18/09/2007

Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s animated film Persepolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marc-Antoine Robert
interview: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Pa…
film profile] (see Focus) continues its wonderful adventure.

After its Jury Prize at Cannes, sales worldwide and domestic box office success (1.1m admissions, Diaphana Distribution), the feature debut by the two cartoonists was selected yesterday evening as France’s candidate for the 2008 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, which will be awarded on February 24, after the five final candidates are named on January 22.

The selection committee – composed of Margaret Menegoz (Unifrance), Thierry Frémaux (Cannes Film Festival), Alain Terzian (Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma), Frédéric Brillion (Commission d'agrément), Claude Durand (Advances on receipts), Marc Tessier (Selective funding for distribution) and Laurent Vallet (Funding for the promotion of French cinema abroad) – made a daring choice after more traditional selections in recent years (The Chorus [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Merry Christmas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Carion
interview: Christophe Rossignon
film profile], Orchestra Seats [+see also:
trailer
film profile]).

Satrapi and Paronnaud’s animated film was favoured even over Olivier Dahan’s hit title La Vie en Rose [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a decision most likely motivated by the film’s more than enthusiastic reception at the recent Toronto Film Festival. The last time France won a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar was in 1993 with Régis Wargnier’s Indochine.

Produced by Marc-Antoine Robert and Xavier Rigault for 247 Films, the €6.06m Persepolis was financed by France 3 Cinéma (€900,000), CNC (€500,000 in advances on receipts and €70,000 from its new technology for production scheme), the Ile-de-France region (€550,000), the GAN Foundation (€67,000) and two Soficas (€467,000 from Soficinéma 2 and €200,000 from EuropaCorp).

Sold internationally by Celluloid Dreams (who provided a minimum guarantee of €467,000), the film was picked up by a host of international territories, from the UK (Optimum), Germany (Prokino, out November 22), Scandinavia (Sandrew, out in Norway September 21), Italy (BIM Distribuzione, December 7), Spain (Vertigo) to North America (Sony Pictures Classics, December 25), Australia (The Weinstein Company), Japan (Longride) and Latin America (Sony).

(Translated from French)