Thursday, February 1-----The 57th Berlin International Film Festival opens with a musical treat….the world premiere of LA VIE EN ROSE, a sumptuous film from French director Olivier Dahan that chronicles the colorful and passionate life of French chanteuse Edith Piaf. The film and its stars will receive the full red carpet treatment at the Berlinale Palast on the evening of February 8th.

Known as “the little sparrow”, Piaf has become a singer for the ages, a full-throated songbird who never quite goes out of style. French actress Marion Cotillard stars as the singer, whose highly dramatic life was filled with triumph and tragedy. Cotillard is one of France's most exciting new talents, who, in her brief film career, has already won several major awards. She has been nominated three times for the César Awards (France's equivalent of the Oscar), first for the Most Promising Actress of 1999 for the film TAXI; then in 2001 for the same award for PRETTY THINGS; finally winning a Best Supporting Actress prize for Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (2004). At the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, she was awarded the Chopard Trophy as Best Female Actress Revelation.

Aside from Cotillard, the musical biography features an all-star supporting cast of French superstars including Gérard Depardieu, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Gregory and Emmanuelle Seigner. The film opens in France on February 14 (where it will be titled LA MOME), and is being sold internationally by TF1 International. LA VIE EN ROSE will be released in the US by Picturehouse in June 2007.

Sandy Mandelberger
Berlin Online Dailies Editor