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EVENTS France

European Filmmakers’ Tour de France does rounds of French theatres

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Launched by the Europa Cinemas network as part of the Season of European Culture organised to mark the French Presidency of the EU, the European Filmmakers’ Tour de France is in full swing in French theatres. Presided by Jeanne Moreau and unveiled at the latest Cannes Film Festival, the event will enable French audiences to discover 27 European films between now and the end of 2008.

Films that have already been launched by the initiative include The Unpolished by German director Pia Marais, I Don’t Care if Tomorrow Never Comes by Belgium’s Guillaume Malandrin and Song of Songs [+see also:
film review
interview: Gayle Griffiths
interview: Josh Appignanesi
film profile
]
by the UK’s Josh Appignanesi. Released by Pierre Grise, this trio of titles were joined last Wednesday by Cannes prize-winner Gomorrah [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Domenico Procacci
interview: Jean Labadie
interview: Matteo Garrone
film profile
]
by Italian director Matteo Garrone (distributed by Le Pacte).

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The event will continue with the release of UK director Mike Leigh’s uplifting Happy-Go-Lucky [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(MK2 - August 27), which won Best Actress at Berlin; Christopher Colombus, The Enigma [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Portugal’s Manoel de Oliveira (Epicentre Films - September 3); and German director Doris Dörrie’s Cherry Blossoms - Hanami [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(Jour2fête - September 10), which was unveiled in competition at the latest Berlinale (see news) and won the 2008 Silver Lola for Best Film and the Lola for Best Actor.

Also hitting screens on September 10 are Spanish director José Luis Guerin’s In the City of Sylvia [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(distributed by Shellac), which was shown in competition at the 2007 Venice Film Festival; and Belgian/French production Rumba [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Charles Gillibert
interview: Dominique Abel and Fiona Go…
film profile
]
by Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy, whose quirky humour won over viewers at a special screening at the latest Cannes Critics’ Week (distributed by MK2).

One week later, Shellac are set to launch the compelling The Man from London [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Hungary’s Bela Tarr (in competition at Cannes in 2007) and Les Films du Losange will release Jacob Thuesen’s Danish feature The Early Years Erik Nietzsche, Part 1.

October 1 will see the release of Vinyan by Belgium’s Fabrice du Welz (Wild Bunch Distribution) and Cloud Nine by Germany’s Andreas Dresen (ASC), which won the Coup de Cœur Award in the Un Certain Regard section at the latest Cannes Film Festival. Meanwhile, Poland will be in the spotlight on October 15 with Andrzej Jakimowski’s Tricks [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrzej Jakimowski
interview: Tomasz Gąssowski
film profile
]
(KMBO).

Animated films will also put in an appearance with Swedish director Magnus Carlsson’s Desmond and the Swamp Barbarian Trap (Les Films du Préau - October 15) and the Latvian production Le bal des lucioles et autres courts (“The Ball of the Fireflies and Other Shorts”) by Dace Riduze, Janis Cinemarnis, Evalds Lacis and Maris Brinkmanis (Cinéma Public Films - October 29).

The documentary form will be represented by UK director Stephen Walker’s Young@Heart (Le Pacte - October 15) and Austrian productions About Water: People and Yellow Cans by Udo Maurer (ASC - October 22) and For a Moment, Freedom by Arash T. Riahi (Les Films du Losange - November 26).

The year 2008 will end with a flourish with Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s Four Nights With Anna [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(Les Films du Losange - November 5); Black Ice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kai Nordberg
interview: Petri Kotwica
film profile
]
by Finland’s Petri Kotwica (Surreal Distribution - November 19); UK director Steve McQueen’s Cannes Camera d’Or-winning Hunger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Hastings-Smith Rob…
interview: Steve McQueen
film profile
]
(MK2 - November 19); Juraj Lehotský’s Slovakian feature Blind Loves (ASC - December 3), which was unveiled in the Directors’ Fortnight; and Paolo Sorrentino’s Italian hit Il divo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicola Giuliano
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
interview: Philippe Desandre
film profile
]
(“The Deity”, StudioCanal Distribution - December 31), which won the Jury Prize at the latest Cannes Film Festival.

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(Translated from French)

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