This week’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris will kick off with the Tuesday night world premiere of Pascal Bonitzer’s “Auction” – a ripped-from-the-headlines ensemble drama set in the crosshairs of high art and high finance.
Produced by Sbs Productions and sold by Pyramide International, the art-world saga follows – among others – a hotshot auctioneer, his less-than-reliable assistant, and the working class bloke who sets the narrative in motion upon realizing that his erstwhile innocuous wall art bears the signature of Egon Schiele.
Writer-director Pascal Bonitzer originally thought to explore this world of high-verve auctioneers as a series, but keyed into the story’s singular, cinematic potential thanks to the real-life discovery of Schiele masterworks thought lost during World War II.
“I was fascinated by this collision of two worlds,” Bonitzer tells Variety. “On the one hand, these auctioneers need to play a game – they must seduce potential sellers, wresting artifacts from...
Produced by Sbs Productions and sold by Pyramide International, the art-world saga follows – among others – a hotshot auctioneer, his less-than-reliable assistant, and the working class bloke who sets the narrative in motion upon realizing that his erstwhile innocuous wall art bears the signature of Egon Schiele.
Writer-director Pascal Bonitzer originally thought to explore this world of high-verve auctioneers as a series, but keyed into the story’s singular, cinematic potential thanks to the real-life discovery of Schiele masterworks thought lost during World War II.
“I was fascinated by this collision of two worlds,” Bonitzer tells Variety. “On the one hand, these auctioneers need to play a game – they must seduce potential sellers, wresting artifacts from...
- 1/15/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The company that holds rights to the literary estates of Langston Hughes and Evelyn Waugh is heading on a West Coast charm offensive and has snapped up the estate of Somerset Maugham.
International Literary Properties (Ilp) launched in 2019 but has so far focused on the UK and East Coast. Over the coming weeks, however, UK and Europe CEO Hilary Strong has numerous meetings in the diary with LA producers as Ilp looks to strike deals for adaptations of books from its 50-author roster across TV, film and in other areas.
“As we continue to buy considerable assets we need to broaden our relationships with the U.S. production community and showrunners,” Strong told Deadline. “We are going out to make sure people understand the message so we can start to develop producer networks in Hollywood akin to what we have on the East Coast and in the UK.”
Hilary...
International Literary Properties (Ilp) launched in 2019 but has so far focused on the UK and East Coast. Over the coming weeks, however, UK and Europe CEO Hilary Strong has numerous meetings in the diary with LA producers as Ilp looks to strike deals for adaptations of books from its 50-author roster across TV, film and in other areas.
“As we continue to buy considerable assets we need to broaden our relationships with the U.S. production community and showrunners,” Strong told Deadline. “We are going out to make sure people understand the message so we can start to develop producer networks in Hollywood akin to what we have on the East Coast and in the UK.”
Hilary...
- 11/8/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in the final six Harry Potter movies, has died.
He was 82.
Gambon's family revealed in a statement that he passed away while battling pneumonia.
The statement on behalf of his wife, Lady Gambon, and son, Fergus Gambon, issued by publicist Clair Dobbs, said:
"We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon."
"Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82."
"We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love."
Michael was born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 19, 1940.
His mother was a seamstress, and his father was an engineer.
He left school at 15 and began training to be a toolmaker.
At age 21, he was a qualified engineer, but he aspired to act and gave up the profession shortly after.
He was 82.
Gambon's family revealed in a statement that he passed away while battling pneumonia.
The statement on behalf of his wife, Lady Gambon, and son, Fergus Gambon, issued by publicist Clair Dobbs, said:
"We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon."
"Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82."
"We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love."
Michael was born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 19, 1940.
His mother was a seamstress, and his father was an engineer.
He left school at 15 and began training to be a toolmaker.
At age 21, he was a qualified engineer, but he aspired to act and gave up the profession shortly after.
- 9/28/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Michael Gambon, a protégé of Laurence Olivier and giant of the British stage who portrayed Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, apparently with little effort, in the final six Harry Potter movies, has died. He was 82.
“The Great Gambon,” as Ralph Richardson once called him, died “peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia,” according to a family statement provided Thursday by a publicist.
Among the first group of actors recruited by Olivier for the National Theatre Company in the early 1960s, Gambon, a Dublin native, was nominated 13 times for an Olivier Award, winning in 1986 and ’90 for Alan Ayckbourn’s A Chorus of Disapproval and Man of the Moment, respectively, and in 1988 for Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge.
He received another one for his turn as a recently widowed businessman trying to reunite with his former mistress in Skylight,...
“The Great Gambon,” as Ralph Richardson once called him, died “peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia,” according to a family statement provided Thursday by a publicist.
Among the first group of actors recruited by Olivier for the National Theatre Company in the early 1960s, Gambon, a Dublin native, was nominated 13 times for an Olivier Award, winning in 1986 and ’90 for Alan Ayckbourn’s A Chorus of Disapproval and Man of the Moment, respectively, and in 1988 for Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge.
He received another one for his turn as a recently widowed businessman trying to reunite with his former mistress in Skylight,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michael Gambon, the Irish-English actor best known for his role as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the “Harry Potter” movies, has died, Variety has confirmed. He was 82.
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” his family said in a statement. “Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia.”
While it is easier for a character actor, often working in supporting roles, to rack up a large number of credits than it is for lead actors, Gambon was enormously prolific, with over 150 TV or film credits in an era when half that number would be impressive and unusual — and this for a man whose body of stage work was also prodigious.
He played two real kings of England: King Edward VII in “The Lost Prince” (2003) and his son, King George V,...
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” his family said in a statement. “Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia.”
While it is easier for a character actor, often working in supporting roles, to rack up a large number of credits than it is for lead actors, Gambon was enormously prolific, with over 150 TV or film credits in an era when half that number would be impressive and unusual — and this for a man whose body of stage work was also prodigious.
He played two real kings of England: King Edward VII in “The Lost Prince” (2003) and his son, King George V,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Further openers are Sony’s ’Equalizer 3’, Mub’s ’Passages’ and Lionsgate’s ‘Cobweb’ .
Seventeen new films launch into UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend in a sign of the release schedule returning to its pre-pandemic state; as exhibitors look for a post-Barbenheimer success, and to capitalise on this year’s National Cinema Day, on Saturday, September 2.
Tickets for all films are available for £3 at over 630 cinemas across the UK and Ireland; last year’s National Cinema Day brought in 1.46m admissions.
Angel Studios is releasing Alejandro Monteverde’s biographical drama Sound Of Freedom, about a government agent-turned-vigilante who aims to rescue children from sex traffickers,...
Seventeen new films launch into UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend in a sign of the release schedule returning to its pre-pandemic state; as exhibitors look for a post-Barbenheimer success, and to capitalise on this year’s National Cinema Day, on Saturday, September 2.
Tickets for all films are available for £3 at over 630 cinemas across the UK and Ireland; last year’s National Cinema Day brought in 1.46m admissions.
Angel Studios is releasing Alejandro Monteverde’s biographical drama Sound Of Freedom, about a government agent-turned-vigilante who aims to rescue children from sex traffickers,...
- 9/1/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Subscription streaming outlet MHz Choice, which brings prestige international television to North American viewers, has set its summer slate with the U.S./Canada premieres of 15 series and nine returning shows. Included among them are French period mystery Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games: The ‘70s and Don’t Leave Me, an Italian police drama from the creators of Gomorra.
France Television’s Criminal Games debuts on the service June 13. The 10-part series adapts Agatha Christie’s mysteries in the 1970s and is led by three intrepid investigators. Emilie Gavois-Kahn, Arthur Dupont and Chloé Chaudoye star. Creator is Thierry Debroux.
On August 15, Federation Entertainment’s Don’t Leave Me will bring Deputy Chief Elena Zonin (Vittoria Puccini) back to her hometown of Venice to hunt down a network of kidnappers. There, she’s confronted...
France Television’s Criminal Games debuts on the service June 13. The 10-part series adapts Agatha Christie’s mysteries in the 1970s and is led by three intrepid investigators. Emilie Gavois-Kahn, Arthur Dupont and Chloé Chaudoye star. Creator is Thierry Debroux.
On August 15, Federation Entertainment’s Don’t Leave Me will bring Deputy Chief Elena Zonin (Vittoria Puccini) back to her hometown of Venice to hunt down a network of kidnappers. There, she’s confronted...
- 6/7/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: International Literary Properties (Ilp), which holds rights to the estates of the likes of Evelyn Waugh, Maigret author Georges Simenon and Van Der Valk’s Nicolas Freeling, has bolstered its legal team with a triple hire including Disney alum Lisa Logan.
Logan joins as General Counsel for Emea alongside new North America VP, Legal and Business Affairs, Barbara Cohen and Rights Manager Sabina Pekin.
Logan, who will be the primary legal resource in terms of managing IP, is an industry veteran who worked for more than a decade in-house with Disney, Nickelodeon and Discovery Channel before moving to private practice. She is a former Partner and Head of Media/TV at Gately and then Simkins.
Cohen will lead business affairs for North American acquisition activity and Pekin, who will report to Logan, will manage contracts and rights.
Hilary Strong, CEO of Ilp in the UK and Europe, said “the...
Logan joins as General Counsel for Emea alongside new North America VP, Legal and Business Affairs, Barbara Cohen and Rights Manager Sabina Pekin.
Logan, who will be the primary legal resource in terms of managing IP, is an industry veteran who worked for more than a decade in-house with Disney, Nickelodeon and Discovery Channel before moving to private practice. She is a former Partner and Head of Media/TV at Gately and then Simkins.
Cohen will lead business affairs for North American acquisition activity and Pekin, who will report to Logan, will manage contracts and rights.
Hilary Strong, CEO of Ilp in the UK and Europe, said “the...
- 1/24/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
More of P.D. James’ murder mysteries will be turned into TV dramas after AMC Networks’ Acorn TV and Paramount Global-owned broadcaster Channel 5 handed drama series Dalgliesh a two-season renewal.
Des producer New Pictures will return to film the seasons, the first of which goes into production this year ahead of a 2023 debut.
Acorn Media Enterprises has the rights in North America, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, with Channel 5 taking the UK, with Northern Ireland Screen providing additional funding.. All3Media International serves as distributor for the rest of the world.
Season two will comprise six episodes adapted from three P.D. James novels, with each being told over two hour-long episodes. Bertie Carvel will reprise the role of the enigmatic Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh.
The novels being adapted for season two are Death Of An Expert Witness, A...
Des producer New Pictures will return to film the seasons, the first of which goes into production this year ahead of a 2023 debut.
Acorn Media Enterprises has the rights in North America, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, with Channel 5 taking the UK, with Northern Ireland Screen providing additional funding.. All3Media International serves as distributor for the rest of the world.
Season two will comprise six episodes adapted from three P.D. James novels, with each being told over two hour-long episodes. Bertie Carvel will reprise the role of the enigmatic Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh.
The novels being adapted for season two are Death Of An Expert Witness, A...
- 7/6/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
British detective drama “Dalgliesh” is set to return after getting a second season order from AMC Networks’ Acorn TV and Channel 5.
The second season, which will consist of six episodes, will be based on three more P.D. James novels with Bertie Carvel (“Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”) reprising his role as the enigmatic chief investigator. It is currently shooting in Northern Ireland with a scheduled TX on Channel 5 in 2023.
Details on the third season are still to be announced with filming set to begin in 2023.
Season two will be split into three parts – “Death Of An Expert Witness,” “A Certain Justice” and “The Murder Room” – each two episodes long.
Helen Edmundson (“The Suspicions of Mr Whicher”) returns as lead writer while Stewart Harcourt (“Maigret”) joins to write “A Certain Justice,” which Andy Tohill and Ryan Tohill (“The Dig”) will direct. Geoff Sax (“Us”) will direct “Death of an Expert Witness.
The second season, which will consist of six episodes, will be based on three more P.D. James novels with Bertie Carvel (“Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”) reprising his role as the enigmatic chief investigator. It is currently shooting in Northern Ireland with a scheduled TX on Channel 5 in 2023.
Details on the third season are still to be announced with filming set to begin in 2023.
Season two will be split into three parts – “Death Of An Expert Witness,” “A Certain Justice” and “The Murder Room” – each two episodes long.
Helen Edmundson (“The Suspicions of Mr Whicher”) returns as lead writer while Stewart Harcourt (“Maigret”) joins to write “A Certain Justice,” which Andy Tohill and Ryan Tohill (“The Dig”) will direct. Geoff Sax (“Us”) will direct “Death of an Expert Witness.
- 7/6/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Prime Video is adding another one to its already impressive lineup of TV shows with a supernatural thriller filmed entirely in Scotland. Titled The Rig, the show is created by David Macpherson for Amazon Prime Video and will be directed by John Strickland, who previously worked on The Murder of Princess Diana, Maigret, The Bill, Clocking Off, Trust, and the series Big Love. Here’s a description of the plot of the series, according to What to Watch: “The Rig is a recently announced horror series on Amazon Prime Video, directed by John Strickland and follows the crew on the fictional
Meet The Cast Of “The Rig”...
Meet The Cast Of “The Rig”...
- 7/6/2022
- by A.E. Oats
- TVovermind.com
The ‘Wolfwalkers’ composer will recieve lifetime achievement award.
French composer Bruno Coulais is to receive a lifetime achievement award at the 2022 World Soundtrack Awards, which are presented at Film Fest Ghent on October 22.
Coulais’ music for screen ranges from 2001 French hit The Crimson Rivers through to documentary epic Winged Migration and acclaimed animation Wolfwalkers.
His first score was for filmmaker François Reichenbach, who asked him to provide music for the 1979 short documentary México Mágico.
1996 was a turning point in his career after he created the score for nature documentary Microcosmos, winning Coulais his first of three César Awards
The song...
French composer Bruno Coulais is to receive a lifetime achievement award at the 2022 World Soundtrack Awards, which are presented at Film Fest Ghent on October 22.
Coulais’ music for screen ranges from 2001 French hit The Crimson Rivers through to documentary epic Winged Migration and acclaimed animation Wolfwalkers.
His first score was for filmmaker François Reichenbach, who asked him to provide music for the 1979 short documentary México Mágico.
1996 was a turning point in his career after he created the score for nature documentary Microcosmos, winning Coulais his first of three César Awards
The song...
- 7/5/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Polaris Photo: courtesy of Fantasia International Film Festival
This year's Fantasia International Film Festival is to open with Kc Carthew's Polaris, it has been revealed. The dystopian actioner, which follows a young woman and her adoptive mother, who happens to be a polar bear, on a perilous journey through northern badlands, stars Viva Lee and will screen on 14 July at the Concordia Hall in Montreal.
With the second wave of festival titles also announced, there's a lot to look forward to. A special focus on queer genre cinema will include vigilante thriller Compulsus and Lebanese heavy metal documentary Sirens. A strong animé line-up features Shinji Higuchi's eagerly awaited Shin Ultraman, while other big name films set to screen at the festival include Patrice Leconte’s Maigret, Toshiro Saiga’s Red Shoes and Neil Labute's House Of Darkness.
Kier-La Janisse, whose Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror...
This year's Fantasia International Film Festival is to open with Kc Carthew's Polaris, it has been revealed. The dystopian actioner, which follows a young woman and her adoptive mother, who happens to be a polar bear, on a perilous journey through northern badlands, stars Viva Lee and will screen on 14 July at the Concordia Hall in Montreal.
With the second wave of festival titles also announced, there's a lot to look forward to. A special focus on queer genre cinema will include vigilante thriller Compulsus and Lebanese heavy metal documentary Sirens. A strong animé line-up features Shinji Higuchi's eagerly awaited Shin Ultraman, while other big name films set to screen at the festival include Patrice Leconte’s Maigret, Toshiro Saiga’s Red Shoes and Neil Labute's House Of Darkness.
Kier-La Janisse, whose Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror...
- 6/2/2022
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Montreal event to run July 14 to August 3.
Organisers at the 26th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival have announced that the world premiere of K.C. Carthew’s Polaris will open the Montreal festival, set to run from July 14 to August 3.
The eco action fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world is distributed in Canada by Filmoption International and is among the second wave of titles and events announced on Thursday (June 2). They include a spotlight on queer cinema and new work from Neil Labute, Patrice Leconte and Shinichiro Ueda.
Labute’s horror-comedy House Of Darkness gets its international premiere and...
Organisers at the 26th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival have announced that the world premiere of K.C. Carthew’s Polaris will open the Montreal festival, set to run from July 14 to August 3.
The eco action fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world is distributed in Canada by Filmoption International and is among the second wave of titles and events announced on Thursday (June 2). They include a spotlight on queer cinema and new work from Neil Labute, Patrice Leconte and Shinichiro Ueda.
Labute’s horror-comedy House Of Darkness gets its international premiere and...
- 6/2/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Montreal event to run 14 to August 3.
Organisers at the 26th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival have announced that the world premiere of K.C. Carthew’s Polaris will open the Montreal festival, set to run from July 14 to August 3.
The eco action fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world is distributed in Canada by Filmoption International and is among the second wave of titles and events announced on Thursday (June 2). They include a spotlight on queer cinema and new work from Neil Labute, Patrice Leconte and Shinichiro Ueda.
Labute’s horror-comedy House Of Darkness gets its international premiere and stars Justin Long and Kate Bosworth.
Organisers at the 26th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival have announced that the world premiere of K.C. Carthew’s Polaris will open the Montreal festival, set to run from July 14 to August 3.
The eco action fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world is distributed in Canada by Filmoption International and is among the second wave of titles and events announced on Thursday (June 2). They include a spotlight on queer cinema and new work from Neil Labute, Patrice Leconte and Shinichiro Ueda.
Labute’s horror-comedy House Of Darkness gets its international premiere and stars Justin Long and Kate Bosworth.
- 6/2/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Nadezda Motina’s new outfit grows slate with an upcoming war drama starring Omar Sy.
Nadezda Motina’s Moscow-based distributor Arna Media has made a raft of appointments ahead of the EFM, and acquired an upcoming war drama starring Omar Sy and pagan horror from director William Brent Bell.
The firm, which was launched by Russian media executive Motina in October, has named Olga Tarasova as head of theatrical distribution and Irina Antonova as head of marketing.
Tarasova was formerly head of sales at Volga Films and worked on the release of titles including The Gentlemen, Wrath Of Man and The Queen’s Corgi among others.
Nadezda Motina’s Moscow-based distributor Arna Media has made a raft of appointments ahead of the EFM, and acquired an upcoming war drama starring Omar Sy and pagan horror from director William Brent Bell.
The firm, which was launched by Russian media executive Motina in October, has named Olga Tarasova as head of theatrical distribution and Irina Antonova as head of marketing.
Tarasova was formerly head of sales at Volga Films and worked on the release of titles including The Gentlemen, Wrath Of Man and The Queen’s Corgi among others.
- 2/7/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
“Maigret,” Patrice Leconte’s adaptation of Georges Simenon’s literary masterpiece with Gerard Depardieu, has pre-sold to major territories ahead of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris where the movie is having its market premiere.
Represented in international markets by Snd, “Maigret” was picked up for Italy (Adler), Germany and Austria (Koch), Benelux (Athena), Switzerland (Pathé), Span (Selecta), Poland (Monolith), Cis (Capella), Australia and New Zealand (Palace), Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia (Blitz), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Greece (Spentzos), and Czech Republic and Slovakia (Mediasquad).
“We had terrific response from distributors when we launched the project during last year’s EFM,” said Ramy Nahas, head of international sales at Snd.
“Patrice Leconte has crafted an instant classic and Gerard Depardieu yet again delivers an incredible performance,” said Nahas. The executive said he expected to lock additional deals following the film’s market premiere at the Unifrance event and is already in negotiations for several key territories.
Represented in international markets by Snd, “Maigret” was picked up for Italy (Adler), Germany and Austria (Koch), Benelux (Athena), Switzerland (Pathé), Span (Selecta), Poland (Monolith), Cis (Capella), Australia and New Zealand (Palace), Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia (Blitz), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Greece (Spentzos), and Czech Republic and Slovakia (Mediasquad).
“We had terrific response from distributors when we launched the project during last year’s EFM,” said Ramy Nahas, head of international sales at Snd.
“Patrice Leconte has crafted an instant classic and Gerard Depardieu yet again delivers an incredible performance,” said Nahas. The executive said he expected to lock additional deals following the film’s market premiere at the Unifrance event and is already in negotiations for several key territories.
- 1/13/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Snd is set to host market premieres for Patrice Leconte’s period detective film “Maigret,” as well as high concept comedies “Employee of the Month” and “The Bodins” at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris, a showcase of French content hosted this week in Paris.
“Maigret,” based on Georges Simenon’s literary masterpiece, will star Gérard Depardieu (“Cyrano de Bergerac”) as detective Maigret, who investigates the death of a young girl in 1953. During his inquiry, Maigret crosses paths with Betty, a young offender who reminds him of the dead girl. The movie will be released by Snd on April 6.
“We’ve pre-sold ‘Maigret’ across 90% of Europe, it’s really a highlight on our slate due to the strength of the franchise, director and cast – Gerard Depardieu is outstanding in this role,” said Ramy Nahas, head of international sales at Snd.
“Employee of the Month” will be directed by French comedian Jerome...
“Maigret,” based on Georges Simenon’s literary masterpiece, will star Gérard Depardieu (“Cyrano de Bergerac”) as detective Maigret, who investigates the death of a young girl in 1953. During his inquiry, Maigret crosses paths with Betty, a young offender who reminds him of the dead girl. The movie will be released by Snd on April 6.
“We’ve pre-sold ‘Maigret’ across 90% of Europe, it’s really a highlight on our slate due to the strength of the franchise, director and cast – Gerard Depardieu is outstanding in this role,” said Ramy Nahas, head of international sales at Snd.
“Employee of the Month” will be directed by French comedian Jerome...
- 1/10/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
As many as 85 films and a record 55 market premieres will screen at the Rendez-Vous in Paris, a week-long event organized by French promotion org Unifrance.
The event will open on Monday with the world premiere of “Simone: A Journey of the Century,” a biopic of Simone Veil, an Auschwitz survivor who became health minister of France and championed the 1975 law that legalized abortion in France. Directed by Olivier Dahan (“La Vie en rose”), the movie is headlined by Elsa Zylberstein, who completely transformed for the role. Other Angle has sold it to Samuel Goldwyn for North America, along with a string of international deals.
The lineup of market premieres includes Cédric Klapisch’s music-filled movie “Rise”; Patrice Leconte’s detective film “Maigret” with Gérard Depardieu; Fred Cayavé’s World War II-set drama “Farewell Mr. Haffmann” with Daniel Auteuil; Louis-Julien Petit’s social comedy “The Kitchen Brigade”; Jérôme Bonnell’s romantic...
The event will open on Monday with the world premiere of “Simone: A Journey of the Century,” a biopic of Simone Veil, an Auschwitz survivor who became health minister of France and championed the 1975 law that legalized abortion in France. Directed by Olivier Dahan (“La Vie en rose”), the movie is headlined by Elsa Zylberstein, who completely transformed for the role. Other Angle has sold it to Samuel Goldwyn for North America, along with a string of international deals.
The lineup of market premieres includes Cédric Klapisch’s music-filled movie “Rise”; Patrice Leconte’s detective film “Maigret” with Gérard Depardieu; Fred Cayavé’s World War II-set drama “Farewell Mr. Haffmann” with Daniel Auteuil; Louis-Julien Petit’s social comedy “The Kitchen Brigade”; Jérôme Bonnell’s romantic...
- 1/7/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
After a chaotic year marked by a five-month shutdown and Covid-related restrictions, the French box office bounced back during the last quarter of 2021, bolstered by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and a flurry of big-budgeted U.S. and French releases.
After reopening on May 18, French theaters pulled 96 million admissions — not a bad result considering that it’s just 23.2% drop from 2019, when France’s box office broke a 50-year record. Compared with 2020, when cinemas were closed for several months, tickets were up by 47.2%, according to Comscore France. Based on an estimated average of €6.75 per ticket, the French B.O. reached €648 million ($731 million).
Hollywood tentpoles dominated the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2021, starting with Sony’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which sold over 5 million tickets. Universal’s “No Time to Die” and Warner Bros.’s “Dune” followed. The other U.S. titles in the top 10 are Disney’s “Encanto,” Universal’s “F9,” Warner Bros.
After reopening on May 18, French theaters pulled 96 million admissions — not a bad result considering that it’s just 23.2% drop from 2019, when France’s box office broke a 50-year record. Compared with 2020, when cinemas were closed for several months, tickets were up by 47.2%, according to Comscore France. Based on an estimated average of €6.75 per ticket, the French B.O. reached €648 million ($731 million).
Hollywood tentpoles dominated the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2021, starting with Sony’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which sold over 5 million tickets. Universal’s “No Time to Die” and Warner Bros.’s “Dune” followed. The other U.S. titles in the top 10 are Disney’s “Encanto,” Universal’s “F9,” Warner Bros.
- 1/3/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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