30/04/2008

Cineuropa spoke briefly with Eric Lagesse, the head of distribution and international sales at Pyramide, on the occasion of today’s French release of Gianni Zanasi’s Italian film Don’t Think About It [+see also:
trailer
film profile], in France entitled Ciao Stefano.

Said Lagesse: "I discovered Don’t Think About It at the Venice Film Festival, in the Venice Days section, and I loved it even though I wasn’t expecting to. It was a breath of fresh air that touched me and made me laugh, exactly the type of film I like to release and sell. After Venice, we sold the film to Australia, Benelux, Switzerland and Greece. Then we took it to Toronto, where we organised a sidebar screening that attracted a full audience thanks to the buzz created at Venice. So far we have sold the film to around 15 territories".

He continued: “For the French release, we worked with Gianni Zanasi, first of all on the editing, reducing the length of the film by seven minutes. Then we asked him to come up with an Italian-sounding title that would be comprehensible in French. He also helped promote the film in France by giving interviews and [actress] Catarina Murino has done the same.

“We are releasing the film in its original version and it will have a spring launch – enough time ahead of Cannes – in a line-up in which it has a chance of success. We are targeting an audience of 30–60 year-olds and hope to surprise viewers and benefit from word-of-mouth. The trailer has been shown in lots of the MK2 theatres and the poster is intentionally joyful."

European films feature on this week’s line-up, including Jan Bonny’s German title Counterparts, which was unveiled at last year’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and is being released by Haut et Court.

Six domestic titles will also compete for audiences. These include Jean Becker’s Love Me No More, starring Albert Dupontel and Marie-Josée Croze (launched by StudioCanal on 407 screens).

The comedy 15 ans et demi (“15 and a Half”) by François Desagnat and Thomas Sorriaux and starring Daniel Auteuil is being released by Gaumont (345 screens) and UGC (262 screens). Gaumont and UGC are also launching Pascal Bonitzer’s Le Grand alibi, starring Miou-Miou, Lambert Wilson and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi.

Christian Faure ‘s Les hauts murs (“The High Walls”), an exploration of life in reformatories in the 1930s is being released by EuropaCorp on 87 screens.

Other releases include Philippe Calderon’s White Tuft, the Little Beaver (TFM – 188 screens) and Franck Llopis’ Marié(s) ou presque (“Married or Almost”, distributed by Les films à fleur de peau).

The above French films will hit screens alongside a Turkish title and three US productions, including the blockbuster Iron Man.

(Translated from French)