20/04/2012 - Two women directors and a caustic filmmaking duo are to present three extremely different films at the Certain Regard this year, one of which stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and Pete Doherty.

What a diverse French selection for the 65th Cannes Film Festival's Certain Regard from May 16 and 27! In the programme this year, there will be a period drama about a tempestuous love story, the punk-anarchic-libertarian misadventures of two brothers in their forties, and a contemporary drama about guilt, justice, and redemption.

With her fourth feature, Confession of a Child of The Century (article), Sylvie Verheyde will for the first time attend Cannes after a marked appearance at the Venice Days in 2008 with Stella [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. For this adaptation of the novel by Alfred de Musset (1836), the filmmaker has brought together an eye-catching cast starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and British rock enfant terrible Pete Doherty (photo). Produced by Les Films du Veyrier, the feature film was made on a budget of €4.25m and co-produced by Arte France Cinéma, German production company Integral Film, British production company Wrap Films, and Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, with pre-sales to Canal + and Ciné+ and aid from the Franco-German co-production mini-treaty. Ad Vitam will release the film in French cinemas on September 12 and Wild Bunch is in charge of international sales.

As for iconoclast duo Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern, Cannes will be their next stop on their tour of great film festivals. After Aaltra (in competition in Rotterdam in 2004), Avida [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (out of competition in Cannes in 2006), Louise-Michel [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benoît Delépine and Gustav…
interview: Benoît Jaubert
film profile] (Best Screenplay in 2008 in San Sebastian and Special Jury Award at Sundance in 2009), and Mammuth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gustave Kervern, Benoî…
film profile] (in competition at the 2010 Berlinale), they are now taking Le grand soir (article - lit. "The big night") to this year's Un Certain Regard at Cannes. The film features Belgian actor Benoît Poelvoorde, Albert Dupontel, singer Brigitte Fontaine, and composer Areski Belkacem, and was produced by GMT Productions on a budget of €3.99m. Co-produced by Arte France Cinéma, No Money Productions, and Belgian production company Panache Productions, it also benefited from pre-acquisitions by Canal + et Ciné+, as well as support from the Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes regions. Ad Vitam will release the film in France on June 6 and Funny Balloons will lead its international sales.

Finally, Catherine Corsini will appear at Cannes for the fourth time (after competing in 2001 with Replay and in the parallel section in 1993 and 1995 with Lovers and Youth Without God) with her ninth feature: 3 mondes (article - lit. "3 worlds"). The film features rising actors Clotilde Hesme, Raphaël Personnaz and Arta Dobroshi, and was produced for €4.75m by Pyramide who will also distribute the film in France and lead international sales. It was co-produced by France 3 Cinéma and pre-sold to Canal + and Ciné+.

(Translated from French)