22/04/2005

After Julie Bertuccelli in 2003 (Depuis qu’Otar est parti) and Eleonore Faucher (Brodeuses) in 2004, it is another female director, Karin Albou who will represent France in competition for the 44th International Critics’ Week in Cannes (12th-20th May). This director who won the Best Prize 1999 in Clermont-Ferrand with her middle-length film Aïd el kébir will present her first feature, La Petite Jérusalem (Little Jerusalem), named after a suburb around Paris.

This film, starring Fanny Valette, Elsa Zylberstein, and Bruno Todeschini, is the story of Laura, a, eighteen-year-old girl stuck whose life is built on contradictions, the main one being her religious Jewish background and her philosophy studies ; her sentimental turmoil adds to the general confusion. This €1.28M film was produced by Gloria Films Production and co-produced by Film par Film. La Petite Jérusalem also benefitted from a €380,000 advance-on-admissions from the CNC, a €250,000 contribution from the regional fund Ile-de-France, and its rights were bought in advance by Canal +. Océan Films is in charge of the national distribution, and Pyramide International of international sales.

It is also worth noting that the opening film is Thierry Jousse’s first feature, Les invisibles, running for the Golden Camera. This film starring Laurent Luca, Lio, and Michael Lonsdale, focuses on a new couple in a world of music, since the main character is obsessed by engineering new sounds. This €1.91M film was produced by Les Productions Bagheera. Les invisibles also received a €420,000 advance-on-admissions from the CNC and was pre-bought by Canal +. International sales are handled by Wide Management.

(Translated from French)