Colcoa to open with Land of Shtis French BO sensation

The Franco American Cultural Fund today announced the line-up for the12th Annual City of Lights, City of Angels (COL•COA) film festival that will run from April 14-20. The festival will feature 48 films, including 27 features, 20 shorts and a World Premiere of a restored masterpiece. Acclaimed French comedy « Welcome to the Land of Shtis, » which is shattering all box office records in France, will have its North American premiere at COL•COA on opening night, April 14, 2008. The new Dany Boon film will be presented to the general audience on Saturday, April 19, and to some 1,000 American French-language students, a first in US-French film exposition. The World Premiere of « Behind the Walls, » by first time filmmaker Christian Faure, and the 2008 César Award for Best Film of the year, writer-director Abdellatif Kechiche’ « The Secret of the Grain, » have been selected to close the competition.

COL•COA’s program will include an unprecedented combination of auteur writer-directors, such as Claude Miller, Eric Rohmer and Claude Lelouch, as well as cutting-edge, young lions Guillaume Canet, Cedric Klapisch, Jan Kounen, Jean-Paul Salomé and Florent-Emilio Siri. Popular French actresses Fanny Ardant, Sophie Marceau, Carole Bouquet, Alice Taglioni and male stars André Dussollier, Benoit Magimel and Jean Dujardin are among the films’ principals.

« With the expanding globalization of the film industry, COL•COA becomes more relevant each year, which is reflected in the increasing participation of U.S. distributors,» stated festival director/programmer Francois Truffart. « It is our belief that there isn’t one, but multiple audiences for foreign films and we are committed to premiere critically acclaimed films, box office successes as well as first-time filmmakers whose work is [not yet] well known in Hollywood » he added.



City of Lights, City of Angels is funded by the Franco American Cultural Fund, a unique collaboration of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), with the vital support of L’ARP (France’s Association of Directors and Producers) the Los Angeles Film and TV Office of the French Embassy and Unifrance.



Key to this year’s festival is the Franco American Cultural Fund’s participation in the restoration Secret Beyond the Door: directed by Frtitz Lang, screenplay by Silvia Richards. The six-month restoration was completed by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with funding by the FACF and The Film Foundation. A world premiere presentation, the film will be shown in the newly developed COL•COA Classics with a former COL•COA film by Guillaume Canet, Anything You Say, and A Minute of Silence, a debut film, also part of the new « Focus on a Filmmaker » with Florent Emilio Siri. This focus will also include a conversation with the writer/director and the U.S. premiere of his new film, Intimate Enemies.

Prime time films include: the West Coast Premiere of Female Agents, a new Jean-Paul Salomé film, Those Who Remain, Anne Le Ny’s directorial debut, and the official Los Angeles premiere of the Cannes-acclaimed Claude Lelouch film, Roman de Gare, one week before its U.S. release by Samuel Goldwyn on April 25. Cedric Klapisch’ Paris, (also Samuel Goldwyn) starring Romain Duris and Juliette Binoche, will have its West Coast premiere at COLCOA and is scheduled for release later in the year. Among other releases: Claude Miller’s A Secret (Strand releasing), Water Lilies, (May 17 in Los Angeles, Koch Lorber/Red Envelope), OSS 117 (May 9, Music Box Films) and The Grocer’s Son (Film Movement),

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

• COL•COA High School: educational program for 1,000 high school students who will be the first public audience for Welcome to the Land of Sh’tis, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
• Featured Documentary: (Thursday, April 17) Her Name is Sabine, written and directed by acclaimed actress Sandrine Bonnaire and follows her relationship with her autistic sister.
• After 10: late night series with mature themes, including satires and thrillers
• Film Noir series: a continuing Friday program of four noir films, including Cortex (International Premiere), Rivals (U.S. Premiere) and The Killer.
• Sunday Program: FREE, including A Short Afternoon - a compilation of 20 shorts shown earlier in the week, a re-run of the newly created Critics Award in association with LAFCA the U.S. Premiere of a new comedy, The Red Inn, and the Audience Choice Award film.

Happy Hour Talks, the popular panel series introduced last year in association with Variety, will again target interested audience and industry professionals with the following topics: Meet the Delegation, New Audiences for Foreign Films, Focus on Florent Siri and The Art of the Remake.

City of Lights, City of Angels is sponsored by: KTLA5CW, Indie 103.1 FM, TV5MONDE (Official Sponsors), Air France, Ligne Roset (Premier Sponsors), Airstar, Club Culinaire of French Cuisine, GH Mumm Champagne, LA Weekly, New Post Group, Sunset Marquis Hotels & Villas, Variety, Zadig & Voltaire (Major Sponsors), Central California Winegrowers, Vins des Côtes du Rhone, Éclair, ELMA, Ile de France Film commission, Netflix, Titra Films Paris (Platinum Sponsors), Arthouse Marketing, Marché du Film, Hollywood Blonde, Laemmle Theatres, Laetitia Vineyard & Winery, Louis Stern Fine Arts, O.N.E., Peets Coffee & Tea, Salisbury Vineyards, St Germain, Valrhona and Volvic/Badoit, (Supporting Sponsors).

All screenings (excexpt « Secret Beyond the Door ») are in French with English subtitles. Tickets are available for advance purchase online at www.colcoa.org and at the Directors Guild of America, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90046 (cash or checks only). Please refer to web site for box office days and hours. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $7 tickets for seniors (62+) and members of: American Cinematheque, ASC, ICG, Film Independent, LACMA, SAG, Women in Film. Half Price tickets ($5) for students and under 21. Sunday is free, as well as The Happy Hour Talks with same-day film ticket. For film and press information, including hi-res photos, log on to www.colcoa.org. For public information, call (310) 289-5346.

Press contact: Cathy Mouton (323) 668-2820 camouton@pacbell.net.

The following pages include an overall schedule of the festival, cast/credits and brief synopses of the films.

MONDAY APRIL 14

Opening Night Gala
Screening starts at 7:30pm
By invitation only

WELCOME TO THE LAND OF SHTIS (Bienvenue chez les ch’tis)

North American Premiere
Comedy
Directed by: Dany Boon
Written by: Dany Boon, Alexandre Charlot, Franck Magnier
With: Kad Merad, Dany Boon, Zoé Félix, Line Renaud

Starring French comic Kad Merad (The Chorus) as Philippe, a postal worker forced to relocate in the North of France, Welcome to the Land of Shtis is a comedy about overcoming prejudice and accepting differences. A southern man who sees the North as a post-industrial wasteland inhabited by coarse locals speaking the incomprehensible “Ch’ti” dialect, Philippe meets Antoine, (co-writer/director Dany Boon), a friendly mailman who introduces him to the locals. Through Antoine, he learns to know and appreciate the land and its people, but keeps telling his wife back home that he is living a nightmare. All is well until she finds out the truth.

TUESDAY APRIL 15

10:00 am – Theatre 1
COL•COA High School Screening
WELCOME TO THE LAND OF SHTIS (Bienvenue chez les ch’tis)
Free screening for high school teachers and their students.
RSVP required.

3:00pm – 7:00pm
Theatre 3
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films

5:30pm – Theatre 2
HAPPY HOUR TALKS
Meet the Delegation:
French Filmmakers Talk About American Cinema


7:30pm
Theatre 1
FEMALE AGENTS (Les Femmes de l’ombre)
West Coast Premiere
Drama/History
Directed by: Jean-Paul Salomé
Written by: Jean-Paul Salomé, Laurent Vachaud
With: Sophie Marceau, Marie Gillain, Julie Depardieu, Déborah François

Inspired by the true story of Lise Villameur, Female Agents pays respect to the underrated role played by women during WWII. Louise (Sophie Marceau, Braveheart, The World is Not Enough) escapes to London where she joins the British secret service. She recruits a team of women from all walks of life: a prostitute (Julie Depardieu, Blame It on Fidel, A Very Long Engagement), a chemist (Déborah François, The Page Turner, The Child) and a cabaret dancer (Marie Gillain, On Guard (COL•COA 1998), Safe Conduct (COL•COA 2002)). They are sent to Paris on a suicidal mission to kill a high-ranking Nazi officer who knows too much about D-Day.

Followed by a Q& A with co-writer/director Jean-Paul Salomé

7:45pm
Theatre 2
PARIS
West Coast Premiere
Drama/Romance
Written & directed by: Cédric Klapisch
With: Romain Duris, Juliette Binoche, François Cluzet, Fabrice Luchini

Romain Duris (Molière, The Beat that my Heart Skipped) has been a familiar face in almost all of Klapisch films, from Le Péril Jeune to Russian Dolls. In Paris, Duris is Pierre, a young man suffering from heart disease. As he awaits a heart transplant and reflects on his possible death, he observes the city and its people with a new outlook, learning to cherish even the smallest every day things. Also starring Juliette Binoche (Three Colors:Blue, The English Patient, Caché) as his sister Elise, Paris is a vibrant homage to the City of Light.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 16

10:00 am – Theatre 1
COL•COA High School Screening
WELCOME TO THE LAND OF SHTIS (Bienvenue chez les ch’tis)
Free screening for high school teachers and their students
RSVP required


COL•COA CLASSICS
1:45pm
Theatre 2
ANYTHING YOU SAY (Mon idole)

Drama/Comedy
Directed by: Guillaume Canet
Written by: Guillaume Canet, Philippe Lefèbvre
With: Guillaume Canet, François Berléand, Diane Kruger, Clotilde Courau

Guillaume Canet’s first feature as co-writer/director is a satire of reality TV and television in general. Canet also stars in the film as Bastien, a young and naïve production assistant fascinated with the outrageous and cruel personality of famous TV producer Jean-Louis Broustal (François Berléand, A Girl Cut in Two, Comedy of Power, Edy (COL•COA 2006), The Chorus). Amused by the young man’s fascination, Broustal pretends to see potential in him and invites him to spend a weekend at his residence. Over the weekend, as he gets to know the cruel and insane aspect of Broustal’s personality, Bastien also uncovers the real reason of this apparently generous invitation. What should have been a pleasant weekend turns into a nightmare.

3:00pm – 7:00pm
Theatre 3
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films

4pm – Theatre 2
HAPPY HOUR TALKS
Which audience (s) for foreign films?

6:00pm
Theatre 1
WHAT IF…? (Notre univers impitoyable)
International Premiere
Comedy
Written and directed by: Léa Fazer
With: Alice Taglioni, Jocelyn Quivrin, Thierry Lhermitte, Pascale Arbillot

A dark comedy about gender conflict in the corporate world, What If… stars two up-and-coming actors Alice Taglioni (The Valet, Skyfighters, COL•COA 2006) and Jocelyn Quivrin (The Brotherhood of the Wolf, Syriana, 99 francs (COL•COA 2008)) as Margot and Victor, a young professional couple working together in a law firm. The film starts with them competing for a new executive position in the company and explores two options: either she gets the job or he gets the job. Using common stereotypes to better debunk them, writer/director Léa Fazer crafts a portrait of two people caught up in a system where the workplace overrules all aspects of private life.

5:30pm
Theatre 2
THE ROMANCE OF ASTRÉE & CÉLADON (Les Amours d’Astrée et de Céladon)
West Coast Premiere
Drama/Comedy/Romance
Written & directed by: Eric Rohmer
With: Andy Gillet, Stéphanie de Crayencour, Cécile Cassel, Véronique Reymond
Boldly adapting a 17th century pastoral novel set in 5th century Gaul, Nouvelle Vague master Eric Rohmer explores some of his favorite themes in this new opus, hailed by the Cahiers du Cinéma as one of the best films of 2007. The Romance of Astrée & Céladon is a classic Rohmerian tale of love and fidelity where Astrée (Stéphanie de Crayencour) and Céladon (Andy Gillet), two lovers separated by a tragic misunderstanding, find each other again through baroque circumstances involving nymphs, druids and goddesses.

8:30pm
Theatre 1
THOSE WHO REMAIN (Ceux qui restent)
West Coast Premiere
Drama/Romance
Written & directed by: Anne Le Ny
With: Emmanuelle Devos, Vincent Lindon, Yeelem Jappain, Anne Le Ny

Vincent Lindon (The School of Flesh, Betty Blue) and Emmanuelle Devos (Read My Lips, Kings & Queen) form an unlikely couple in this first feature by actress Anne Le Ny (My Best Friend, The Taste of Others). Both dealing with a significant other suffering from cancer, they meet at the hospital and start seeing each other before and after visiting their loved one. The tenuous relationship borne out of these brief encounters quickly torments them, yet gives them a way to cope with their pain and most importantly, a way to feel alive.

Followed by a Q&A with writer/director Anne Le Ny

8:15pm
Theatre 2
SHALL WE KISS? (Un Baiser, s’il vous plaît)
West Coast Premiere
Comedy/Romance
Written & directed by: Emmanuel Mouret
With: Virginie Ledoyen, Emmanuel Mouret, Julie Gayet, Michaël Cohen

Told in flashbacks and interweaving two parallel stories, Shall We Kiss? is a classic comedy of manners. While Emilie (Julie Gayet; A Hundred and One Nights, My Best Friend) and Gabriel (Michaël Cohen; Little Jerusalem, Family Hero (COL•COA 2007)) debate whether or not to kiss for the first time, Emilie tells the story of Judith. Judith (Virginie Ledoyen; The Beach, 8 Women), a happily married woman, once made the fateful decision to kiss her best friend Nicolas (Emmanuel Mouret). What should have been a friendly kiss unleashed a series of unexpected consequences.

AFTER 10 with Indie 103.1
10:30pm
Theatre 2
MELODY’S SMILE (La Chambre des morts)
US Premiere
Thriller/Fantasy
Written and directed by: Alfred Lot
With: Mélanie Laurent, Eric Caravaca, Gilles Lellouche, Jonathan Zaccaï

Based on a successful noir novel written by Franck Thilliez, Melody’s Smile follows the first investigation of Lucie (Mélanie Laurent, The Last Day, Days of Glory, Paris (COL•COA 2008)), a young police officer and single mother. Lucie finds herself confronted with a macabre case involving the murder of a young blind girl, two unemployed computer engineers and 2 million euros. When a second little girl disappears, the investigation intensifies and Lucie reveals herself mysteriously knowledgeable about similar cases. Between Seven and The Silence of the Lambs, Melody’s Smile is a gothic thriller that takes the audience on a chilling esoteric journey.

Presented by writer/director Alfred Lot

THURSDAY APRIL 17

COL•COA CLASSICS
2:00pm
Theatre 2
A MINUTE OF SILENCE (Une Minute de silence)
Los Angeles Premiere
Drama
Written & directed by: Florent Emilio Siri
With: Benoît Magimel, Bruno Putzulu, Jean-Yves Chatelais, Alexander May

A social drama set in Lorraine as the coal mines are closing down, A Minute of Silence is the story of Marek (Benoît Magimel, Intimate Enemies (COL•COA 2008), Skyfighters (COL•COA 2006), A Girl Cut in Two) and Mimmo (Comédie Française actor Bruno Putzulu, Holy Lola (COL•COA 2005), In Praise of Love), who have worked together in the mine since age 16. When the miners’ union declares a strike, Marek wants to do his part and fight while Mimmo feels differently and dreams of a better future somewhere else. As the conflict intensifies, their friendship is put to the test.

3:00pm – 7:00pm
Theatre 3
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films

4pm – Theatre 2
HAPPY HOUR TALKS
Focus on a French filmmaker with Florent-Emilio Siri

6:00pm
Theatre 1
GAME OF FOUR (Détrompez-vous)
US Premiere
Written & directed by: Bruno Dega, Jeanne Le Guilou
With: François Cluzet, Mathilde Seigner, Roschdy Zem, Alice Taglioni

Intersecting the lives of two couples, writer/directors Bruno Dega and Jeanne Le Guilou revisit the theme of infidelity in Game of Four, a comedy carried by a cast of acclaimed actors. When Carole (Alice Taglioni (The Valet, Skyfighters, COL•COA 2006)) and Lionel (François Cluzet (Tell No One (COL•COA 2007), Jealousy, the Horseman on the Roof)) find out that their spouses are having an affair, they make an alliance in order to save their respective marriages. Roschdy Zem (Days of Glory, Bad Faith (COL•COA 2007)) and Mathilde Seigner (Camping, Free Land, Palais Royal (COL•COA 2006)) play the adulterous couple, oblivious to the relationship that develops between their cheated spouses.

COL•COA .doc
5:30pm
Theatre 2
HER NAME IS SABINE (Elle s’appelle Sabine)
West Coast Premiere
Documentary
Written & directed by: Sandrine Bonnaire

Actress Sandrine Bonnaire has been filming her autistic sister Sabine for 25 years. Using home-video and super-8 material as well as recent footage of her sister, she draws a poignant portrait of Sabine, from her youth as a lively and talented teenage girl to the deterioration of her condition. Premiered on French public television before its theatrical release, Her Name is Sabine also invites public debate. Clearly showing the consequences of the lack of specialized medical institutions for autistic patients, Sandrine Bonnaire raises important questions about the way autism is treated in France.

8:30pm
Theatre 1
INTIMATE ENEMIES (L’Ennemi intime)
US Premiere
Drama/History
Directed by: Florent-Emilio Siri
Written by: Florent-Emilio Siri, Patrick Rotman
With: Benoît Magimel, Albert Dupontel, Aurélien Recoing, Marc Barbé, Fellag

With Intimate Enemies, Florent-Emilio Siri digs deep into the French psyche to show the reality and horrors of the French-Algerian war. Set in 1959, the story focuses on two antagonistic characters: Lieutenant Terrien (Benoît Magimel, Skyfighters (COL•COA 2006), A Girl Cut in Two), a young soldier arriving in Algeria as the conflict is intensifying, and Sergeant Dougnac (Albert Dupontel, Paris, Avenue Montaigne (COL•COA 2006)), who is as disillusioned and cynical as Terrien is idealistic. The film explores the “war as hell” metaphor, illustrating the propensity to become one’s own worst enemy.

Followed by a Q&A with co-writer/director Florent-Emilio Siri

7:30pm
Theatre 2
THE GROCER’S SON (Le Fils de l’épicier)
West Coast Premiere
Drama
Directed by: Eric Guirado
Written by: Eric Guirado, Florence Vignon
With: Nicolas Cazalé, Clotilde Hesme, Jeanne Goupil, Stéphan Guérin-Tillié

Antoine (Nicolas Cazalé) left his village for the city in search of a better life, but the city didn’t give him what he was hoping for. Somber and conflicted, he is unable to express his emotions and overcome old family feuds. When his father suffers a heart attack, he goes back to his village to help his mother with her grocery store, delivering groceries to remote areas of the village. He convinces his next-door neighbor Claire (Clotilde Hesme, Love Songs), who he is secretly in love with, to accompany him. After a difficult first contact with his new customers, the cold and unfriendly Antoine warms up and learns to see his native land with a new perspective.

Followed by a Q&A with co-writer/director Eric Guirado



AFTER 10 with Indie 103.1
10:30pm
Theatre 2
99 FRANCS
West Coast Premiere
Comedy
Directed by: Jan Kounen
Written by: Nicolas Charlet, Bruno Lavaine
With: Jean Dujardin, Jocelyn Quivrin, Patrick Mille, Vahina Giocante

Based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Frédéric Beigbeder, 99 Francs stars Jean Dujardin (OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies (COL•COA 2008), Counter Investigation (COL•COA 2007)), as Octave, a cynical and hedonistic character inspired by Beigbeder’s former career in advertising. Seemingly comfortable in his vapid world of money, sex and drugs, Octave grows more and more disgusted with himself and the advertising world. When food giant Madone puts pressure on him to produce a new ad campaign, he uses his creative skills to sabotage the campaign as well as his own career.


FRIDAY APRIL 18

COL•COA CLASSICS/ FILM NOIR SERIES
2:00pm
Theatre 2
SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR
World Premiere of the restored print
Film Noir/Thriller
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Written by: Silvia Richards
With: Joan Bennett, Michael Redgrave, Ann Revere, Barbara O'Neil

Fritz Lang revisits the French fairy tale of Bluebeard in this psychological thriller based on a story by Rufus King. Joan Bennett is Celia, a young heiress who marries a strange nobleman (Michael Redgrave) with a penchant for the macabre. As in the Bluebeard story, her husband keeps his dark secrets locked in a mysterious room, which she grows more and more curious to open while fearing he may be plotting to kill her.

THE RESTORATION

New polyester fine grain master positives and a new print of SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR were produced from the original nitrate picture negative, which was in good condition. Only a few replacement dupe sections had to be made from the nitrate fine grain master. Minor wear is still visible in some sequences, but wet-gate printing has eliminated most of the flaws present in the original negative. The result is a sharp print of excellent quality that showcases the black-and-white cinematography of Stanley Cortez to stunning effect. The sound was derived from the original nitrate track negative and the nitrate composite fine grain master.

Restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, with funding provided by The Film Foundation and the Producer of COL•COA, Franco American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the Directors Guild of America, Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique, the Writers Guild of America, West, and the Motion Picture Association of America.

3:00pm – 7:00pm
Theatre 3
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films

4:00pm
Theatre 2
HAPPY HOUR TALKS
The art of remakes

6:00pm
Theatre 1
A SECRET (Un secret)
West Coast Premiere
Drama
Directed by: Claude Miller
Written by: Claude Miller, Natalie Carter
With: Cécile de France, Patrick Bruel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric

Adapted from Philippe Grimbert’s best selling novel, A Secret is a story of passion and guilt in troubled times, which unfolds as a young teenager uncovers the truth about his parents’ past. He finds out that before the war, his father Maxime (Patrick Bruel, The Comedy of Power, O Jerusalem) was married to Hannah (Ludivine Sagnier, 8 Women, A Girl Cut in Two, Love Songs) when he fell madly in love with his mother Tania (Cécile de France (The Russian Dolls, Avenue Montaigne, (COL•COA 2006)). As a young Jewish couple living in Nazi-occupied France, Maxime and Tania had to make difficult choices to survive the war and the Holocaust.

FILM NOIR SERIES
5:30pm
Theatre 2
CORTEX
International Premiere
Film Noir/Thriller
Directed by: Nicolas Boukhrief
Written by: Nicolas Boukhrief, Frédérique Moreau
With: André Dussollier, Marthe Keller, Julien Boisselier, Chantal Neuwirth

Veteran Nouvelle Vague actor André Dussollier (And Now My Love, Melo, A Heart In Winter, Amelie, 36 (COL•COA 2005), Tell No One (COL•COA 2007)), stars as retired detective Charles Boyer in this nail-biting thriller. Suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Boyer is placed in a specialized clinic. As patients die one after the other, he starts suspecting criminal activity. The film follows his journey to solve the mysteries he seems to uncover, while struggling to keep his mental faculties and his grasp on reality.

8:30pm
Theatre 1
ROMAN DE GARE
Official Los Angeles Premiere
Drama/Romance/Film Noir
Written & directed by: Claude Lelouch
With: Fanny Ardant, Dominique Pinon, Audrey Dana, Zinedine Zoualem

Appropriately filmed under a nom de plume and revealed as a Claude Lelouch film at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, Roman de Gare is a maze where illusion and magic tricks abound. While novelist Judith Ralitzer (Fanny Ardant, The Woman Next Door, 8 Women, Paris, je t’aime (COL•COA 2007)) maintains a relationship with her ghostwriter Pierre Laclos (Dominique Pinon, Delicatessen, Amélie, Alien: Resurrection), hair-stylist Huguette (Audrey Dana) meets an enigmatic stranger in a gas station, who looks like Laclos but could be a serial killer on the run called “The Magician”.

Followed by a Q&A with writer/director Claude Lelouch

FILM NOIR SERIES
7:45pm
Theatre 2
THE KILLER (Le Tueur)
West Coast Premiere
Film Noir/Thriller
Written and directed by: Cédric Anger
With: Gilbert Melki, Grégoire Colin, Melanie Laurent, Sophie Cattani

The Killer is a classic film noir a la Melville, about the unusual relationship developing between Léo Zimmerman (Gilbert Melki, Intimate Strangers, Changing Times, The Right of The Weakest (COL•COA 2007)) a seemingly exemplary businessman, and professional killer Dimitri Kopas (Grégoire Colin, Beau Travail, The Intruder, The Dreamlife of Angels) who has been sent to kill him. Knowing that there is a price on his head, Léo meets with Dimitri to cut a strange deal with him: he will stay in town so that Dimitri can accomplish his mission, but he wants something else in return…

Followed by a Q&A with writer/director Cédric Anger

FILM NOIR SERIES/AFTER 10 with Indie 103.1
10:30pm
Theatre 2
RIVALS (Les Liens du sang)
US Premiere
Film Noir/Drama
Directed by: Jacques Maillot
Written by: Jacques Maillot, Eric Véniard, Pierre Chosson
With: Guillaume Canet, François Cluzet, Clotilde Hesme, Marie Denarnaud

Rivals is a social film noir set in the 1970s Lyon, centered on the relationship between two brothers, police detective François (Guillaume Canet, Tell No One (COL•COA 2007), The Beach, Love Me If You Dare) and petty criminal Gabriel (François Cluzet, Paris (COL•COA 2008), Jealousy, the Horseman on the Roof)). When Gabriel is released fom jail after 10 years, he is determined to straighten out his life and not fall back into the criminal world. François does his best to help him, but old demons catch up with Gabriel and the two brothers find themselves caught up in a spiral, where their opposite social status seems to lead to the same dead-end.

SATURDAY APRIL 19

11:00am
PARIS
Second screening

1:30pm
Theatre 2
OSS 117: CAIRO NEST OF SPIES (OSS 117, Le Caire nid d’espions)
Los Angeles Premiere
Comedy
Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius
Written by: Jean-François Halin
With: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Béjo, Aure Atika, Philippe Lefèbvre

The most astonishing of secret agents, OSS 117 is gifted. He can learn anything in a few minutes: foreign languages, martial arts, Eastern dance...Armed he is invincible. Bare-handed, he is indestructible. He is handsome. He has charm and style. OSS 117 almost has it all. But when it comes to reason and judgment, he is not so efficient… Starring Jean Dujardin (Counter Investigation (COL•COA 2007), 99 Francs (COL•COA 2008)) as OSS 117 alias Hubert Bonnisseur de la Bath, this parody of classic James Bond films won the audience prize at the 2006 Seattle International Film festival.

Theatre 1
3:00pm
LA VIE D’ARTISTE
North American Premiere
Comedy
Written and directed by: Marc Fitoussi
With: Sandrine Kiberlain, Émilie Dequenne, Denis Podalydès, Valérie Benguigui

La Vie d’Artiste is a comedy chronicling the experience of three characters, a singer, a writer and an actress, determined to succeed in their art but struggling to have their talent recognized. Writer/director Marc Fitoussi has assembled a cast of French indie darlings in this meditation on art and success: Sandrine Kiberlain (Alias Betty (COL•COA 2002), For Sale, Seventh Heaven), Émilie Dequenne (The brotherhood of the Wolf, The Housekeeper, The Light (COL•COA 2005) and Denis Podalydès (Nothing about Robert, Comedy of Innocence, Diary of a Seducer).

3:00pm – 7:00pm
Theatre 3
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE (of French cinema)
Special presentation of trailers of upcoming French films

3:45pm
Theatre 2
THE WALKING MAN (L’Homme qui marche)
US Premiere
Directed by: Aurélia Georges
Written by: Aurélia Georges, Elodie de Monlibert
With: Cesar Sarachu, John Arnold, Mireille Perrier, Judith Henry

The Walking Man is the story of Viktor Atemian (César Sarachu), a political refugee who comes to Paris and becomes a celebrated writer in intellectual circles, but quickly goes back to anonymity. As time passes and success doesn’t return, he finds himself penniless, staying in cheap hotels to finally end up homeless. A poetic and surrealist meditation on time, renunciation, the literary world and its idiosyncrasies, The Walking Man is Aurélia Georges’ critically-acclaimed directorial debut.

5:15pm
Theatre 1
WELCOME TO THE LAND OF SHTIS (Bienvenue chez les ch’tis)
North American Premiere
Comedy
Directed by: Dany Boon
Written by: Dany Boon, Alexandre Charlot, Franck Magnier
With: Kad Merad, Dany Boon, Zoé Félix, Line Renaud

Starring French comic Kad Merad (The Chorus) as Philippe, a postal worker forced to relocate in the North of France, Welcome to the Land of Shtis is a comedy about overcoming prejudice and accepting difference. A southern man who sees the North as a post-industrial wasteland inhabited by coarse locals speaking the incomprehensible “Ch’ti” dialect, Philippe meets Antoine, (co-writer/director Dany Boon), a friendly mailman who introduces him to the locals. Through Antoine, he learns to know and appreciate the land and its people, but keeps telling his wife back home that he is living a nightmare. All is well until she finds out the truth.

6:00pm
Theatre 2
WATER LILIES (Naissance des pieuvres)
West Coast Premiere
Drama
Written & directed by: Céline Sciamma
With: Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachère, Adèle Haenel, Warren Jacquin

Céline Sciamma’s directorial debut stars newcomers Pauline Acquart (Marie), Louise Blachère (Anne) and Adèle Haenel (Floriane). This film explores the vast theme of nascent teenage sexuality through the relationships of three 15-year-old girls who compete in their school’s synchronized swimming team. Together, they confront the confusion and cruelty of adolescence, while learning about love and desire. The aquatic setting enhances the amorphous, fleeting nature of their interactions.

8:30pm
Theatre 1
CLOSING NIGHT
BEHIND THE WALLS (Les Hauts murs)
Drama
World Premiere
Directed by: Christian Faure
Written by: Albert Algoud
Based on a novel by: Auguste Le Breton
With: Catherine Jacob, Carole Bouquet, Michel Jonasz, François Damiens

A prolific television writer/director, Christian Faure directs his first feature film with Behind The Walls, a drama written by Albert Algoud, based on a novel by Auguste Le Breton. Set in the austere décor of 1930s French juvenile correctional facilities, Behind The Walls follows the tribulations of 14 year-old orphan Yves Treguier, who is sent from one facility to the next. For a daydreamer and escape artist like Yves, life in juvenile institutions resembles the harsh reality of prison, and as he stares at the walls circling the house, Yves dreams of escaping and going to New York City.

Followed by a Q&A with director Christian Faure

8:15pm
Theatre 2
CLOSING NIGHT
THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (La Graine et le mulet)
West Coast P