The Artist crowned Best Comedy, Jean Dujardin Best Actor

by Fabien Lemercier

16/01/2012 - There was a historic triple win for a French film yesterday evening at the 69th Golden Globes awarded by the foreign press working in Hollywood. The most accoladed movie of the evening, Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist [trailer, film focus] won the supreme award for Best Comedy or Musical (a first for a French feature). Jean Dujardin added to his Cannes Best Actor the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy (an award won by only one other French thesp in the past: Gérard Depardieu in 1991 for Green Card). Finally, Ludovic Bource triumphed in the Best Original Score category.

The Artist, which won honours for half of its six nominations (the film was also in the running for the Golden Globes for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress), is now tipped as a favourite for the upcoming Oscars (nominations to be announced on January 24, awards ceremony to be held on February 26).

Produced by Thomas Langmann for La Petite Reine for a €13.47m budget, The Artist was co-produced by Studio 37, France 3 Cinéma, La Classe Américaine, JD Prod and Jouror Productions. Pre-bought by Canal + and Ciné+, it was sold internationally across the world by Wild Bunch. Distributed by Warner in French theatres, it attracted 1.58m viewers in 13 weeks. Launched in the US by The Weinstein Company on a print-run that has gradually increased (six at the outset, then 16, 167, 172 and 364 in its fifth week), it had already amassed $5.12m in takings in 30 days, a score that will no doubt grow with the Golden Globes triumph.

(Translated from French)