Téchiné, Ozon and Dahan among likely contenders

by Fabien Lemercier

18/12/2006 - While last week in Paris the selection panels of the Panorama and Forum sidebars viewed French films that will be chosen to take part at the 51st Berlin Film Festival (February 8- 18, 2007), rumours abound concerning the potential titles in and out of competition.

Films expected to take part include André Téchiné’s Les témoins [trailer] (see article), opening through UGC on March 7.

Starring Emmanuelle Béart, Sami Bouajila, Michel Blanc and Julie Depardieu, the French/Spanish/Italian co-production (SBS Films /Vertigo Production/Edelweiss) will be Téchiné’s second feature in competition at Berlin after 2005’s Changing Times [trailer].

Other favourites include Angel [trailer], the first English-language film by François Ozon, starring Romola Garai, Sam Neill, Lucy Russel, Michael Fassbender and Charlotte Rampling. The title opens in French cinemas through Wild Bunch Distribution on March 14.

Ozon is a regular at the Berlin competition, where he has already presented Water Drops on Burning Rocks in 2000 and 8 Women in 2002 (Collective Best Actress Award).

With La vie en rose [trailer], an adaptation of the life of Edith Piaf starring Marion Cotillard (see news), Olivier Dahan also has every chance of being selected for Berlin, where he presented his debut feature Brothers: Red Roulette in a sidebar in 1995. Produced by Légende Entreprises, La vie en rose goes on release on February 14 (TFM).

Outsiders include Jérôme Bonnell’s J'attends quelqu'un (see article), which opens on March 21 (dist. Bac Films), as well as Pascal Ferran’s Lady Chatterley [trailer] (see article), a title highly acclaimed by critics, and Tehilim [trailer] by Raphaël Nadjari (see news).

(Translated from French)