02/06/2008

Shooting kicks off today on Au voleur (“Stop Thief”), the debut narrative feature by Sarah Petit, a director who first came to attention with her documentaries (Napoli 90, Les Limbes) before making the successful transition to fiction with her medium-length films L'arpenteur (“The Surveyor”, Jean Vigo Award 2002) and Le Lac et la rivière (“The Lake and the River”).

Au voleur – whose shoot will last 39 days – stars Guillaume Depardieu (who was seen at his best at Cannes in Versailles [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Geraldine Michelot
interview: Pierre Schoeller
film profile] - see news - and On War [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - see news) and Florence Loiret-Caille (discovered in films by Claire Denis and Michael Haneke, recently lauded for her performance in Waiting for Someone [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and soon to appear in Let It Rain [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). The cast also includes Jacques Nolot.

Co-written by the director and Emmanuelle Jacob, the film retraces the encounter between Bruno (Depardieu), a small-time burglar who lives from hand to mouth on the outskirts of a provincial town, and Isabelle (Loiret-Caille), a single woman and teacher.

Bruno saves Isabelle from herself, Isabelle saves Bruno from prison. Together, they flee to the forest where they spend several days of wild passion, hidden away.

Produced by Michel Klein and Laetitia Fèvre for Les Films Hatari, Au voleur has a budget of around €1.7m. This includes an advance on receipts from the National Film Centre (CNC), €342,000 in backing from the Ile-de-France region, financial support from the Alsace region and pre-sales from Canal + and Ciné Cinéma.

The film also received a writing grant from the Centre region and the Seine St Denis regional council.

The film will be released by Shellac and international sales are still under negotiation.

(Translated from French)