Jour2fête promotes young German cinema

by Fabien Lemercier

13/06/2007 - After the March release of Detlev Buck’s Tough Enough [trailer], young Paris-based distribution outfit Jour2fête continues to showcase young German cinema in France with today’s 34-screen release of Sven Taddicken’s Emma’s Bliss [trailer].

Winner of several awards at international festivals and nominated at the 2007 Lolas for Best Film, Best Actress (Joerdis Triebel), Best Supporting Actor (Hinnerk Schoenemann) and Best Sound, the film also stars Jürgen Vogel. Given the film’s successful premiere in five cinemas of the Utopia network in southwestern France, Jour2fête has decided to release further prints in the second week.

According to Etienne Ollagnier, co-founder of the distribution outfit with Sarah Chazelle, “There is a clear renaissance of German cinema and we are negotiating deals on other titles, even though our next release in 2007 will be a French/Belgian film, Les fourmis rouges by Stephane Carpiaux, winner of the Trophy for Best Screenplay – Promise of CNC New Talents, starring Déborah François, Julie Gayet and Frédéric Pierrot".

Young French cinema is also on show today with the release of two feature debuts straight from Cannes: Rezo Films is releasing 83 prints of Lola Doillon’s Just About Love? [trailer] (see review), while La Fabrique de Films is releasing 110 prints of Inside [trailer] by directing duo Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. Béatrice Dalle, Alysson Paradis and Nicolas Duvauchelle star in this blood and gore film, presented as a Special Screening during Cannes Critics’ Week.

Meanwhile, MK2 Diffusion is releasing Jérôme Laperrousaz’s documentary Made in Jamaica on political reggae in the Kingston ghettoes and its destroy dance hall heirs on 26 screens. The plethora of French production company releases also includes Robin Renucci’s Sempre vivu ! [trailer] (dist. Shellac and Agora Films), Stéphane Allagnon’s Vent mauvais [trailer] (“Bad Wind”, dist. Gaumont Columbia TriStar) and documentary Kings of the world by Valérie Mitteaux, Anna Pitoun and Rémi Rozié (Pierre Grise Distribution), which is up against the 338 prints released through SND of action comedy Gomez vs Tavares [trailer] by Gilles Paquet-Brenner and Cyril Sebas, featuring Stomy Bugsy and Titoff.

Other releases this Wednesday are Thai/French co-production Syndromes and a Century by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, a competition title at the 2006 Venice Film Festival (see article,ID Distribution), one Argentinean title and four US productions, including the green ogre Shrek the Third out on 850 screens through Paramount.

(Translated from French)