26/01/2011

Standing out among the 12 new releases hitting French theatres today is Alix Delaporte’s debut feature: Angèle and Tony [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Unveiled to acclaim in Venice Critics’ Week 2010 (see review), the film is being launched by Pyramide Distribution on 80 screens.

It has earned almost unanimous approval from critics won over by a love story that avoids the pitfalls of sentimentalism and is carried by two outstanding actors: Clotilde Hesme and Grégory Gadebois. Produced by Lionceau Films for a €1.3m budget, Angèle and Tony received an advance on receipts from the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC), pre-acquisitions from Canal + and CinéCinéma, and support from Sofica Cofinova.

"The story became clear to me when I imagined Angèle falling in love with a fisherman," explained Delaporte. "I’ve always seen fishermen as romantic characters. They’re people who spend most of their time at sea, cut off from a certain form of reality, but are capable, when angry, of frightening politicians. I thought they were incredible (…).”

She continued: “Angèle and Tony don’t talk much. They’re bashful, and their bashfulness commanded this very simple filming style. The rest followed: the editing, light. Basically, everything that could have signalled a visible intention on my part was rejected by the film, during shooting as well as editing. I like the idea that in cinema everything is based around physical sensations. I want viewers to be swept away."

This Wednesday’s line-up includes three other French narrative features: Thierry Jousse’s Je Suis Un No Man's Land, starring Philippe Katerine and Julie Depardieu (Sophie Dulac Distribution in 38 theatres); Cédric Anger’s The Counsel [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see news), starring Benoît Magimel and Gilbert Melki (distribution: SND in 40 theatres); and Jean-Charles Hue’s debut feature The Lord’s BMW [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which is also in competition this week at the Premiers Plans Festival in Angers (distribution: Capricci Films in 12 theatres).

Among the non-domestic European releases, Memento Films Distribution is launching a 35-print run of Burhan Qurbani’s promising German debut feature Shahada (Faith) [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], discovered in competition at the Berlinale 2010 (see review). ASC Distribution is releasing a five-print run of Fredrick Edfeldt’s The Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fredrik Edfeldt
film profile], which has attracted great attention among French critics. Finally, Bodega Films is distributing on eight screens Spanish director Isabel Coixet’s Map of the Sounds of Tokyo [+see also:
trailer
film profile], shown in competition at Cannes in 2009 (see review).

Other releases include French documentaries Draw Yourself by Gilles Porte (Gebeka Films); and 93 La Belle Rebelle (“93 The Beautiful Rebel”) by Jean-Pierre Thorn (ADR Distribution).

(Translated from French)