03/12/2007

French co-productions were lauded at the European Film Awards held in Berlin on Saturday.

France was honoured as Alexandre Desplat (article) received the award for Best European Composer for The Queen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andy Harries
interview: Stephen Frears
film profile] and Best European actor went to Sasson Gabai for Eran Kolirin’s The Band’s Visit [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a feature co-produced by France and Israel and financed by Sophie Dulac, who will release the film in French cinemas on December 19.

Alain Resnais received the Fipresci Award for Best European Film 2007 for Private Fears in Public Places [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Rithy Panh won Best European Documentary (news) for Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers and Margaret Ménégoz (producer at Films du Losange and president of Unifrance) won the first Eurimages Award for Co-production, shared with Veit Heiduschka (Wega Films).

The Sundance Festival (January 17-27, 2008) announced its selection for the World Cinema Dramatic section. Selected films include Samuel Benchetrit’s I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see Special Report) and French/British/Lebanese co-production Under the Bombs [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Philippe Aractingi.

In the New Frontier section, screenings will include Eat, For This Is My Body [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Michelange Quay starring Sylvie Testud and the animated collective film Fear(s) of the Dark [+see also:
trailer
film profile], while the Park City at Midnight section will unveil Michael Haneke's much-awaited US remake of his Funny Games [+see also:
trailer
film profile], starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt and co-produced by France's Celluloïd Dreams.

Lastly, there are eight French films among the 61 hopefuls for the Golden Globe 2008 nominations for Best Foreign Language Film. Contenders include Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Persepolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marc-Antoine Robert
interview: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Pa…
film profile] by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud (see Focus), Pascale Ferran’s Lady Chatterley [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Patrice Leconte’s My Best Friend [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Claude Lelouch’s Crossed Tracks [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Julie Gavras’s Blame It On Fidel! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Laurent Tirard’s Molière [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

The nominations will be announced on December 13 and the awards ceremony will be held on January 13.

(Translated from French)