22/09/2006

For the third year in a row, the French-language Co-production Forum will be held at the Namur Film Festival (September 29-October 6), in collaboration with the Bureau de Liaison du Cinéma de l'Espace Francophone and several partner institutions in French-speaking countries.

In fact, this new initiative is already a success, with some of its films having proved popular hits: A Perfect Day [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige and two films presented in official competition (Cages [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Oliver Masset-Depasse and Rêves de Poussière by Laurent Salgues).

Promising names and potentially appealing titles feature among the ten films selected this year. Dan Wechsler of Bord Cadre has just presented Being Laden, the second feature by Laurent Nègre after Fragile [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which received a nomination for Best Fiction Film at the Swiss Film Awards. Karim Dridi – who has not made a film for cinema since the ambitious Rage – offers something new with Khamsa, produced by France’s Antonin Dedet for Néon Cinéma.

Yann Chayia – who made a deeply moving short on old-age and death, Monsieur Etienne, received to acclaim at several festivals – has a noteworthy feature in Chroniques antillaises, produced by Les Films du Requin.

Two Belgian documentary producers will also be present: Jean-Claude Riga with Medina and Mourad Boucif with Les Larmes d'argent, whose documentary La couleur du sacrifice also features in official competition.

Insofar as co-productions are concerned, Films d'Ici were co-producers on Corps Etranger, the new film by Tunisian helmer Raja Amari (Red Satin [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) as well as another debut feature, Chaque jour est une fête (lit. “Every Day Is a Party") by Dima El-Horr, a co-production between France (Ciné Sud Promotion) and Lebanon.

For several days now, the representatives of the projects selected have been able to evaluate their feasibility with a panel of professionals, which this year includes Philippe Avril (Unlimited) and Alain Roca (Lazennec), Belgian director Benoît Mariage, Swiss producer Jean-Louis Porchet (CBA Production), Suzanne Laverdière, assistant director general of programmes at French-language channel TV5, and Arlette Zylberberg, head of films and fictions at RTBF.

(Translated from French)