03/05/2006

France, Denmark, Hungary and Ireland: Six European productions open on French screens today to compete with the last year’s Canadian discovery at the Venice Film Festival, C.R.A.Z.Y (sold by French company Films Distribution), and US blockbuster Mission: Impossible III.

Released on 280 screens by Mars Distribution , Four Stars [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by France’s Christian Vincent is this week’s most important European title. Starring Isabelle Carré, José Garcia and François Cluzet (see news), the film recounts the mishaps of a young woman who blows her inheritance on the French Riviera then meets a crook with whom she tries to con a former race car driver.

Two other French features also open today: Lili and the Baobab [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Chantal Richard with Romane Bohringer (ID Distribution, 18 screens) and Paul dans sa vie by Rémi Mauger (Les Films d'Ici, 5 screens).

The rest of Europe is meanwhile releasing films by quality directors Lajos Koltai, Per Fly and Perry Ogden. Fateless [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the screen adaptation of the novel by Nobel prize winner Imre Kertesz, also attracted much attention from French critics. Presented in competition at Berlin last year (see review), the first feature made by renowned Hungarian DoP Koltai is being released on 26 screens by Les Films sans Frontières.

Les Films du Losange continue their work on the social trilogy by Danish filmmaker Fly. After having distributed the first two films (The Bench and Inheritance) last August, Margaret Menegoz’s company is now releasing Manslaughter [+see also:
trailer
film profile] on 5 screens. The film was presented in official competition at San Sebastian (see review).

Lastly, Pierre Grise Distribution is releasing 19 prints of Pavee Lackeen [+see also:
trailer
film profile], an astonishing debut feature made in mini-DDV by Irish director Ogden (see interview with the director and film analysis).

(Translated from French)