vis et deviens [trailer, film focus] by Radu Mihaileanu (Films Distribution), Crustacés et coquillages by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau (Bac Films), Tout pour plaire [trailer] by Cécile Telerman (TF1 International), Mon Ange by Serge Frydman (MK2), Les Mots bleus by Alain Corneau (ARP), Les Yeux Clairs by Jérôme Bonnell (Europa Corp.) and Quand la mer monte... by Yolande Moreau and Gilles Porte (Les Films du Losange). Overall a complete panorama of the best of French production in 2004-2005.

(Translated from French)