22/03/2005

In exactly a week, on the 29th of March, Toi et Moi, Julie Lopes-Curval’s second feature will start shooting. The director was granted the prize Caméra d’Or (Best First Feature) at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival with her film Seaside . For her new film, also produced by Alain Benguigui’s company Sombrero Productions, Julie Lopes-Curval co-wrote the script with Sophie Hiet (who collaborated with Harry Cleven for the script of Trouble) ; the result is the eventful sentimental life of two sisters, Ariane and Lena (Julie Depardieu and Marion Cotillard). The former is a cheap-love-story writer who has a problematic tendency to embellish the reality of her and her sister’s love lives, which eventually makes their quest for Mister Right even more difficult. The cast also Jonathan Zaccaï, Eric Berger, and Chantal Lauby.

After two days in London, the set will move back to Paris for 8 weeks. The first copy should be ready in November but the date of release has not yet been established by the French distributor Pyramide which will also handle international sales. The rights of Toi et Moi have already been bought by Canal +, TPS, and Ciné Cinéma. It was also selected, on the 17th of February, by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) to receive an advance-on-contract. Since Seaside , Julie Lopes-Curval has mainly been writing scripts, participating for instance in the writing of Le rôle de sa vie by François Favrat, a script which won its authors a prize in Montreal. Her work as a director is also much awaited, for every single film she has made so far (including her first and last short film, Mademoiselle Butterfly - 2001) received prizes. Besides, Sombrero Productions is in a lucky period in terms of quality films by young female directors, as reveals the success of BrodeusesBrodeuses by Eléonore Faucher (winner at the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes last year).