12/01/2005 - The first feature film by promising Lucile Hadzihalilovic is out today on French screens. Produced by Ex Nihilo, the film was supported by Belgium and UK. This partnership has been able to put together a 3,96m budget

Innocence, the first feature film by promising filmmaker Lucile Hadzihalilovic is out today 12 January on French screens. The film won the Best first feature film at the last San Sebastian International Film Festival and the Best film and Best photography for Benoit Cebie at the last Stockholm International Film Festival.
It is the story of a mysterious school in an isolated school deep in a forest where young girls learn to dance and supernatural sciences. Based on a German short-story written in 1888 by Frank Wedekind, the film is played by Marion Cotillard, Helene de Fougerolles surrounded by a team of non-professional actresses. The director who also wrote the script, previously produced two films by the ‘enfant terrible’ of French cinema Gaspard Noe: the short film Carne(1991) and Seul contre tous (1998).

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Produced by Patrick Sobelman for the French company Ex Nihilo, the film was supported financially by the Belgians Ateliers de Baere and the British Blue Light.
Thanks to this partnership, the European co-production has been able to put together a 3,96m budget and to attract Mars Distribution which was planning to release the film on 20 prints.
Since its premiere screening at the last Toronto Film Festival, the film has attract a lot of interest from international buyers and has already been sold by Wild Bunch to 15 territories including Benelux, the UK, Switzerland, Greece and Portugal.

(Translated from French)