15/02/2016 - BERLIN 2016: The French group has a spectacular-looking slate, having begun pre-sales for the upcoming Albert Dupontel film, adapted from the novel by Pierre Lemaître

Since Thursday last week, Gaumont’s international sales team has been in full-on action mode at the European Film Market of the 66th Berlin Film Festival (11-21 February 2016), as it is working on a line-up comprising around 20 titles, including several brand-new films. Standing out among them is See You up There [+see also:
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film profile] by Albert Dupontel, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Pierre Lemaître, which won the Prix Goncourt in 2013. The shoot for this new movie will get going in March, with a budget of €20 million.

This will be Dupontel’s sixth feature as a director, following Bernie (nominated for the César Award for Best Debut Film in 1997), The Creator (1999), Locked Out [+see also:
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film profile] (2006), The Villain [+see also:
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film profile] (2009) and 9 Month Stretch [+see also:
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film profile] (which took 2.07 million admissions in France and garnered six nominations for the César Awards in 2014, including for Best Film, and won two trophies into the bargain, in the Best Actress and Best Screenplay categories).

The filmmaker (nominated for the César Award for Best Actor in 2000, 2009 and 2014) will also be among the cast, flanked by Nahuel Perez Biscayart (Best Actor at Karlovy Vary in 2014 for All Yours [+see also:
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interview: David Lambert
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interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile] and The French Minister [+see also:
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interview: Joachim Lafosse
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interview: Lucas Belvaux
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film profile] and the star of The Princess of Montpensier [+see also:
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Written by Albert Dupontel and Pierre Lemaître, the story of See You up There revolves around two soldiers who become friends in the trenches at the end of the First World War, brought together by their hatred of an unscrupulous lieutenant who orders them into a final, pointless attack that will leave them with deep physical and psychological scars. Once peace has been restored, the paths of the three men will cross once again, against a backdrop of embezzlement and fraud linked to war cemeteries and memorials...

Produced by Catherine Bozorgan for ADCB Films, See You up There is benefiting from a co-production by France 2 Cinéma, among other sources of support, and will be distributed in French theatres by Gaumont.

At the EFM, Cécile Gaget and Yohann Comte’s team has also kicked off pre-sales for the documentary A Journey Through French Cinema [+see also:
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film profile] by Bertrand Tavernier, currently in production, the title in pre-production Return to Montauk by German director Volker Schlöndorff (an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Max Frisch, starring Stellan Skarsgard and Nina Hoss – Pyramide Productions with Volksfilm and Ziegler Film) and the comedy Brice from Nice [+see also:
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film profile] by James Huth (which will come out on 1 October 2016, toplined by Jean Dujardin, who is stepping back into the shoes of the zany character who helped the first instalment to entice 4.4 million French viewers in 2005).

Also of note on Gaumont’s Berlin line-up are The End [+see also:
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film profile] by Guillaume Nicloux, unveiled in the Forum section of the festival, and five other market world premieres, with Up for Love [+see also:
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film profile] by Laurent Tirard (an offbeat romantic comedy starring Jean Dujardin and Virginie Efira), Chocolat [+see also:
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film profile] by Roschdy Zem, Sophie’s Misfortunes [+see also:
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film profile] by Christophe Honoré, and the comedies Good Guys Go to Heaven, Bad Guys Go to Pattaya [+see also:
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film profile] by and starring Franck Gastambide, and Vicky Banjo [+see also:
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film profile] by Denis Imbert. And let’s not forget the eight titles in post-production, such as The Neon Demon [+see also:
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Q&A: Nicolas Winding Refn
film profile] by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (sales shared with Wild Bunch), Owl You Need Is Love [+see also:
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film profile] by Ramzy Bedia, the 3D animated feature Leap! [+see also:
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film profile] by Eric Warin and Eric Summer, Heartstrings [+see also:
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film profile] by Michel Boujenah, The Visitors: Bastille Day by Jean-Marie Poiré, A Bag of Marbles [+see also:
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film profile] by Christian Duguay, the sci-fi thriller Ares [+see also:
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film profile] by Jean-Patrick Benes, and Odd Job [+see also:
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film profile] by late filmmaker Pascal Chaumeil.

(Translated from French)