Fifty-six French stars, including Carla Bruni, Charlotte Rampling and Carole Bouquet, signed an open letter defending Gerard Depardieu, the Oscar-nominated actor who has been charged with rape and accused by more than a dozen other women of sexual assault, harassment or groping.
The essay, published in the conservative-leaning French newspaper Le Figaro, reads, in part: “We cannot remain silent in the face of the lynching targeting him, the torrent of hate being dumped on his personality” (via AP). “When Gerard Depardieu is targeted this way, it is the art [of cinema] that is being attacked. … Depriving ourselves of this immense actor would be a drama, a defeat. The death of the art. Our art.”
Other signatories included actors Pierre Richard, Victoria Abril and Nathalie Baye, and directors Bertrand Blier and Francis Veber.
Depardieu has not been convicted in connection with any of the allegations and denies wrongdoing. He called the open letter “beautiful” and its signatories “courageous,...
The essay, published in the conservative-leaning French newspaper Le Figaro, reads, in part: “We cannot remain silent in the face of the lynching targeting him, the torrent of hate being dumped on his personality” (via AP). “When Gerard Depardieu is targeted this way, it is the art [of cinema] that is being attacked. … Depriving ourselves of this immense actor would be a drama, a defeat. The death of the art. Our art.”
Other signatories included actors Pierre Richard, Victoria Abril and Nathalie Baye, and directors Bertrand Blier and Francis Veber.
Depardieu has not been convicted in connection with any of the allegations and denies wrongdoing. He called the open letter “beautiful” and its signatories “courageous,...
- 12/26/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
French broadcaster France Televisions has been blamed by supporters of Gerard Depardieu, the Oscar-nominated actor of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” for contributing to the downfall of one of country’s most iconic actors with a bombshell documentary about his history of sexual abuse allegations which aired on Dec. 7.
The broadcaster’s head of film and international co-production, Manuel Alduy, tells Variety the TV group doesn’t have any agenda against Depardieu, however, and won’t boycott his films. “We will not ban films, but we won’t celebrate artists who have been accused until they’re completely cleared,” says Alduy, who joined France Televisions in 2021 after working at Twentieth Century Fox and Canal+ Group.
“Films are collective works of art and Depardieu happens to have starred in more than 100 films, including some classics of French cinema,” says Alduy. “It would be unfair for these films and for rights holders if we banned them,...
The broadcaster’s head of film and international co-production, Manuel Alduy, tells Variety the TV group doesn’t have any agenda against Depardieu, however, and won’t boycott his films. “We will not ban films, but we won’t celebrate artists who have been accused until they’re completely cleared,” says Alduy, who joined France Televisions in 2021 after working at Twentieth Century Fox and Canal+ Group.
“Films are collective works of art and Depardieu happens to have starred in more than 100 films, including some classics of French cinema,” says Alduy. “It would be unfair for these films and for rights holders if we banned them,...
- 12/22/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
For those familiar with Gerard Depardieu‘s stellar career, it would be fair to say he’s carved out a reputation as one of continental Europe’s finest-ever actors. The stage and screen veteran’s mere presence is one of the few things Robust has going for it, saving this comedy-drama (questionable claims in themselves) from obscurity.
Robuste – to give it its French title, and if you’re bothered about the extra letter – constantly meanders and never truly comes to life. It threatens to pick up around 30 minutes in, but in doing so flatters to deceive. All in all, a disappointing debut feature from filmmaker Constance Meyer.
Georges (Depardieu) an ageing, neurotic actor, strikes up an unlikely professional relationship with Aissa (Deborah Lukumuena), a female security officer who’s also trying to make her mark in the world of wrestling, and the pair become support units for one another as...
Robuste – to give it its French title, and if you’re bothered about the extra letter – constantly meanders and never truly comes to life. It threatens to pick up around 30 minutes in, but in doing so flatters to deceive. All in all, a disappointing debut feature from filmmaker Constance Meyer.
Georges (Depardieu) an ageing, neurotic actor, strikes up an unlikely professional relationship with Aissa (Deborah Lukumuena), a female security officer who’s also trying to make her mark in the world of wrestling, and the pair become support units for one another as...
- 7/29/2022
- by Dan Green
- The Cultural Post
Further titles include Pathe’s ‘Notre Dame On Fire’, Vertigo’s ‘She Will’.
Sony thriller Where The Crawdads Sing receives the biggest-ever release for any film directed by a woman at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, opening in 691 locations.
Directed by Olivia Newman, the film’s total tops the 673-site release for 2019’s Frozen 2, which was directed by Jennifer Lee, alongside Chris Buck; as well as the 650-site release of Cate Shortland’s Black Widow from last year – the previous widest release by a film solely directed by a woman.
Adapted by Lucy Alibar from Delia Owens’ 2018 novel of the same name,...
Sony thriller Where The Crawdads Sing receives the biggest-ever release for any film directed by a woman at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, opening in 691 locations.
Directed by Olivia Newman, the film’s total tops the 673-site release for 2019’s Frozen 2, which was directed by Jennifer Lee, alongside Chris Buck; as well as the 650-site release of Cate Shortland’s Black Widow from last year – the previous widest release by a film solely directed by a woman.
Adapted by Lucy Alibar from Delia Owens’ 2018 novel of the same name,...
- 7/22/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
He once downed 14 bottles of wine and counted Putin as a pal. With his new film out, what are we – and the French – to make of him?
“France without meat isn’t France.” Gérard Depardieu growls the words, his irritation spreading across the screen like a gravy stain. He’s in character, playing Georges, a celebrated but erratic French actor, in his latest film, Robuste (Robust), the first feature by director Constance Meyer. But these are the kind of words – provocative, emphatic – which could equally have been spoken by Depardieu himself.
Larger than life, both onscreen – with the ugly-beautiful brutalist angles of his face, the forceful magnetism of his presence, the sheer heft of the man as he fills the frame – and off, with his notorious excesses and a life story that feels as though it could be the stuff of literature, the 73-year-old Depardieu has achieved an almost mythic quality.
“France without meat isn’t France.” Gérard Depardieu growls the words, his irritation spreading across the screen like a gravy stain. He’s in character, playing Georges, a celebrated but erratic French actor, in his latest film, Robuste (Robust), the first feature by director Constance Meyer. But these are the kind of words – provocative, emphatic – which could equally have been spoken by Depardieu himself.
Larger than life, both onscreen – with the ugly-beautiful brutalist angles of his face, the forceful magnetism of his presence, the sheer heft of the man as he fills the frame – and off, with his notorious excesses and a life story that feels as though it could be the stuff of literature, the 73-year-old Depardieu has achieved an almost mythic quality.
- 7/17/2022
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
After going virtual in 2021, the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema Festival is returning as an in-person event at the Lincoln Center in New York with a bevy of heavy hitters, including Claire Denis, Juliette Binoche, Jacques Audiard, Arnaud Desplechin and Mathieu Amalric.
Kicking off with the North American premiere of Denis’ Berlinale Silver Bear winning movie “Fire” (also called “Both Sides of the Blade”) on March 3, the festival’s roster is curated by Film at Lincoln Center, which is also co-organizing the event with Unifrance, the French film advocacy org.
Besides “Fire,” starring Binoche and Vincent Lindon as two lovers whose relationship falls apart, the main highlights of the 27th edition include Audiard’s sexy relationship drama “Paris, 13th District,” Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s debut “Anaïs in Love,” which premiered at Cannes’ Critics Week, and Desplechin’s “Deception” with Lea Seydoux.
“We feel lucky to have assembled such a prestigious roster of...
Kicking off with the North American premiere of Denis’ Berlinale Silver Bear winning movie “Fire” (also called “Both Sides of the Blade”) on March 3, the festival’s roster is curated by Film at Lincoln Center, which is also co-organizing the event with Unifrance, the French film advocacy org.
Besides “Fire,” starring Binoche and Vincent Lindon as two lovers whose relationship falls apart, the main highlights of the 27th edition include Audiard’s sexy relationship drama “Paris, 13th District,” Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s debut “Anaïs in Love,” which premiered at Cannes’ Critics Week, and Desplechin’s “Deception” with Lea Seydoux.
“We feel lucky to have assembled such a prestigious roster of...
- 3/4/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Deception director Arnaud Desplechin tells Anne-Katrin Titze about the Emmanuelle Devos Kings & Queen connection to Andrew Wylie that led to a phone call from Philip Roth.
Arnaud Desplechin’s adaptation with Julie Peyr of Philip Roth’s Deception (Tromperie), starring Denis Podalydès, Léa Seydoux (Bruno Dumont’s France), Emmanuelle Devos, and Anouk Grinberg, is a highlight of the 27th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York. Claire Denis’s Fire (Avec Amour Et Acharnement), starring Juliette Binoche (in a Free Talk with Constance Meyer’s Robust star Déborah Lukumuena), Grégoire Colin (Nora Martirosyan’s Should The Wind Drop), and Vincent Lindon is the Opening Night selection. Jim Jarmusch is the Guest of Honour of this year’s festival.
An in-person Q&a with Kent Jones and Arnaud Desplechin will follow a screening of Diane at the French Institute Alliance Française Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Our Love Affairs: Arnaud Desplechin...
Arnaud Desplechin’s adaptation with Julie Peyr of Philip Roth’s Deception (Tromperie), starring Denis Podalydès, Léa Seydoux (Bruno Dumont’s France), Emmanuelle Devos, and Anouk Grinberg, is a highlight of the 27th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York. Claire Denis’s Fire (Avec Amour Et Acharnement), starring Juliette Binoche (in a Free Talk with Constance Meyer’s Robust star Déborah Lukumuena), Grégoire Colin (Nora Martirosyan’s Should The Wind Drop), and Vincent Lindon is the Opening Night selection. Jim Jarmusch is the Guest of Honour of this year’s festival.
An in-person Q&a with Kent Jones and Arnaud Desplechin will follow a screening of Diane at the French Institute Alliance Française Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Our Love Affairs: Arnaud Desplechin...
- 2/23/2022
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Constance Meyer: 'I organised the meeting between them, we went to his place something like six months before shooting. And I had no doubt when I saw them together' Constance Meyer’s Robust – starring Gérard Depardieu and Déborah Lukumuena – is a gentle drama that charts the unlikely friendship that springs up between a larger than life actor and the security guard who is tasked with looking after him and who wrestles in her off-hours. The film, which was part of this year’s French Film Festival UK, has a playful quality, incorporating aspects of Depardieu’s real life while remaining fictional and unfolds un unexpected emotional ways as these two lonely souls forge a connection. I caught up with the writer/director to chat about the origins and themes of the film.
Constance Meyer: 'The script was very written and, and as I worked with Depardieu before, it was...
Constance Meyer: 'The script was very written and, and as I worked with Depardieu before, it was...
- 12/7/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Robust
The French Film Festival UK has opened this week with crowdpleaser The Big Hit and will be travelling to more than 30 cinemas across the country between now and December 15. Featuring the best of French language cinema from France and beyond, we've selected some of festival highlights to look out for. For full details of where and when you can see each film, visit the official site.
Robust (Robuste)
Belgian filmmaker Constance Meyer makes an assured debut with this gentle consideration of human connection that is powered by the luminous performances from Gérard Depardieu and up-and-coming French star Déborah Lukumuena. Depardieu has fun playing an actor who has among his traits some that are not so very far removed from the actor himself. Lukumena is Aïssa, who is assigned to provide him with security detail, whether he wants it or not. This sort of odd-couple comedy could easily...
The French Film Festival UK has opened this week with crowdpleaser The Big Hit and will be travelling to more than 30 cinemas across the country between now and December 15. Featuring the best of French language cinema from France and beyond, we've selected some of festival highlights to look out for. For full details of where and when you can see each film, visit the official site.
Robust (Robuste)
Belgian filmmaker Constance Meyer makes an assured debut with this gentle consideration of human connection that is powered by the luminous performances from Gérard Depardieu and up-and-coming French star Déborah Lukumuena. Depardieu has fun playing an actor who has among his traits some that are not so very far removed from the actor himself. Lukumena is Aïssa, who is assigned to provide him with security detail, whether he wants it or not. This sort of odd-couple comedy could easily...
- 11/6/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson, Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Unexpected friendship tale co-stars Gérard Depardieu and Divines discovery Déborah Lukumuena.
Paris-based company Indie Sales has unveiled first deals on Constance Meyer’s debut feature Robust, which world premiered as the opening film of Cannes’ Critic’s Week in July.
It has sold to Austria (Polyfilm), Belgium and Luxembourg (Athena), Canada (K Films), Portugal (Films4You), Switzerland (First Hand), and the UK and Ireland (606 Distribution).
The film stars Gérard Depardieu as an ageing actor in decline, opposite Divines discovery Déborah Lukumuena as a semi-professional wrestler hired to be his bodyguard. The seemingly disparate pair discover they have a lot in common.
Paris-based company Indie Sales has unveiled first deals on Constance Meyer’s debut feature Robust, which world premiered as the opening film of Cannes’ Critic’s Week in July.
It has sold to Austria (Polyfilm), Belgium and Luxembourg (Athena), Canada (K Films), Portugal (Films4You), Switzerland (First Hand), and the UK and Ireland (606 Distribution).
The film stars Gérard Depardieu as an ageing actor in decline, opposite Divines discovery Déborah Lukumuena as a semi-professional wrestler hired to be his bodyguard. The seemingly disparate pair discover they have a lot in common.
- 10/12/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Emmanuel Carrère’s Ouistreham (Between Two Worlds) has been set as the opening film of the 25th Colcoa French Film and Series Festival. The anniversary edition of the City of Lights, City of Angels fest kicks off on November 1 with the Juliette Binoche-starrer that opened Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes last July before winning the Audience Award at San Sebastian. Cohen Media Group releases in the U.S. in 2022.
Colcoa is running as a live week-long event taking place at the DGA Theater Complex from November 1-7. This year’s edition is dedicated to late filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier and will pay homage to him in the Classics section. The full program will include 55 films and series, as well as 19 shorts. Thirty of the films will compete for the Colcoa Cinema Awards and the Colcoa High School Screenings program will also return, welcoming 3,000 high school students from across Southern California.
Two...
Colcoa is running as a live week-long event taking place at the DGA Theater Complex from November 1-7. This year’s edition is dedicated to late filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier and will pay homage to him in the Classics section. The full program will include 55 films and series, as well as 19 shorts. Thirty of the films will compete for the Colcoa Cinema Awards and the Colcoa High School Screenings program will also return, welcoming 3,000 high school students from across Southern California.
Two...
- 10/11/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Documentary Exposure from The Babushkas Of Chernobyl director Morris gets its world premiere.
The 57th Chicago International Film Festival has unveiled its international competitions line-up, a roster that includes Venice Silver Lion winner The Power Of The Dog, Tatiana Huezo’s Prayers For The Stolen, and the world premiere of Holly Morris’s documentary Exposure.
The programme includes the international premiere of Franziska Stünkel’s The Last Execution. The festival runs October 13-24 and is the longest running competitive festival in North America.
The International Feature Competition line-up comprises: Péter Kerekes’s 107 Mothers (Slo-Czech-Ukr); Mohammed Diab’s Amira (Egy-Jor-uae-Saud...
The 57th Chicago International Film Festival has unveiled its international competitions line-up, a roster that includes Venice Silver Lion winner The Power Of The Dog, Tatiana Huezo’s Prayers For The Stolen, and the world premiere of Holly Morris’s documentary Exposure.
The programme includes the international premiere of Franziska Stünkel’s The Last Execution. The festival runs October 13-24 and is the longest running competitive festival in North America.
The International Feature Competition line-up comprises: Péter Kerekes’s 107 Mothers (Slo-Czech-Ukr); Mohammed Diab’s Amira (Egy-Jor-uae-Saud...
- 9/16/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
At a table in his house, Georges, an aging movie star with a reputation for uninsurable off-set shenanigans — played in a staggering coup of against-type casting by Gérard Depardieu — is running lines with his private security guard Aïssa (“Divines” breakout Déborah Lukumuena). While they rehearse, Georges cracks walnuts under heavy whomps from his meaty fist; Aïssa barely flicks a brow in response but her alarmed amusement is palpable. This funny little scene is Constance Meyer’s charming, refreshingly un-sappy odd-couple dramedy “Robust” in miniature: Depardieu all bluster and boom, Lukumuena quietly snaffling whole scenes away from him with just the sparkle in her eye.
The tale of an unlikely friendship blossoming between a wealthy older white man and his young Black helper might set the schmaltz alarm a-tinkling, but this is no “Intouchables,” and not just because, with its tactile emphasis on skin and heft and physical contact, “Robust” feels entirely touchable.
The tale of an unlikely friendship blossoming between a wealthy older white man and his young Black helper might set the schmaltz alarm a-tinkling, but this is no “Intouchables,” and not just because, with its tactile emphasis on skin and heft and physical contact, “Robust” feels entirely touchable.
- 7/8/2021
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
This story about International Critics Week first appeared in TheWrap’s special digital Cannes magazine.
When Cannes’ La Semaine de la Critique, or International Critics Week, kicks off on July 7 with a screening of Swiss director Constance Meyer’s “Robust,” the festival’s longest-running independent section will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in style. The screening will take place in a completely refurbished Miramar theater with increased capacity, a new seating plan and technical upgrades undertaken by the city of Cannes with backing from an anonymous philanthropist.
And the Critics Week section, which looks for up-and-coming directors and showcases a small group of first and second films every year, will be taking place at a time when filmmakers first recognized by Critics Week will be plentiful up and down the main Cannes lineup: Jacques Audiard, Leos Carax, Julia Ducournau, Justin Kurzel and François Ozon in the Main Competition, and Arnaud Desplechin...
When Cannes’ La Semaine de la Critique, or International Critics Week, kicks off on July 7 with a screening of Swiss director Constance Meyer’s “Robust,” the festival’s longest-running independent section will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in style. The screening will take place in a completely refurbished Miramar theater with increased capacity, a new seating plan and technical upgrades undertaken by the city of Cannes with backing from an anonymous philanthropist.
And the Critics Week section, which looks for up-and-coming directors and showcases a small group of first and second films every year, will be taking place at a time when filmmakers first recognized by Critics Week will be plentiful up and down the main Cannes lineup: Jacques Audiard, Leos Carax, Julia Ducournau, Justin Kurzel and François Ozon in the Main Competition, and Arnaud Desplechin...
- 7/6/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Past winners of the first feature prize include Jim Jarmusch, Mira Nair, Naomi Kawase, Steve McQueen, Houda Benyamina and Lukas Dhont.
The Cannes Film Festival has named French actress Mélanie Thierry as jury president for the 2021 Caméra d’Or award reserved for all first features premiering across Official Selection and the parallel sections of Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week.
”Nothing is as fragile or as miraculous as a first movie. This testifies to the courage and the faith of all the directors who, after such a long period of seclusion, succeeded in providing us with a window on the outside world,...
The Cannes Film Festival has named French actress Mélanie Thierry as jury president for the 2021 Caméra d’Or award reserved for all first features premiering across Official Selection and the parallel sections of Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week.
”Nothing is as fragile or as miraculous as a first movie. This testifies to the courage and the faith of all the directors who, after such a long period of seclusion, succeeded in providing us with a window on the outside world,...
- 6/30/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker Jacques Audiard and rising director Léa Mysius reminisce about presenting their respective debut features, “See How They Fall” and “Ava,” at Cannes’ Critics’ Week in an exclusive video celebrating the 60th anniversary of the sidebar.
Under the helm of Charles Tesson since 2011, Critics’ Week, which is dedicated to first and second films, has showcased more dozens of emerging filmmakers over the years. Some of them will have their latest movies unspool in competition at the festival. These include Audiard with “Paris, 13th District” which was co-written with Mysius and Celine Sciamma, as well as Julia Ducournau (“Raw”) with “Titane,” and Nadav Lapid (“The Kindergarten Teacher”) with “Ahed’s Knee.”
Audiard and Mysius are two of the 60 talents and artists who have shared testimonies about Critics’ Week brought to their lives and careers through videos and letters. Critics’ Week is unveiling these tributes throughout the month of June.
Under the helm of Charles Tesson since 2011, Critics’ Week, which is dedicated to first and second films, has showcased more dozens of emerging filmmakers over the years. Some of them will have their latest movies unspool in competition at the festival. These include Audiard with “Paris, 13th District” which was co-written with Mysius and Celine Sciamma, as well as Julia Ducournau (“Raw”) with “Titane,” and Nadav Lapid (“The Kindergarten Teacher”) with “Ahed’s Knee.”
Audiard and Mysius are two of the 60 talents and artists who have shared testimonies about Critics’ Week brought to their lives and careers through videos and letters. Critics’ Week is unveiling these tributes throughout the month of June.
- 6/18/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Paris-based banner Indie Sales has closed deals in key markets for Flore Vasseur’s environment-themed documentary “Bigger Than Us” which is produced by Oscar-winning actress and activist Marion Cotillard. It will world premiere at Cannes as part of an ephemeral selection of films about the environment.
The event documentary has been acquired for Australia & New Zealand (Kismet), the Benelux (Cinéart), Canada (Maison 4:3), Ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), Germany/Austria (Koch Media), the Middle East (Osn), Poland (Best Film) and Switzerland (Praesens). Jour2Fête will release the documentary in France on Sept. 22.
Shot in Malawi, Lebanon, Brazil, Greece, Indonesia, Uganda and the U.S., “Bigger Than Us” sheds the light on a young generation aged 18 to 25 who are fighting for human rights, freedom of expression, climate, social justice, access to education and food security.
“We are very thankful to the Cannes Film Festival team for highlighting ‘Bigger Than Us,” thus bringing attention to...
The event documentary has been acquired for Australia & New Zealand (Kismet), the Benelux (Cinéart), Canada (Maison 4:3), Ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), Germany/Austria (Koch Media), the Middle East (Osn), Poland (Best Film) and Switzerland (Praesens). Jour2Fête will release the documentary in France on Sept. 22.
Shot in Malawi, Lebanon, Brazil, Greece, Indonesia, Uganda and the U.S., “Bigger Than Us” sheds the light on a young generation aged 18 to 25 who are fighting for human rights, freedom of expression, climate, social justice, access to education and food security.
“We are very thankful to the Cannes Film Festival team for highlighting ‘Bigger Than Us,” thus bringing attention to...
- 6/18/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Charles Tesson to step down after 10th edition at the helm.
French film critic Ava Cahen has been named as the new artistic director of Cannes Critics’ Week.
She replaces respected film critic and academic Charles Tesson who will step down after this year’s 60th edition after 10 years at the helm.
Under Critics’ Week regulations, an artistic director can serve a maximum of three terms of three years. Tesson was allowed one more edition to oversee the 60th anniversary.
Cahen will take up the role from August 1, having been a member of Critics’ Week feature film committee for five years.
French film critic Ava Cahen has been named as the new artistic director of Cannes Critics’ Week.
She replaces respected film critic and academic Charles Tesson who will step down after this year’s 60th edition after 10 years at the helm.
Under Critics’ Week regulations, an artistic director can serve a maximum of three terms of three years. Tesson was allowed one more edition to oversee the 60th anniversary.
Cahen will take up the role from August 1, having been a member of Critics’ Week feature film committee for five years.
- 6/15/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The lineup for the 2021 Cannes Critics’ Week (La Semaine de la Critique) has been announced. See also the full lineup of the Official Selection.Opening FILMRobust (Constance Meyer): When his right-hand man and only mate has to go away for a few weeks, Georges – an ageing film star – is given a substitute, Aïssa. The disillusioned actor and the young female security guard forge a special relationship.COMPETITIONAmparo (Simón Mesa Soto): Colombia 1998, Amparo, a single mother, struggles to free her teenage son after he is drafted by the army and assigned to a war zone. She is thrown into a race against time in a society ruled by men, corruption and violence.Feathers (Omar El Zohairy): When a magician’s trick goes wrong at the six-year-old Mando’s birthday party, an avalanche of coincidental absurdities befalls the boy’s family.The Gravedigger’s Wife (Khadar Ayderus Ahmed):...
- 6/7/2021
- MUBI
Paris-based company Indie Sales has boarded Vincent Le Port’s debut feature “Bruno Reidal — Confession of a Murder,” which is set to world premiere in competition at Cannes’ Critics’ Week, the festival’s parallel strand dedicated to first and second films.
The film will also vie for a Caméra d’Or award. Le Port is a former student from La Fémis film school who previously directed the short “Le gouffre” which won the prestigious Prix Jean Vigo.
Based on a true story, “Bruno Reidal – Confession of a Murder” is set in a French village in 1905, and follows a young seminarian, Bruno Reidal, who murders a boy before surrendering immediately to authorities. While being investigated, he starts a dialogue with doctors who try to understand his lethal impulse, and identify past events which could have led him to commit this atrocious crime.
The movie is co-produced by Stank, the producer banner of Le Port,...
The film will also vie for a Caméra d’Or award. Le Port is a former student from La Fémis film school who previously directed the short “Le gouffre” which won the prestigious Prix Jean Vigo.
Based on a true story, “Bruno Reidal – Confession of a Murder” is set in a French village in 1905, and follows a young seminarian, Bruno Reidal, who murders a boy before surrendering immediately to authorities. While being investigated, he starts a dialogue with doctors who try to understand his lethal impulse, and identify past events which could have led him to commit this atrocious crime.
The movie is co-produced by Stank, the producer banner of Le Port,...
- 6/7/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Film Festival’s parallel Critics’ Week section is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2021 with a lineup that is heavy on French talent and nonexistent when it comes to U.S. filmmakers. This year’s Critics’ Week selection includes 13 world premieres, seven of them in competition. As always, Critics’ Week is made of up first and-second time directorial efforts. The selection committee says it received 1,620 short films and watched 1,000 features in 2021. The lineup was selected by Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson and his committee. Each section of the Critics’ Week lineup is made up of about 30 percent of films directed by women.
“The competition is very international and showcases films with many different styles and topics,” Tesson said in a statement (via Variety). “Many films tackle relationships, friendships, family bonds — especially mothers with their children, loved ones we lost, or fighting to get back into our lives.”
Critics...
“The competition is very international and showcases films with many different styles and topics,” Tesson said in a statement (via Variety). “Many films tackle relationships, friendships, family bonds — especially mothers with their children, loved ones we lost, or fighting to get back into our lives.”
Critics...
- 6/7/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
It marks Tesson’s 10th edition at the helm of Critics’ Week.
The upcoming edition of Cannes Critics’ Week (July 7-15) will be a momentous one for its artistic director Charles Tesson on a number of levels.
As well as being the first physical edition since 2019, after last year’s hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the parallel section’s 60th edition, it will also be respected film critic and academic Tesson’s tenth edition at the helm. Screen talked to Tesson about the line-up, which was unveiled on Monday, and plans for the 60th edition.
According to the press release,...
The upcoming edition of Cannes Critics’ Week (July 7-15) will be a momentous one for its artistic director Charles Tesson on a number of levels.
As well as being the first physical edition since 2019, after last year’s hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the parallel section’s 60th edition, it will also be respected film critic and academic Tesson’s tenth edition at the helm. Screen talked to Tesson about the line-up, which was unveiled on Monday, and plans for the 60th edition.
According to the press release,...
- 6/7/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
With most of the main Cannes Film Festival lineup now confirmed, it’s now time for the sidebars to be unveiled. First up is the lineup for the Critics Week aka Semaine de la Critique. A spotlight on new filmmakers, in recent years they’ve featured works by Julia Ducournau (who now has a film in competition this year with Titane), Hlynur Pálmason, Oliver Laxe, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Jonas Carpignano, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Ritesh Batra, and more.
This year’s slate is full of a new class of emerging filmmakers, with the opening selection, Constance Meyer’s Robuste starring Gérard Depardieu and Déborah Lukumuena, the Adèle Exarchopoulos-led Zero Fucks Given by Julie Lecoustre & Emmanuel Marre, and more. The jury this year is headed by Cristian Mungiu.
Check out the lineup below and see more about each film at the links here.
Opening Film
“Robuste,” Constance Meyer
Special Screenings
“Anaïs in Love,...
This year’s slate is full of a new class of emerging filmmakers, with the opening selection, Constance Meyer’s Robuste starring Gérard Depardieu and Déborah Lukumuena, the Adèle Exarchopoulos-led Zero Fucks Given by Julie Lecoustre & Emmanuel Marre, and more. The jury this year is headed by Cristian Mungiu.
Check out the lineup below and see more about each film at the links here.
Opening Film
“Robuste,” Constance Meyer
Special Screenings
“Anaïs in Love,...
- 6/7/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Cannes Film Festival’s parallel Critics’ Week section has unveiled its lineup for the 60th edition, which will run from July 7-15. There are seven feature films in competition, each of which is a debut meaning they are all eligible for the Camera d’Or. Romanian filmmaker and former Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu is president of this year’s jury which will award the Nespresso Grand Prize, The Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award and the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for short film. Scroll down for the full list of films.
The section will open with Gérard Depardieu-starrer Robuste (Robust) from Constance Meyer (the first time since 2004 that a film directed by a French woman has opening-night honors). Closing the proceedings is Tunisian filmmaker Leyla Bouzid with Une Histoire D’Amour Et De Désir (A Tale of Love and Desire). Among the Special Screenings is...
The section will open with Gérard Depardieu-starrer Robuste (Robust) from Constance Meyer (the first time since 2004 that a film directed by a French woman has opening-night honors). Closing the proceedings is Tunisian filmmaker Leyla Bouzid with Une Histoire D’Amour Et De Désir (A Tale of Love and Desire). Among the Special Screenings is...
- 6/7/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Critics’ Week, the Cannes Film Festival parallel strand dedicated to first and second films, follows the official selection’s lead in announcing an expanded lineup after taking a year off.
The 2021 program — which marks the sidebar’s 60th edition — will feature 13 world premieres, seven of them in competition, chosen from nearly 1,000 films by Charles Tesson, artistic director, and his committee. The lineup is heavy on French talent, with no American directors in the mix.
Constance Meyer’s “Robust” (previously titled “Misfit”), a drama-comedy starring Gérard Depardieu and Déborah Lukumuena (“Divines”), will open the 2021 edition of Critics’ Week. Set in contemporary Paris, “Robust” stars Depardieu as a lonely film star in decline, who forms an unexpected bond with Aïssa, a semi-pro wrestler earning a living as a security officer.
Leyla Bouzid’s “A Tale of Love and Desire” will close the edition and will also be part of the Special Screenings section,...
The 2021 program — which marks the sidebar’s 60th edition — will feature 13 world premieres, seven of them in competition, chosen from nearly 1,000 films by Charles Tesson, artistic director, and his committee. The lineup is heavy on French talent, with no American directors in the mix.
Constance Meyer’s “Robust” (previously titled “Misfit”), a drama-comedy starring Gérard Depardieu and Déborah Lukumuena (“Divines”), will open the 2021 edition of Critics’ Week. Set in contemporary Paris, “Robust” stars Depardieu as a lonely film star in decline, who forms an unexpected bond with Aïssa, a semi-pro wrestler earning a living as a security officer.
Leyla Bouzid’s “A Tale of Love and Desire” will close the edition and will also be part of the Special Screenings section,...
- 6/7/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Parallel section will showcase 13 first and second features and 10 short films.
Cannes Critics’ Week 2021 has unveiled the line-up of its 60th edition, following last year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, running July 7 to 15 alongside the Cannes Film Festival.
It will showcase 13 features, seven of them in competition, as well as 10 short films.
French director Constance Meyer’s debut feature Robust, co-starring Gérard Depardieu opposite Divines discovery Déborah Lukumuena will open the section on July 7. Depardieu plays an ageing actor star in decline who hires Lukumuena’s character, a semi-professional wrestler, as a bodyguard at short notice. The seemingly disparate...
Cannes Critics’ Week 2021 has unveiled the line-up of its 60th edition, following last year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, running July 7 to 15 alongside the Cannes Film Festival.
It will showcase 13 features, seven of them in competition, as well as 10 short films.
French director Constance Meyer’s debut feature Robust, co-starring Gérard Depardieu opposite Divines discovery Déborah Lukumuena will open the section on July 7. Depardieu plays an ageing actor star in decline who hires Lukumuena’s character, a semi-professional wrestler, as a bodyguard at short notice. The seemingly disparate...
- 6/7/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique, or Critics’ Week, sidebar has unveiled its 2021 lineup and, true to its reputation as a platform for up-and-coming talent, this year’s selection features fresh faces and untapped talent.
A total of 11 of the 13 feature films picked for Cannes Critics’ Week 2021 are directorial debuts, including all seven of the competition titles.
The section, which runs July 7-July 15, will open with Robuste (Robust), Constance Meyer’s first feature as a director, which stars Gérard Depardieu alongside Divines actress Deborah Lukumuena.
Among the other first-timers is Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, whose debut feature Les Amours d’Anaïs (Anaïs in ...
A total of 11 of the 13 feature films picked for Cannes Critics’ Week 2021 are directorial debuts, including all seven of the competition titles.
The section, which runs July 7-July 15, will open with Robuste (Robust), Constance Meyer’s first feature as a director, which stars Gérard Depardieu alongside Divines actress Deborah Lukumuena.
Among the other first-timers is Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, whose debut feature Les Amours d’Anaïs (Anaïs in ...
Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique, or Critics’ Week, sidebar has unveiled its 2021 lineup and, true to its reputation as a platform for up-and-coming talent, this year’s selection features fresh faces and untapped talent.
A total of 11 of the 13 feature films picked for Cannes Critics’ Week 2021 are directorial debuts, including all seven of the competition titles.
The section, which runs July 7-July 15, will open with Robuste (Robust), Constance Meyer’s first feature as a director, which stars Gérard Depardieu alongside Divines actress Deborah Lukumuena. The choice is likely to spark a few questions, with Depardieu facing accusations of ...
A total of 11 of the 13 feature films picked for Cannes Critics’ Week 2021 are directorial debuts, including all seven of the competition titles.
The section, which runs July 7-July 15, will open with Robuste (Robust), Constance Meyer’s first feature as a director, which stars Gérard Depardieu alongside Divines actress Deborah Lukumuena. The choice is likely to spark a few questions, with Depardieu facing accusations of ...
Indie Sales has acquired Constance Meyer’s feature debut “Misfit,” a drama-comedy headlined by Gérard Depardieu and Déborah Lukumuena, the rising star of Houda Benyamina’s “Divines.”
Shot in Paris, the film revolves around George, an aging and lonely film star in decline, and Aïssa, a semi-pro wrestler earning a living as a security officer. When Aïssa is hired to temporarily replace George’s bodyguard, a singular bond between them takes hold. Despite their differences, George and Aïssa are more similar than they thought initially.
Indie Sales will launch international sales on “Misfit” at UniFrance’s Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, which kicks off Jan. 13.
Now in post, “Misfit” is produced by Isabelle Madelaine with her Paris-based outfit Dharamsala, whose credits include Alice Winocour’s “Proxima” and Claire Burger’s “Real Love.”
“Misfit” will be delivered this summer. Diaphana Distribution will distribute the film in France.
Nicolas Eschbach, Indie Sales CEO and co-founder,...
Shot in Paris, the film revolves around George, an aging and lonely film star in decline, and Aïssa, a semi-pro wrestler earning a living as a security officer. When Aïssa is hired to temporarily replace George’s bodyguard, a singular bond between them takes hold. Despite their differences, George and Aïssa are more similar than they thought initially.
Indie Sales will launch international sales on “Misfit” at UniFrance’s Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, which kicks off Jan. 13.
Now in post, “Misfit” is produced by Isabelle Madelaine with her Paris-based outfit Dharamsala, whose credits include Alice Winocour’s “Proxima” and Claire Burger’s “Real Love.”
“Misfit” will be delivered this summer. Diaphana Distribution will distribute the film in France.
Nicolas Eschbach, Indie Sales CEO and co-founder,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The duo lead the cast of Constance Meyer’s first feature film, a Dharamsala production set to be sold worldwide by Indie Sales, which is soon to wrap filming. Filming has entered the home straight for Robuste, the first full-length work by Constance Meyer who turned heads with her short films Frank-Étienne vers la béatitude (selected for Venice’s Orizzonti line-up in 2012), Rhapsody (battling it out in Clermont-Ferrand’s national competition and Locarno’s international competition in 2016) and La belle affaire (screening Out of Competition in Locarno 2018).At the head of the cast we find Gérard Depardieu (nominated for the Best Actor Oscar in 1991, for Cannes’ Best Actor accolade in 1990 and for Venice’s equivalent in 1985, nominated for the Best Actor César 17 times – most notably in 2016 for Valley of Love – and walking away with the trophy twice; recently well-received in Fahim and touring French cinemas from...
Chicago – The recently completed 52nd Chicago International Film Festival offered a world perspective on cinema, and honors the films that will influence the arts culture for years to come. Their Awards Night was October 21st, 2016, and was hosted by Richard Roeper, film critic of the Chicago Sun Times. The recipient of the top prize of the fest, the Gold Hugo, was “Sieranevada” (Romania), directed by Cristi Puiu.
The 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Awards Night was Oct. 21, 2016
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The awards event took place at the AMC River East Theatre. Presenters included Programming Director Mimi Plauché, programmers Anthony Kaufman and Sam Flancher, plus various jury members – which included Geraldine Chapman (actress and daughter of Charlie Chaplin), who presided over the International Feature Film Competition Jury. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com sat on the Animation Shorts jury. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named...
The 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Awards Night was Oct. 21, 2016
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The awards event took place at the AMC River East Theatre. Presenters included Programming Director Mimi Plauché, programmers Anthony Kaufman and Sam Flancher, plus various jury members – which included Geraldine Chapman (actress and daughter of Charlie Chaplin), who presided over the International Feature Film Competition Jury. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com sat on the Animation Shorts jury. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named...
- 10/30/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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