05/10/2005

On Wednesday, three European productions set out on the French screens in competition with four new American productions, three films from Asia and an Iranian feature. Topping the bill is Caché by Michael Haneke with Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche, distributed with a total of 155 prints by its French producer and international sales company Les Films du Losange. Wreathed in the laurels for best direction won at the last Cannes festival, the film, to which Cineuropa dedicates a Focus this week, is an excellent demonstration of the quality of European co-productions since partners involved in the production came from Germany (Bavaria Film), Austria (Wega Film) and Italy (BIM Distribuzione), without forgetting the involvement too of Fonds Eurimages, and MEDIA programme of the EU and an Advance on Receipts from the National Film Centre (CNC).

Encouraged by excellent reviews, the Spanish feature Smoking room by Julio Wallowits and Roger Gual is released on a small total of six prints from Albarès Productions for Colifilms Diffusion. Note too that this multi-award film (Goya best featureng, special mention at Karlovy Vary...) was produced by El Sindicato and co-produced notably by Oviedo TV and DeA Planeta, has had to wait three years to reach French screens since the film was released in Spain in June 2002. Finally, Mars Distribution release 80 prints of the French comedy Vive la vie d’Yves Fajnberg, produced by Adva Films (ex-Films Balenciaga) and co-produced by Studio Canal, France 2 Cinéma and DB Films.

(Translated from French)