06/02/2013 - The Girl from Nowhere, Shadow Dancer and Wadjda stand out among 12 new offerings

A fine demonstration of the diversity of European cinema in the 12 new titles released this Wednesday in French theatres. In particular, Les Acacias is releasing The Girl from Nowhere [+see also:
trailer
film profile] in 30 cinemas (photo - news), a surprising "home movie" directed and played by Jean-Claude Brisseau, a touching movie awarded the Golden Leopard at the Lugarno Film Festival.

In a totally different genre, audiences can see the excellent Shadow Dancer [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] by James Marsh, unveiled out of competition last year in Berlin (review) with Andrea Riseborough playing a spy recruited against her will in the IRA (Wild Bunch Distribution, in 75 cinemas).

Critics are very enthusiastic about Wadjda [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Haifaa Al Mansour (co-production between Saudi Arabia and Germany) which hit the mark at its premiere in the Orizzonti section in Venice (Pretty Pictures, in 80 cinemas), and also Winter Nomads [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Manuel von Stürler
film profile] by Swiss director Manuel von Stürler, crowned as Best Documentary of the Year at the European Film Awards 2012 (KMBO, in 20 cinemas).

Today's releases also feature the refreshing Tu honoreras ta mère et ta mère [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (article) by Brigitte Roüan, with a very extrovert Nicole Garcia enlisting her four sons in the amateur organization of a play to be performed on a Greek island badly hit by the economic crisis (Ad Vitam, in 102 cinemas).

Our survey of releases is completed by the off-the-wall road-movie La Bande des Jotas [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Marjane Satrapi (discovered at the Rome Film Festival - news), Arrêtez-moi (article) directed by Jean-Paul Lilienfeld and starring Sophie Marceau and Miou-Miou (Rezo Films in 131 cinemas), the Indian-French co-production Mushrooms [+see also:
trailer
film profile] byVimukthi Jayasundara (Equation, in three theatres) and Ab Irato, sous l'empire de la colère [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Dominique Boccarossa (ART CINEFEEL, in one cinema).

At the box-office currently dominated by American productions, Philippe Le Guay's Alceste à bicyclette [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Jérôme Enrico's Paulette [+see also:
trailer
film profile] are keeping their heads above water, chalking up 722,000 and 550,000 admissions respectively over 19 days.

(Translated from French)