23/11/2009

A coveted prize and benchmark of high cinematic quality, the Louis-Delluc Award will be presented on December 11 by a jury of around 20 film critics and personalities presided by Gilles Jacob. This year, eight features will vie for honours.

These include three titles shown in competition at the latest Cannes Film Festival: Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile], winner of the Grand Prize on the Croisette and French hopeful for the 2010 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination; Alain Resnais’ Wild Grass [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (awarded a Special Prize by the Cannes jury - see review) ; and Xavier Giannoli’s In the Beginning [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see review).

Other contenders are Philippe Lioret’s Welcome [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Philippe Lioret
film profile] (unveiled in the Panorama section at the Berlinale); Alain Cavalier’s Irene [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (unveiled in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes - see review); Claude and Nathan Miller’s I’m Glad that My Mother Is Alive [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (launched at Venice Days - see review and video interview); Christophe Honoré’s Making Plans for Lena [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (in competition at San Sebastian - see news) ; and Bruno Dumont’s Hadewijch [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (FIPRESCI Prize at the latest Toronto Film Festival - to be released in theatres on November 25).

Certain contenders have already won the award in the past, including Resnais (in 1966, 1993 and 1997), Claude Miller (1985) and Cavalier (1980).

The four contenders for the Louis Delluc Award for Best Debut Film are Riad Sattouf’s The French Kissers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (unveiled in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight - see news); Nicolas Saada’s Spy(ies) [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see news); and two films unveiled in Cannes Critics’ Week: Goodbye Gary [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Nassim Amaouche (winner of the Critics’ Week Grand Prize - see review) and Nothing Personal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mathias Gokalp, director of…
film profile] by Mathias Gokalp (see review).

(Translated from French)