23/05/2010

There was an impressive haul for French production at the awards ceremony at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.

After winning the Jury Prize in 1995 for Don’t Forget You’re Going To Die, Xavier Beauvois (43) this year picked up the Grand Prize for his fifth feature: Of Gods and Men [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Xavier Beauvois
film profile] (see review and interview). Produced by Why Not Productions, the film was co-produced by Armada Films and France 3 Cinéma, and backed by the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC). Mars will handle French distribution, while Wild Bunch is managing international sales.

Best Director was awarded to Mathieu Amalric (44) who made his debut competition outing as a director with On Tour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mathieu Amalric
interview: Mathieu Amalric
film profile] (see review). Produced by Les Films du Poisson, the film was co-produced by Arte France Cinéma and Germany’s Neue Mediopolis Film Produktion, with backing from the CNC and the Franco-German mini-treaty. Le Pacte is managing international sales.

Juliette Binoche has really left her mark on this Cannes edition, from her appearance on the poster to her Best Actress win for her performance in Abbas Kiarostami’s French/Italian co-production Certified Copy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see review). Produced by MK2, the film was co-produced by France 3 Cinéma and Bi Bi Film and received backing from the CNC. MK2 Diffusions is selling the title internationally.

Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s Jury Prize-winner A Screaming Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see review) was 75% produced by France via Pili Films with funding from the CNC. Pyramide is handling international sales.

Finally, the Palme d’Or winner at this 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives [+see also:
trailer
film profile], received minority co-production investment from France’s Anna Sanders Films.

(Translated from French)