23/12/2005

Six European productions have a date with the French cinemas at the end of the year. They will have to face four US newcomers, a Canadian feature film, one Japonese film and a Mexican production. Without any doubt, the biggest novelty is Luc Besson’s new film, Angel-A, which starrs Jamel Debbouze, the unknown Rie Rasmussen (a short-film lady director) and Gilbert Melki. No journalist has seen this black and white film before it premiered on Wednesday, December 21st. It was distributed on 300 copies (a combination that will be increased to 450 on Wednesday the 28th of December) by the director’s company, EuropaCorp.. Another film, an Italian and German co-production, also premiered on Wednesday, courtesy of Pan Européenne, who has distributed it on a 58 copy combination, Mary [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by American directorAbel Ferrara with Forest Whitaker, Matthew Modine and Juliette Binoche. It won the Jury’s Grand Priz at the last Mostra of Venice (read ), and was produced by Italian Roberto De Nigris. International sales were taken care of by French company Wild Bunch. Worth mentioning as well, is the arrival on French screens of Viva Zapatero!, the anti-Berlusconi documentary by Italian comedian Sabina Guzzanti (distributed by Haut et Court on a 31 copy combination), and the arrival of the Austrian feature film Antares by Götz Spielmann (distributed by Equation on 3 copies).

Between those special holiday days ranging from Christmas to New Year’s, we can find, at the head of the list, the British-German-Kenyan co-production The Constant Gardener de Fernando Meirelles brought to us by Mars Distribution . It’s an adaptation of John Le Carré’s novel, starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weitz, and presented to official competition in Venice (readarticle). It’s director, who also made City of God, left the production to Focus Features, the UK Film Council, Potboiler Productions and Scion Films. It will be this coming Wednesday, December 28th, when Les Films du Paradoxe release, on a 25 copy combination, the Belgian and Marroccan coproduction L’Enfant endormi, y Yasmine Kassari. This film won the people’s choice award and the award for best actress at the last Premiers Plans d’Angers festival, as well as being named for best lady director at the Copenhaguen Festival.

(Translated from French)