Notizie

Exclusive: Tahar Rahim, Camille Cottin, Benjamin Lavernhe and Noémie Merlant have been confirmed for the cast of Fred Cavayé’s action-skewed adaptation of Les Misérables as Studiocanal gears up to launch sales in Cannes.

They join Vincent Lindon who was previously announced for the role of Jean Valjean, the hero of Victor Hugo’s 1862 classic novel who transforms from hardened ex-convict and parole breaker to benevolent industrialist.

Les Misérables marks a departure for Cavayé whose credits include World War Two drama Farewell, Mr. Haffman, comedy drama Nothing to Hide (the French version of Italian hit Perfect Strangers) and thrillers such as Anything for Her, which was remade in English with Russell Crowe as The Next Three Days.

Rahim will play Valjean’s nemesis Inspector Javert, who becomes obsessed with tracking him down. Benjamin Lavernhe, seen recently in the French hit The Marching Band, and Call My Agent! star Camille Cottin,...

https://youtu.be/-d4aZI-S0S0?si=LJe60OsZgQ4ZMbDv Today, Apple TV+ unveiled the provocative trailer for upcoming new French-language drama “Carême,” starring César Award winner Benjamin Voisin (“Lost Illusions”), César Award nominee Jérémie Renier (“My Way”), César Award winner Lyna Khoudri (“Papicha”) and Alice Da Luz (“Hanami”). The series is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Martin Bourboulon (“Les Trois Mousquetaires: D’Artagnan”). “Carême” …

The post For Immediate Release: Apple TV+ debuts trailer for daring new French-language drama, “Carême” appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Gold Derby's top news stories for March 20, 2025. Netflix drops teaser and premiere date for Tina Fey comedy The Four Seasons

Tina Fey is taking a vacation — and she's bringing along an A-list cast of costars in the new Netflix comedy The Four Seasons. The nine-time Emmy winner created the show with Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield — and based the eight-part series on the 1981 film written and directed by Alan Alda. Will Forte, Steve Carrell, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Colman Domingo, and Marco Calvani round out the cast. The "heartfelt love letter to long marriages and old friendships" premieres May 1 on Netflix. Check out the sneak peek below.

The official Netflix synopsis: "Six old friends head for a relaxing weekend away only to learn that one couple in the group is about to split up. The three couples, Kate (Tina Fey) and Jack (Will Forte), Nick (Steve Carell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver...

Today, Apple TV+ unveiled the provocative trailer for the upcoming new French-language drama Carême, starring César Award winner Benjamin Voisin (Lost Illusions), César Award nominee Jérémie Renier (My Way), César Award winner Lyna Khoudri (Papicha), and Alice Da Luz (Hanami).

The series is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Martin Bourboulon (Les Trois Mousquetaires: D’Artagnan). “Carême” will make its global debut on Apple TV+ on April 30, 2025, with the first two episodes, followed by one episode weekly every Wednesday through June 11, 2025.

Carême follows the thrilling story of the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême (Voisin), who rose from humble beginnings in Paris to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. While he dreams only of becoming the most famous chef in the world, his talent and ambitions attract the attention of renowned and powerful politicians, who use him as a spy for France.

Determined to escape poverty and fulfill his dream,...

The world’s first celebrity chef, Marie-Antoine Carême, came to prominence in the Napoleonic era. But the makers of Apple TV+ series “Carême” turned to other great men for inspiration.

“We spent hours looking at photos of Lenny Kravitz and Mick Jagger,” says star Benjamin Voisin.

“With costume designer Pierre-Jean Larroque, we thought it would be great to bring that sexy, liberated feeling to his outfits, to bring rock’n’roll. What could be more beautiful from making a period series yet talking about people who could live today?”

Director Martin Bourboulon – previously behind “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan” and “The Three Musketeers: Milady” – also looked for a modern twist to the story.

“I wanted to avoid the usual ‘period drama style’ and give Carême this sexy, rock’n’roll attitude, which Benjamin also has in real life. It doesn’t matter if the costumes aren’t always [historically] accurate – it was...

He broke out big in François Ozon‘s Summer of 85 (he confirmed his prowess with his following film the Venice Film Fest preemed Lost Illusions), Benjamin Voisin will now topline and reteam with filmmaker for L’Étranger (aka The Outsider) – the book to film project based on Albert Camus’ 1942 novella. Voisin would play Meursault, an indifferent settler in French Algeria, who, weeks after his mother’s funeral, kills an unnamed Arab man in Algiers. The story is divided into two parts, presenting Meursault’s first-person narrative before and after the killing. Production is set to take place next month in Tangier, Morocco.…...

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North and Latin American rights to Rebecca Zlotowski’s French murder mystery film “Vie Privée,” TheWrap has learned.

The project stars Jodie Foster as a renowned psychiatrist who investigates the suspicious death of one of her patients. She is joined by Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira (“Other People’s Children”), Mathieu Amalric (“Serpent’s Path”), Vincent Lacoste (“Lost Illusions”) and Luàna Bajrami (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”).

The project’s promo was unveiled at the European Film Market by Goodfellas, which has sold it nearly everywhere worldwide. In France, the film will be released by Ad Vitam.

The film reunites Zlotowski with her longtime producer, Frédéric Jouve, at Les Films Velvet. Zlotowski’s previous credits include 2023 Venice Golden Lion contender “Other People’s Children,” “An Easy Girl,” “Planetarium,” “Grand Central” and “Dear Prudence.”

It also marks Foster’s first French-language role in two decades following her role...

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American and Latin American rights for Rebecca Zlotowski’s French-language murder mystery movie Vie Privée, starring Jodie Foster as a renowned psychiatrist who investigates the suspicious death of one of her patients.

Foster, who speaks fluent French, is joined in the cast by Auteuil and Efira (Other People’s Children), Mathieu Amalric (Serpent’s Path), Vincent Lacoste (Lost Illusions) and Luana Bajrami (Portrait of a Lady On Fire).

The acquisition follows a slew of deals on the film, which is being sold internationally by Goodfellas.

As announced by Deadline over the weekend, it has sold out in Europe with deals to UK (Altitude), Spain (Caramel Films), Germany (Plaion Pictures), Italy (Europictures), Benelux (September Film), Switzerland (Frenetic Films), Portugal (Pris Audiovisuais), Bulgaria (Cinelibri), ex-Yugoslavia (McF), Hungary (Cinetel Ltf), Romania (Independenta Film), Poland (Best Film), the Baltics and Cis (Pro:vzglyad).

Danish distributor Another World Entertainment has acquired Scandinavian rights,...

In one of the first major deals unveiled at the European Film Market, Sony Pictures Classics (“I’m Still Here”) has bought “Vie Privée,” a highly anticipated, humor-laced murder mystery movie starring Jodie Foster and directed by Rebecca Zlotowski (“Other People’s Children”), for North America and Latin America territories.

The Oscar winner stars in the film as renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner who mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered. Foster last starred in a French-language film 20 years ago in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Oscar-nominated “A Very Long Engagement.”

Foster, who recently won an Emmy and a Golden Globe her turn in HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country,” stars in “Vie Privée” alongside a flurry of international stars, including Daniel Auteuil and Efira (“Other People’s Children”), Mathieu Almaric (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), Vincent Lacoste (“Lost Illusions”) and Luana Bajrami...

Exclusive: Goodfellas has posted a slew of deals for Rebecca Zlotowski’s French-language murder mystery movie Vie Privée, starring Jodie Foster alongside a host of top French talent including Daniel Auteuil and Virginie Efira, and unveiled a first look.

The movie – which shot last fall between Paris and Normandy – is currently in post-production, with an expected festival push this year.

It has sold out in Europe, with deals to UK (Altitude), Spain (Caramel Films), Germany (Plaion Pictures), Italy (Europictures), Benelux (September Film), Switzerland (Frenetic Films), Portugal (Pris Audiovisuais), Bulgaria (Cinelibri), ex-Yugoslavia (McF), Hungary (Cinetel Ltf), Romania (Independenta Film), Poland (Best Film), the Baltics and Cis (Pro:vzglyad).

Danish distributor Another World Entertainment has struck a multi-territory deal for Scandinavia, covering Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Outside of Europe, it has been acquired for Israel (Lev Cinemas) and Turkey (Yeni Bir Films) and Australia and New Zealand (Transmission)

North America, Latin...

Today, Apple TV+ shared a first look at Carême, the upcoming French-language drama starring César Award winner Benjamin Voisin, César Award nominee Jérémie Renier, César Award winner Lyna Khoudri and Alice Da Luz.

The series is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Martin Bourboulon. Carême will make its global debut on Apple TV+ on April 30, 2025, with the first two episodes, followed by one episode weekly every Wednesday through June 11, 2025.

Carême follows the thrilling story of the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême (Voisin), who rose from humble beginnings in Paris to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe.

While he dreams only of becoming the most famous chef in the world, his talent and ambitions attract the attention of renowned and powerful politicians who use him as a spy for France.

Determined to escape poverty and fulfill his dream, Carême can choose revenge, or he can have it all — women,...

Exclusive: Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Lacoste and Luana Bajrami have been unveiled as supporting cast members in Rebecca Zlotowski’s murder mystery movie Vie Privée starring Jodie Foster.

The production has also unveiled the plotline for the film which follows renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner, played by previously-announced Foster, who mounts her own private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered.

The supporting cast news and plot reveal comes as filming – running from September 30 to November 22 between Paris and Normandy – enters its third week.

The feature is Zlotowski’s sixth film after 2023 Venice Golden Lion contender Other People’s Children, An Easy Girl, Planetarium, Grand Central and Dear Prudence.

Zlotowski co-wrote the screenplay with Anne Berest, whose credits include Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening and Other People’s Children, as well as long-time collaborator Gaëlle Macé.

The film...

For the close-knit and loving French family at the center of directors Delphine and Muriel Coulin’s intensely intimate new drama, The Quiet Son (Jouer avec le feu), home is where the heart is, and politics are probably best left at the doorstep.

Unfortunately, the opposite winds up happening to hardworking single dad Pierre (Vincent Lindon) when his oldest son, Fus (Benjamin Voisin), veers far to the right, joining a band of radical thugs committing violent acts around the neighborhood.

How do you stop a child from pursuing political beliefs that are diametrically opposed to yours — beliefs that could be dangerous? Is it better to let them follow their own path, in the hopes that they’ll eventually come around? Or do you try and intervene at some point, with the risk of pushing them even further in the wrong direction?

Those are the questions guiding the Coulins’ gripping and well-performed fourth feature,...

Pulsar Content has boarded “A Survivor’s Tale,” produced by Kg Prods. (“Custody”), the banner founded by Costa Gavras and Michèle Ray-Gavras. The movie is headlined by Salomé Dewaels, the star of Xavier Giannoli’s Venice competition film “Lost Illusions.”

Directed by Belgian filmmaker Micha Wald, ”A Survivor’s Tale” is based on the true story of Marguerite de la Rocque, a young noblewoman abandoned in the wilderness of 16th century Canada. Condemned for being pregnant with a child born from a violent assault, she’s abandoned with her rapist and her maid on a deserted island near Newfoundland.

Marguerite must survive two harrowing years on the “Island of Demons,” facing starvation and the relentless cold. As she battles to keep herself and her unborn child alive, Marguerite’s journey becomes one of profound transformation and emancipation. Orignally titled “L’île de la Demoiselle,” the movie also stars the rising...

Canadian director Xavier Dolan has revealed he is writing a period horror movie set in 1880s France, which he hopes to shoot in late 2025.

If the project comes together, it will be Dolan’s first feature since Matthias & Maxime, which premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

“It’s something I wrote before the pandemic, and I’m looking at again… It’s a genre film, a horror film, set in 1880s in France.,” Dolan told the Canadian cinema Sans Filtre podcast.

During the episode, Dolan talked at length about the personal impact of negative reviews for his sixth feature It’s Only the End of the World when it premiered in Competition in Cannes in 2016.

Dolan hit back at the time, and the experience appears to continue to play into his work.

Talking about the new horror movie project, he said: “It feels removed from my life and...

We have the first details on the next feature films from a pair of French auteurs who arguably are both coming off what might be their career bests. Xavier Giannoli (2021’s Lost Illusions) and Rebecca Zlotowski (2022’s Other People’s Children) will likely be moving into film productions as early as this year with the Cineuropa folks reporting that their latest features have received Cnc advance coin. Giannoli’s next feature Jean et Corinne Luchaire (produced by Curiosa Films) is based on real-life events and revolves around a father and daughter who collaborated with the Germans in the Second World War: the journalist and press baron Jean Luchaire, who fled Sigmaringen upon France’s liberation and was later sentenced to death and executed in 1946, and his daughter Corinne, who was an up-and-coming actress between 1935 and 1940 before she was forced to halt her career for health reasons, who was briefly married to a German officer,...

An Odd Turn (Un movimiento extraño) thrums with a sense of classicism and mystery, yet feels plugged into the uncertainties of Argentina’s current reality: haunted by a failure to confront the violent past, high inflation rates and a devaluation of the peso. Concerning the travails of a security guard with a sixth sense whose romantic encounters are linked to her gamble on the currency market, Francisco Lezama’s film eschews conventional narrative plotting in favour of creating a peculiar yet beguiling vibe; born out of his unorthodox way of writing narratives through collecting contrasting ideas on cards, all the while working as a film history professor at Universidad del Cine and at the Museum of Moving Image Film Archive in Buenos Aires. After his Golden Bear win at this year’s Berlinale, we talked to Lezama about the twin inspirations of Balzac and Rohmer, creating a humanist working method...

Playtime (“Son of Saul”) is reteaming with celebrated French directors François Ozon (“By the Grace of God”) and sister duo Delphine and Muriel Coulin (“17 Girls”) on their respective upcoming films, “When Fall Is Coming” and “The Quiet Son.”

“When Fall is Coming” marks Ozon’s follow up to “The Crime Is Mine.” The film stars Hélène Vincent (“The Specials”), Josiane Balasko (“Back to Mom’s”), Ludivine Sagnier (“Lupin”) and Pierre Lottin (“Notre-Dame on Fire”).

The film tells the story of Michelle, who is enjoying a peaceful retirement in a charming Burgundy village near her longtime friend Marie-Claude. She eagerly anticipates her grandson Lucas spending the school vacation with her, but things don’t go as planned. Feeling lonely, Michelle loses her sense of purpose, until Marie-Claude’s son gets out of prison.

The film is self-produced by Ozon through his vehicle Foz. Diaphana Distribution will release it in France.

McCance died aged 53 on December 19 last year, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer.

Colleagues and friends have paid tribute to “free spirit” and “brilliant role model”, Northern Ireland-born, Sweden-based film and TV writer and executive producer Ruth McCance, who has died aged 53 from cancer.

McCance was diagnosed in November of last year with stomach cancer, and died just five weeks later.

During her career she worked on films including Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher, Thomas Vinterberg’s It’s All About Love, Soren-Kragh Jakobson’s Skagerrak and Garth Jennings’s Son Of Rambow.

McCance grew up in Belfast. Her mother was a...

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s strand in which, each fortnight, we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.

This week we head to the Venice Film Festival to check out French director Xavier Giannoli’s international crime thriller Of Money and Blood, which world premiered in its official selection on August 31 to a buzzy reception.

Name: Of Money and Blood

Country: France

Network: Canal+

Distributor: Studiocanal

Where can I watch: Canal+ in France from October

For fans of: Michael Mann’s The Insider, Martin Scorsese’s Wall Street, Oliver Stone’s JFK, Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic

French writer-director Xavier...

Xavier Giannoli is one of those rare French directors who has a stronger relationship with the Venice Film Festival than Cannes back home.

He has competed for Venice’s Golden Lion three times in the last decade with Superstar (2012), Marguerite (2015) and the sumptuous Honoré de Balzac adaptation Lost Illusions (2021).

The filmmaker is back for a fourth time this year playing Out of Competition with his first-ever drama series, the international thriller Of Money And Blood. All 12 episodes will world premiere in a marathon screening on Thursday, with further seances at the back end of the festival.

Liberally adapted from the eponymous book by investigative journalist Fabrice Arfi, the series delves into a real-life, carbon credit tax scam, which swindled the French state of at least $1.7 billion, in an operation that came to be known as the “fraud of the century” when it came to trial in 2018.

Related: Venice Film Festival...

Apple TV+ will be tapping into France’s lavish culinary heritage with “Carême,” a new original series about the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême, which will be directed by Martin Bourboulon (“The Three Musketeers: d’Artagnan”).

Set in the 19th century, the eight-episode French drama will chart the sprawling story of Carême, who rose from humble beginnings in Paris to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. He not only became an iconic chef, he also became a spy for France as his talent and ambitions attracted the attention of powerful politicians, including Napoleon. The series will shed light on the miserable reality of 19th century kitchens, contrasting with the opulence of the mansions and sophisticated of aristocrats.

“Carême” will be led by a starry French cast, including Benjamin Voisin, the Cesar-winning actor of “Lost Illusions” and “Summer of 85″ in the title role. Voisin will star opposite...

“The Pot Au Feu” from French-Vietnamese director Trần Anh Hùng may be one of the most radical films competing for a Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes. The sensorial movie, set in late-19th century France, opens with a mouthwatering cooking sequence that runs nearly 40 minutes and portrays a slow-burning romance with a minimalist plot. Yet, Hùng, best known for his Cannes’ Golden Camera-winning “The Scent of Green Papaya” and Venice Golden Lion-winning “Cyclo,” tells Variety he’s always been confident “The Pot Au Feu” would strike a chord beyond the foodie niche, and it has. The movie earned some of the competition’s strongest reviews on the heels of its world premiere and a U.S. deal is currently being negotiated by Gaumont. Variety‘s Guy Lodge praised the film for holding its audience “entirely on the pleasures of beauty, vicarious indulgence and, eventually, the human care inherent in haute cuisine.

Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal has closed two multi-territory deals for Bulgarian gay summer-romance film “Liuben,” directed by Venci Kostov.

The film has been acquired by Tla Entertainment for North America, France, U.K. and Ireland, and Cinemien for Germany, Austria, German-speaking Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Israel, Italy and Sweden.

“Liuben,” which has its world premiere at Guadalajara Intl. Film Festival in June, is the first openly gay film from Bulgaria. Roma actors, who are usually absent from Bulgarian cinema, play lead roles in the film.

The film follows Victor, 27, who returns to his childhood home in Bulgaria for his grandfather’s funeral, and decides to stay for the summer. While reconnecting with his father and the village way of life, he unexpectedly finds love in the form of Liuben, an 18-year-old Roma boy. Despite their differences, and the conflicts around them, Victor and Liuben find refuge in each other.

Playtime has boarded “Monsieur Aznavour,” the prestige biopic of legendary French-Armenian Charles Aznavour starring Tahar Rahim. Budgeted at €26 million, the film will start principal photography on May 30. Pathé has scooped French rights and will give it a wide release in theaters.

Surely one of the hottest packages to hit this year’s Cannes market, the film will chart Aznavour’s sprawling life journey, from his poor childhood to his rise to fame, from his triumphs to his failures, from Paris to New York. Aznavour was devoted to his art until the very end, singing his songs in ten languages, on every stage, in every city, desperately searching for perfection. He sold more than 180 million records around the world.

Rahim, who’s rolling off Marvel’s “Madame Web” and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” is highly committed to the part and has been preparing it for months. He will be in Cannes...

Memento International has closed major deals on Martin Provost’s “Bonnard, Pierre And Marthe” ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Slated for Cannes Premiere, the period film revolves around the colorful relationship and epic love between renowned French painters Pierre and Marthe Bonnard who are played by Vincent Macaigne (“Irma Vep”) and Cecile de France (“Lost Illusions”).

The film has been pre-sold by Memento International to key distributors in Italy (I Wonder), Canada (Sphère Films), Latin America (California Filmes), South Korea (Aud), Taiwan (Flash Forward), Airlines (Skeye), Poland (Hagi), Hungary (Vertigo), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Czech Republic (Cinemart), Bulgaria (Beta Film), Ex-Yugoslavia (Demiurg).

“Bonnard, Pierre And Marthe” was previously acquired for Germany (Prokino), Australia (Palace), Switzerland (Frenetic), Austria (Panda) and Denmark (Filmbazar). Memento Distribution and Imagine will release the film in France and Benelux, respectively.

The lushly lensed film charts the enduring bond and...

Film stars Raphael Personnaz and Jeanne Balibar.

Paris-based Snd has boarded Anne Fontaine’s Boléro about the birth of the renowned orchestral work from Maurice Ravel, now shooting in France.

Set in the Roaring 1920s, the film stars Raphael Personnaz, known for Our Brothers, Julia(s) and The French Minister, as the composer. Jeanne Balibar, who has appeared in Lost Illusions, Cold War and Grace Of Monaco, plays the Russian dancer-choreographer Ida Rubinstein who commissioned the now legendary music.

Snd, the film arm of France’s M6 group, is on board as co-producer and French distributor and is launching international sales at Cannes.

Pixar will be back at the Cannes Film Festival on closing night (May 27) with the world premiere of their new feature “Elemental.”

Presented Out of Competition, the film will be released in theaters on June 16 in the U.S. and on June 21 in France. “Elemental” is the fourth feature film from Pixar Animation Studios to be presented in the Official Selection, after “Up,” “Inside Out” and “Soul.”

“Element” revolves around the friendship between Ember, a fearless and quick-witted young woman with a strong personality, and Wade, a sentimental, fun-loving, go-with-the-flow boy.

“As we all emerge from our pandemic cocoons and come together in story rooms, animation dailies and impromptu brainstorming sessions, it’s a joy and honor to have Pixar back on La Croisette,” said Pete Docter, Pixar’s chief creative officer.

“Directed by the extraordinary storyteller Peter Sohn, ‘Elemental’ is so funny, full of heart and, frankly, stunning to see.

by Arnaud Trouve

Brad Pitt and Virginie Efira present the Honorary César to David Fincher

The 48th French César Awards were just held and, as expected, The Night of the 12th was the big winner. It won Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Male Newcomer, just like last year's champion Lost Illusions. Its two additional prizes were for Best Sound and Best Director. Dominik Moll almost broke the record at the Césars for the longest time between two directing wins (he previously won 22 years ago for the thriller With A Friend Like Harry)...

The world premieres of Cédric Klapisch’s Amazon Prime Video show “Greek Salad” and Anna Winger’s Netflix series “Transatlantic” will open and close the 2023 edition of Series Mania.

The event will feature masterclasses with “Succession” star Brian Cox, “Westworld” producer Lisa Joy, who also will preside over the international competition jury, Klapisch and renowned French actors Cécile de France (“Lost Illusions”) and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (“Emily in Paris”).

Series in the international competition this year include Arte’s “Grace of Heaven” (France/Belgium); Apple TV+, France Télévisions, Hulu Japan’s “Drops of God” (France/U.S./Japan); Paramount+’s “Fleeting Lies” (Spain); Mega TV’s “Milky Way” (Greece); Reshet 13’s “Red Skies” (Israel); Filimo, Namava’s “The Actor” (Iran); Viaplay’s “The Fortress” (Norway); and Prime Video’s “The Power” (U.S.)

The international jury, which also includes French actor Emmanuelle Béart, British showrunner-screenwriter Chris Chibnall (“Broadchurch”), French-British singer-songwriter and actor Lou Doillon,...

Exclusive: Music Box Films has acquired North American rights to SXSW road-trip drama The Unknown Country starring Certain Women and Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone and Raymond Lee (Top Gun: Maverick).

In director Morrisa Maltz’s indie pic, an unexpected invitation rushes a grieving young woman into a road trip through the American Midwest towards the border between Texas and Mexico. The young woman, Tana, navigates the complex, post-2016 election social climate, and a natural landscape that is increasingly surreal. Along the way, she bonds with unexpected people who are unknown to her yet intrinsically familiar.

The Unknown Country is produced by Katherine Harper and Laura Heberton alongside executive producers Miranda Bailey and Natalie Whalen of Cold Iron Pictures (Super). Executive producers include Ty Gordon of Wooden Fingers Studios, Rachel Crouch, Gill Holland, Steve Malouf, Matthew C. Mills and Veronica Nickel.

The sale was negotiated by Music...

Mathieu Amalric’s penetrating Hold Me Tight (Serre Moi Fort), based on the play Je Reviens De Loin by Claudine Galéa, begins cryptically with a woman, Clarisse, turning over polaroids of her family life displayed on a table in a kind of makeshift memory game. “I’m sick of being little,” says one of her two children. Daughter Lucie (Juliette Benveniste) wants a piano, son Paul (Aurèle Grzesik) wants a treehouse. What could her husband Marc (Arieh Worthalter) want?

Shot by (César Award winner for Xavier Giannoli’s Lost Illusions) Christophe Beaucarne (Amalric’s The Blue Room and Lumière winner for Barbara) the film is tinged in shades of coral - from the tablecloth to Clarisse’s fluffy sweater, to the rust and...

Mubi Go, which has helped buoy NYC’s arthouse market by offering members a free movie ticket a week at participating theaters, expands to LA today where the biz could really use a boost. The films are curated and the first is Apple’s Cha Cha Real Smooth.

Mubi, a global streaming service, production company and film distributor, launched Mubi Go in New York last fall and will continue expanding to major markets through 2022 with Chicago next. “We’re being very careful and methodical about the rollout,” said distribution chief Chris Wells.

Mubi members get Mubi Go as a perk. The company doesn’t release subscriber numbers but Wells said its NYC base jumped by 30 after it added Mubi Go.

Movie picks include its own releases, like Lingui, The Sacred Bonds, but mostly from other distributors from Drive My Car, The Power of the Dog and Passing to We’re...

Tentpole becomes 10th MCU release to reach milestone. Jurassic World: Dominion to cross 500m worldwide on Friday.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness has crossed 400m in North America, becoming the second highest release of the year to date behind Top Gun: Maverick.

Disney/Marvel Studios’ superhero sequel starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Sam Raimi stands at 400.3m and crossed the milestone on Wednesday, its 41st day in release.

It becomes the 10th Marvel Cinematic Universe release to reach the milestone after: Avengers: Endgame (858.4m), Spider-Man: No Way Home (804.8m), Black Panther (700.1m), Avengers: Infinity War (678.8m), The Avengers...

Music Box Films has acquired North American rights to “Rodeo,” the bold feature debut of Lola Quivoron which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes where it won the Coup de Cœur du Jury special prize.

Produced by Charles Gillibert (“Annette”) at CG Cinema and represented by Les Films du Losange, “Rodeo” stars newcomer Julie Ledrue a Julia, a hot tempered and fiercely independent young woman who infiltrates an underground dirt bike community in France.

After a chance meeting at an urban ‘Rodeo,’ Julia finds herself drawn into a clandestine and volatile clique and striving to prove herself to the ultra-masculine group, but is she is faced with a series of escalating demands that will make or break her place in the community.

“Stylish and untamed, ‘Rodeo’ was one of the most energetic films we experienced at Cannes this year,” said Music Box Films’ Brian Andreotti. “Lola Quivoron’s dynamic...

Following its Venice Film Festival bow and seven César Awards including for Best Film, Lost Illusions was the top weekend title at two core NYC arthouses — taking 10,850 of its estimated 13,579 three-day gross from Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center.

The period piece based on the Honoré de Balzac novel about greed and hypocrisy in the art world of 1800s Paris was also the top film at the Laemmle Royal in LA. It opened on six screens for a PSA 2,263. Distributor Music Box Films is giving Lost Illusions (Illusions Perdues), from director Xavier Giannoli, a traditional platform rollout with a 60-day theatrical window, expanding to San Francisco, Miami, Denver, Minneapolis and Atlanta next Friday and additional markets including Boston and Seattle on June 24.

“We’re happy with New York. New York has come back,” said Music Box theatrical distribution chief Kyle Westphal.

The most decorated film at the French equivalent...

S.S. Rajamouli’s Rrr, a huge hit when it opened in March, is dipping back into the U.S. market in a novel and, so far, successful bid by distributors to expand the reach of the Telugu period drama beyond the traditional audience for Indian film.

Originally out March 23 on 1,000 screens, wide for an Indian release Stateside, Rrr (Rise! Roar! Revolt!) grossed more than 14 million in North America, and over 140 million globally. In India, the epic story of two friends who discover they’re on opposite sides of India’s struggle for independence (Deadline review here), smashed records to set the best opening day for a local film ever. That was director Rajamouli topping his own previous record-holder in the market, 2017’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. See Rajamouli interview.

Indian films are a staple of the U.S. box office but rarely stick around for more than a week.

Snd has closed a flurry of sales across its slate, including the animated feature “The Jungle Bunch: World Tour,” the French comedy “Ooh La la,” and the international melodrama “The Braid.”

Produced by leading animation studio Tat Productions, “The Jungle Bunch: World Tour” is the sequel to the animated feature hit “The Jungle Bunch – The 3D Movie” which was one of the highest grossing French productions worldwide in 2017 and sold to over 70 territories. The spinoff movies expand on the popular animated series “The Jungle Bunch” which follows the adventures of a group of misfit animals on a mission to protect their kingdom.

In “The Jungle Bunch: World Tour,” a mysterious super-villain covers the jungle with a toxic pink foam that explodes on contact with water, prompting the heroic animals to set off on a race-against-time journey around the world to find an antidote before the start of the rainy season.

There is an intoxicating smugness to Xavier Giannoli’s new adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s “Illusions perdue,” as though this filmmaker couldn’t wait to shove this movie right in the faces of every human being on television, or on Twitter, or indeed who has ever criticized a movie, complained about the news, or whined about anything even remotely related to popular culture in the last 20 years.

Balzac got there first. Balzac said it better. And Giannoli damn well knows it.

Giannoli’s film, “Lost Illusions,” is a sexy and mean-spirited social satire about a young poet named Lucien who follows his heart, and his wealthy married lover, Louise, to Paris in the mid-19th century. Promptly discarded for fear of scandal, Lucien is left destitute and gets the only writing job he can find, releasing controversial hot takes for a local rag.

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Black Comedy ‘Bye Bye...

Around the inception of Cahiers du Cinéma François Truffaut coined a term, “cinéma de papa,” to describe what he and cohorts sought to rebel against: the dominantly dull strand of French film in the ’40s and ’50s that often included costume dramas, esteemed literary adaptations, adoring biopics, etc. To this day it remains a useful term for describing certain films that inspire the sense it won’t surprise in any fashion.

In the case of Lost Illusions––which swept this year’s Caesar awards, as if the amount of prestige on-hand between the source material and luminary cast didn’t make it an automatic shoo-in––it’s a little sad having to apply this term. Despite its source author’s vaunted (or snooty) standing in literary history, it can’t help seem a disservice that a Balzac adaptation serves as such a dead object: plenty costumes and extras, no real...

F is for Fake: Giannoli Highlights Prescience in Adaptation of Balzac Classic

The erosion of romanticism and idealism is at the core of Honore de Balzac’s classic 1843 text Lost Illusions, initially published as a serial and forms part of the author’s famed interlinking The Human Comedy. Directed by Xavier Giannoli, reuniting with his The Singer (2006) actors Cécile de France and Gerard Depardieu, this is far from a mere costume drama reflecting the specific sentiments of a certain time and place. Rather, it highlights a prototype of how stunt journalism shaped news media and the exchange of information compromised by subject, self-serving interest.…...

One of the hottest European projects on sale at Cannes, “The Pot Au Feu,” Tran Anh Hung’s period romance starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel has already been nabbed by major international distributors. Gaumont is handling sales on the movie.

The movie, which is currently shooting in a French castle, is set in the world of French gastronomy in 1885 and charts the relationship between Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the gourmet she has been working for over the last 20 years. Growing fonder of one another, their bond turns into a romance and gives rise to delicious dishes that impress even the world’s most illustrious chefs. When Dodin is faced with Eugenie’s reluctance to commit to him, he decides to start cooking for her.

“The Pot au Feu” has been acquired by Canada (Mongrel), Latin America and Portugal (Sun Distribution), Germany (Weltkino), Italie (Lucky Red), Israel (Lev...

Snd has boarded “The Braid,” an adaptation of Laetitia Colombani’s bestseller which is currently shooting in Italy, Canada and India with Kim Raver (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Fotini Peluso (“Romanzo famigliare”) and Mia Maelzer (“Beyond the Clouds”).

Colombani is directing the film based on her book which sold more than two million copies worldwide and was translated in 40 languages. Olivier Delbosc’s Curiosa Films, whose credits include Claire Denis’s “Stars at Noon” and “Lost Illusions,” and Marc Missonnier’s Moana Films (“The Odyssey””) are producing the movie with Snd, Canada’s Forum Films and Italy’s Indigo Film co-producing. Snd will handle worldwide sales and French distribution. MK2 Mile End is set to handle Canadian distribution.

The movie opens in India, where Smita (Maelzer) dreams of giving her young daughter an education and will go to any length to make that happen, including leaving behind all she knows in search of a better future.

"The sound of scandal is in the air." Music Box Films has revealed the official US trailer for a compelling French period comedy drama titled Lost Illusions, originally known as Illusions Perdues in French. This was a big premiere at last year's Venice Film Festival, playing in the main competition, and it's a fascinating film about the early days of "journalism" in France - at a time when it was common to accept bribes to write rave reviews (or not). Lucien de Rubempré, a young, lower-class unknown poet, leaves his family's printing house for Paris. Soon, he learns the dark side of the arts business as he tries to stay true to his dreams. It's also described as: "Xavier Giannoli’s sumptuous adaptation of Honoré de Balzac's epic novel, Lost Illusions is a ravishing vision of the birth of modern media." A decadent tale of delight and madness as...

Orange Studio has unveiled a first still of Nicolas Pariser’s adventure thriller “The Green Perfume” which will close Directors’ Fortnight, the strand running alongside the Cannes Film Festival.

Starring Sandrine Kiberlain (“Nine-Month Stretch”) and Vincent Lacoste (“Lost Illusions”), “The Green Perfume” takes place following the death of a poisoned actor in the middle of a performance at la Comédie Française. Martin, a member of the troupe and friend of the victim, becomes the prime suspect and is also being hunted down by a mysterious organization, the Green Perfume. While leading his own investigation, Martin receives the unexpected help of Claire, an eccentric cartoonist seeking some adventure.

Orange Studio is handling international sales on the movie and will co-distribute it in France with Diaphana. “The Green Perfume” is produced by Bizibi.

“The Green Perfume” is one of the three movies on Orange Studio’s Cannes slate. The Paris-based company is...

In the run up to Cannes, Gaumont is launching sales on “The Pot of Feu,” Tran Anh Hung’s period romance starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel. The movie is currently shooting in a French castle.

Set in the world of French gastronomy in 1885, “The Pot of Feu” charts the relationship between Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the fine gourmet she has been working for over the last 20 years. Growing fonder of one another, their bond turns into a romance and gives rise to delicious dishes that impress even the world’s most illustrious chefs. When Dodin is faced with Eugenie’s reluctance to commit to him, he decides to start cooking for her.

Pierre Gagnaire, the 14 Michelin starred-chef, is serving as culinary counselor on the film and also has a small part in it. The story is inspired by the famous French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

“The Pot...

French actor Gérard Depardieu has lost an appeal in a case of alleged rape and sexual assault, and remains under investigation, the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed today according to Paris Attorney General Rémy Heitz, local media is reporting.

The long-gestating case began in August 2018, when a then-22-year-old unidentified actress filed a complaint that the veteran French actor had sexually assaulted and raped her that same month at one of his homes in Paris. Through his lawyer at the time, Depardieu denied the allegations and has continued to maintain his innocence.

An investigation was later closed without charge in 2019, but was then reopened the following year after the actress, who late last year revealed herself on social media to be Charlotte Arnould, re-filed a complaint which led to criminal charges in February 2021.

Depardieu appealed in May last year. However, according to Heitz today, “the investigating chamber considers that there are,...

Veteran French actor Gerard Depardieu will remain under formal investigation for alleged rape after losing an appeal.

The decision, which was announced on Thursday (March 10) by the Paris Court of Appeal, said it won’t drop Depardieu’s indictment, which stems from accusations of rape and sexual assault filed to authorities by Charlotte Arnould, an actor and dancer in her early 20’s, in August 2018. The case was initially dropped in 2019 following a lack of evidence, but was reopened in 2020.

Depardieu, who previously said through his lawyer that he “firmly rejected” Arnould’s accusations, has been under formal investigation since Dec. 16, 2020, and filed an appeal in May 2021.

“The Paris Court of Appeal considers that there remains, at this point, some grave and consistent clues that justify that Gerard Depardieu remains indicted,” said the Paris chief prosecutor Remy Heitz in a statement sent to Variety. Following this investigation, the case will either...

by Nathaniel R

Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert backstage at the Césars

France's top awards, the Césars, were held last night. The historical costume drama Lost Illusions which had led the nominations took home the most prizes including Best Film. But all was not lost for its competition since all but one of them won at least one César. The thorny musical tragedy Annette was the runner up in terms of wins even repeating the Best Director win at Cannes for Leos Carax. And of course Cate Blanchett took the Honorary César and was introduced by Isabelle Huppert herself.

The winners and comments and a few videos from the show are after the jump....

Winning ways: Benjamin Voisin who was named best male newcomer for Lost Illusions which took the top prize at the Césars as best film Photo: Lost Illusions Antoine de Caunes in full flood as host of the Césars at the Olympia Theatre in Paris - France’s equivalent of the Oscars Photo: Canal+ In the capable and affable hands of host Antoine de Caunes this year’s 47th edition of France’s answer to the Oscars, the Césars unfurled without any major embarrassments or disruption - with the top prize going to Xavier Giannoli’s lavish period piece Lost Illusions and a best newcomer award for Benjamin Voisin.

His co-conspirator in the film Vincent Lacoste was named best supporting actor and the much favoured production picked up awards for cinematography and best adapted screenplay.

Giannoli was not available to pick up the prize in person at the Olympia Theatre and...