20/03/2013 - New releases such as The Nun, Children of Sarajevo and Queen of Montreuil stand out and French cinema makes a come-back in the box-office

An adolescent forced into a convent against her will in the 18th century, a woman trying to rebuild her life in Sarajevo after the Balkan war, and a French widow mourning the death of her husband, who offers hospitality to two Icelandic travellers: female characters have the upper hand amongst the 12 new releases on screens this Wednesday in French cinemas.

Le Pacte is launching the Franco-Germano-Belgian coproduction The Nun [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Nicloux
film profile] by Guillaume Nicloux on 199 screens, a film based on Diderot’s eponymous novel and unveiled in Berlin (with Pauline Etienne excelling in the title role) and which has sold very well internationally.

Pyramide is releasing 26 copies of the subtle Children of Sarajevo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aida Begić
film profile] by Aida Begic, a coproduction uniting Bosnia, Germany, France and Turkey, which was rewarded with a Special Mention from the jury of Un Certain Regard last year in Cannes and by the Cineuropa prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

After its local release last week, the surprising Queen of Montreuil [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Solveig Anspach
film profile] by Solveig Anspach (discovered at the Venice Days 2012) is being distributed today on 46 screens all over France by Diaphana. A welcome return to the front of the stage for the director of Haut les cœurs! with a film full of fantasy produced in “guerrilla” mode by Patrick Sobelman (Agat Film).

Female protagonists are also in the spotlight in the Franco-Chinese coproduction Mystery [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Lou Ye, which opened the Certain Regard section in Cannes last year (review - Wild Bunch Distribution in 33 cinemas) and in Les Coquillettes [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Sophie Letourneur (Ad Vitam on 19 screens) with its trio of girls looking for love and on a spree at the Locarno Film Festival.

Also released today, the delicate Sous le figuier [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Anne-Marie Etienne (article - with Gisèle Casadesus, Anne Consigny, Marie Kremer and Jonathan Zaccaï), coproduced by Luxembourg and Belgium (Océan Films Distribution in 169 cinemas).

The list in completed by Un p'tit gars de Ménilmontant [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Alain Minier (Kanibal Films Distribution on 70 screens) and two documentaries: the French film La Saga des Conti by French director Jérôme Palteau (Les Films des Deux Rives) and the Belgian film Spectres by Sven Augustijnen (Zeugma Films).

After a difficult beginning this year (-10.6 % in January and –21 % in February for a total of 33.72 million admissions), attendance is picking up, notably for French movies. Jappeloup [+see also:
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile] by Christian Duguay chalked up 568,000 admissions in five days, the romantic comedy 20 ans d’écart [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by David Moreau has scored 701,000 admissions in 12 days and Under the Rainbow [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Agnès Jaoui attracted 585,000 spectators over the same period. 19 days after its release, Boule et Bill [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by duo Alexandre Charlot - Franck Magnier has reported 1.67 million admissions and Möbius [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Eric Rochant 893,000. An impressive frontal attack that should allow the market share of French films (37.6 % in January-February versus 54.5 % for American productions and 8.7 % for other foreign feature films) to resume an upward course.  

(Translated from French)