28/01/2015 - With Force Majeure, Phoenix, The Imitation Game, Pioneer and Hope, European productions are taking pride of place on the cinema listings

There should be a pat on the back today, Wednesday, for French distributors, and particularly for the independent outfits that have recently been under enormous economic pressure but that nevertheless continue to ensure that top-notch European works get the decent releases they deserve. This is a vocation that turns France into a first-rate showcase for young talent and the best directors that Europe has to offer, providing a huge boost to diversity, much to the delight of French audiences, who still have the pick of the new discoveries, which is unfortunately far from the case in many other countries.

And so, today, Force Majeure [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile] by Swedish director Ruben Ostlund hits 98 screens, thanks to a collaborative launch by Bac Films and Distrib Films. The film, which won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes (read the review and watch the video interview with the director), has just cleaned up at the Guldbagge Awards (the annual Swedish film awards – read the news) and has earned itself the unanimous support of the French critics. 

The press has also proved extremely enthusiastic about Phoenix [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Christian Petzold
film profile] by German director Christian Petzold (read the review and the interview), who once again joins forces with his muse Nina Hoss in a “Hitchcockian” feature set in Germany immediately after the war. The film, which was unveiled at Toronto and won the Fipresci Prize in the San Sebastian competition, is distributed by Diaphana in 108 cinemas.

There are also great expectations for the UK-US production The Imitation Game [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] by Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (read the review), which has been nominated eight times for the upcoming Oscars (including in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for English performer Benedict Cumberbatch and Best Score for French composer Alexandre Desplat’s work) and is being released by StudioCanal in around 260 theatres. 

Norwegian filmmakers are really taking centre stage today, as KMBO is bringing out 27 copies of Erik Skjoldbjaerg’s thriller Pioneer [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a co-production between Norway, Germany, Sweden, France and Finland which has turned a lot of heads during its journey around the festivals (including Toronto) and which has already come out in a good number of European countries.

The critics have also given a (deservedly) enthusiastic welcome to Hope [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Boris Lojkine
film profile] by Boris Lojkine (read the review and watch the video interview), which was popular in competition in the Critics’ Week at Cannes, recently won the Audience Award in the French competition at the Premiers Plans Festival in Angers and is being distributed by Pyramide across 46 screens.

Also of note are two films that were revealed at Locarno: the “Dostoyevskian” Nuits blanches sur la jetée [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which marks the triumphant comeback of seasoned director Paul Vecchiali (Shellac in five cinemas) and the fascinating documentary Sud eau nord déplacer [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Antoine Boudet (Zeugma Films in seven theatres). Lastly, this glowing array of new releases is rounded off by the Swiss production Sam by Elena Hazanov (Chapeau Melon Distribution) and by three French titles: Summer Nights [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Fanfani
film profile] by Mario Fanfani (discovered at the Venice Days - read the review and watch the video interview - Le Pacte in around 55 cinemas), Deux temps trois mouvements by Christophe Cousin (read the article – A3 Distribution across six screens) and I Kissed a Girl [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Noémie Saglio and Maxime Govare, which has just taken home the Grand Prix and the Best Actor Award (for Pio Marmaï) from the Alpe d'Huez Comedy Festival (Gaumont in nearly 300 cinemas).

(Translated from French)