05/07/2007

Yesterday evening at the Brussels European Film Festival (June 29–July 7), Wallimage presented the world premiere of Bernard Campan’s La face cachée [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (“The Hidden Face”). The film marks the French actor’s solo directorial debut.

A member of the comic trio Les Inconnus, Campan – who co-directed and starred in their films The Three Brothers, Le Pari and The Three Kings [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – turned to acting in recent years with roles in hit titles such as Zabou Breitmam’s Try to Remember [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and The Man of My Life [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Scripted by, directed and starring Campan, La face cachée starts out as a light comedy, following several weekends in the troubled life of François, who loses himself in discussions with his friend Xavier (Jean-Hugues Anglade) and in monologues with his wife (Karin Viard).

Between his self-questioning, a closet he is trying to assemble, a Bach score to sight read and a relationship with his increasingly absent wife, François has serious worries. But, in a final turnaround, the film unveils more than just a betrayal: the hidden face is that of his companion, which he can no longer see.

Beautifully directed with sequences of leisurely scenes (sometimes too leisurely), Campan’s film is sensitive, funny and moving, gradually unveiling another despair that no words can describe.

Produced by France’s Philippe Godeau for Pan Européenne and ABS, with backing from the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) and pre-sales from Canal+, La face cachée is a Belgian co-production from Toto & Co Films , the production outfit of director Jaco Van Dormael, whose new film is being produced by Philippe Godeau (see news).

Executive production of the film (shot entirely in Brussels) was handled by intermediary agent Scope Invest , who provided tax shelter funding. Wallimage also backed the feature.

Wild Bunch is selling the title internationally, while Studio Canal is handling its French distribution. The film is slated for an October release through Victory Films in Belgium.

(Translated from French)