News

France’s #MeToo movement is back in the spotlight today (March 24) as actor Gerard Depardieu is expected at a Paris criminal court to face charges of sexual assault on a film set.

The now 76-year-old French actor is being tried for the sexual assault of two women – an assistant director and a set designer – during the 2021 film shoot for Jean Becker’s The Green Shutters (Les Volets Verts) released in 2022 that co-stars Anouk Grinberg and Fanny Ardant.

If he is found guilty, he could face five years in prison and a €75,000 fine. He is also facing other charges in separate cases.

French TV outfit Canal+ Group unveiled on Tuesday solid full-year financial results for 2024 and plans to pursue its international M&a strategy, even though its market value has dropped drastically (to an estimated $2.1 billion) since being listed as a standalone entity by its parent company Vivendi at the London Stock Exchange.

Canal+ posted total revenues of €6.45 billion ($6.8 billion), a 3.6-percent increase on 2023 while its Ebita was up by 5.4% to €503 million ($529 million). The pay TV group is also still on track to complete its acquisition of MultiChoice, the leading PayTV operator in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, which was initially planned for April and has now been delayed by six months (to Oct. 8) due to local regulations.

Enders’ senior analyst Francois Godard said the Canal+’s full-year result confirm that it’s a “value stock,” but that “it’s not a company that will see tremendous growth.”

“When you see tech companies who are posting 20% growth every year,...

The France-produced “Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight”, is the new CG-animated historical ‘Romans vs Gauls’ comedy TV series, based on characters created by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny, directed by Alain Chabat and Fabrice Joubert, starring Alain Chabat, Gilles Lellouche, Anaïs Demoustier, Géraldine Nakache, Laurent Lafitte, Jeanne Balibar, Thierry Lhermitte, Grégory Gadebois, Alexandre Astier, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Grégoire Ludig, Jérôme Commandeur and Fred Testot, streaming April 30, 2025 on Netflix:

“…the ‘Druid’ named ‘Panoramix’ forgot the recipe…

“…for the magic potion after receiving a ‘menhir’ on the head…

“…while ‘Abraracourcix’, leader of the brave ‘Gauls’…

“…is challenged by one of his counterparts…

“…during a battle of the leaders.”

Click the images to enlarge…...

The president of this year’s Césars Catherine Deneuve bestowed the Best Film César to Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez

Jacques Audiard’s Mexican drug cartel musical Emilia Pérez emerged as the big winner at the 50th anniversary edition of the French César awards at the Olympic theatre in Paris although the success won’t necessarily boost its chances at the Oscars on Sunday.

Julia Roberts took home an Honorary César It won Best Film and Best Director for Audiard among several of the glittering prizes – a total of seven from its starting point of 12 nominations. The row around a controversial Tweet by Pérez actress Karlia Sofia Gascón appeared not to have harmed its chances in France with master of ceremonies Jean-Pascal Zadi beaming at Audiard that “We have to laugh …” The same attitude may not hold sway with the members of the Academy.

Although two box office hits The Count Of Monte Cristo...

Jacques Audiard’sEmilia Pérez was named best French film of the year at the 50th César awards on Friday night (February 28), taking home seven awards from 12 nominations.

The Mexico-set musical crime thriller that won the jury prize and shared best actress award at Cannes Film Festival last May also earned a best director and adapted screenplay prize for Audiard and awards for cinematography, original music, visual effects, and sound. The film has sold some 1.2million tickets at the French box office since its August 2014 release for Pathé.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

Stars Karla Sofia Gascon and...

Jacques Audiard’sEmilia Pérez was named best French film of the year at the 50th César awards on Friday night (February 28), taking home seven awards from 12 nominations.

The Mexico-set musical crime thriller that won the jury prize and shared best actress award at Cannes Film Festival last May also earned a best director and adapted screenplay prize for Audiard and awards for cinematography, original music, visual effects, and sound. The film has sold some 1.2million tickets at the French box office since its August 2014 release for Pathé.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

Stars Karla Sofia Gascon and...

“Emilia Pérez” won Best Film from the French 2025 César Awards, a major win for the Netflix film ahead of the Oscars. Jacques Audiard’s movie had earned 13 Oscar nominations but then fell out of frontrunner status.

The film also won both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jacques Audiard, though Zoe Saldaña, who has dominated the awards circuit all year, lost in an upset to Hafsia Herzi for the film “Borgo.” Saldaña though was nominated alongside Karla Sofía Gascón in the Best Actress category, and not in Best Supporting Actress.

In all, “Emilia Pérez” took home seven Césars out of 12 nominations, including Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Original Music, and Best Cinematography. “The Count of Monte Cristo,” a new version of the Dumas revenge tale, led all nominees with 14, and it won two.

While the Césars this year largely did not resemble the Oscars, a few others won...

Jacques Audiard swept the board at the 50th Césars on Friday evening, winning Best Director and Film for Emilia Pérez against expectations after its award-season campaign was derailed by the uncovering of racist tweets by its star Karla Sofía Gascón.

“It’s such a pleasure although I fear you actually don’t like me,” quipped a visibly moved Audiard as he received the Directors Award, which was announced first, with Anatomy of Fall Oscar and César winner Justine Triet handing it over. “I thank my marvellous team and when I say my team it’s not in the sense of ownership, but rather a declaration of love.”

Audiard also cited Gascón, who he has publicly distanced himself from in the wake of the tweet scandal, as well as co-star Zoe Saldaña, referring to them as “My darling Zoe, my Darling Karla.”

Audiard’s Oscar hopeful also clinched Best Adapted Screenplay,...

Jacques Audiard’s crime musical “Emilia Perez” won a raft of prizes, including best film and director, at the 50th edition of the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, on Friday in Paris.

“Emilia Perez” won a total of seven awards out of 12 nominations. While Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofía Gascón were both on hand and nominated for best actress, they lost to Hafsia Herzi, who starred as a prison supervisor in Stéphane Demoustier’s “Borgo.”

Gascón made her first award show appearance at the Cesar Awards ceremony after laying low in the wake of her offensive posts. Although she skipped the press line on the red carpet, Gascón sat on the same row as Audiard and Saldana inside the Olympia theater, but didn’t seat next to them and didn’t seem to be on speaking terms.

The ceremony’s emcee, French actor Jean-Pascal Zadi, tried to...

Jacques Audiard’s Oscar contender Emilia Pérez was the big winner at the 50th César Awards, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, taking best film and best director among multiple honors.

Audiard won best director and best adapted screenplay for Emilia Pérez, and the film also took honors for best sound, best cinematography, best visual effects and best original music.

But Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón, who walked the red carpet at the Paris gala, returning to the spotlight for the first time since the eruption of the controversy surrounding her offensive resurfaced tweets, lost out in the best actress race to Hafsia Herzi, who won for her role as a female prison guard in Stéphane Demoustier’s drama Borgo.

Gascón, who is Spanish, skipped Spain’s national film awards, the Goyas, earlier this month following the backlash over her past social media posts. Netflix removed the actress, the...

After directing a pair of contemporary thrillers “The Stronghold” and “November,” French director Cedric Jimenez is diving into genre for his next movie, “Chien 51,” a dystopian film that once again explores the work and minds of cops but this time in a near-future environment ruled by AI.

“Chien 51,” which reteams Jimenez with French producer Hugo Selignac at Chi-Fou-Mi (a Mediawan company) and distributor Studiocanal, is based on Laurent Gaudé’s 2022 futuristic thriller novel by the same name.

The movie marks Jimenez’s most ambitious movie to date and boasts a budget in the €40-million ballpark. The 18-week shoot took place on location in Paris, as well as in Marseille and in a studio where set were built. One of 2025’s most anticipated French movies, “Chien 51” will boast extensive visual effects and stylish set designs with some spectacular scenes involving up to 500 extras.

On the eve of the EFM,...

No fewer than 14 César nominations for The Count Of Monte Cristo starring Pierre Niney Photo: UniFrance

The denizens of France’s Academie des Césars (the equivalent of the Oscars or the BAFTAs) have voted for box office winners in their choices to go forward for Best Film, including the costume drama from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, The Count Of Monte Cristo, Jacques Audiard’s Mexican drugs cartel musical Emilia Pérez, and Emmanuel Courcol’s The Marching Band. Two more edgy titles, Souleymane’s Story and Miséricordia also have best picture nods in the contenders announced today.

Epic crime romance Beating Hearts scored 13 César nominations Photo: UniFrance

The Count Of Monte Cristo, which had a lacklustre performance in the recent Lumière Awards (bestowed by the foreign press working in France), trumped all-comers in the Césars with 14 nominations, while Gilles Lellouche’s epic crime romance Beating Hearts came a close second...

The 2025 César Awards, France’s premier film celebration, has unveiled its nominations, with “The Count of Monte Cristo” leading the pack with an impressive 14 nods. The announcement sets the stage for a star-studded ceremony on February 28 at the Olympia Concert Hall in Paris.

The epic adaptation directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière dominated the French film landscape in 2024, drawing nearly 10 million viewers and establishing itself as the country’s top cinematic export. Close behind is Gilles Lellouche’s “Beating Hearts,” a modern Romeo and Juliet reimagining that secured 13 nominations and attracted over five million moviegoers.

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” continues its awards season success with 12 César nominations, including best film and acting nods for Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldana. The film has already claimed four Golden Globes and is a strong contender in the international film circuit.

The nominations highlight both achievements and challenges in French cinema.

The Count of Monte Cristo, Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière’s retelling of the classic French revenge tale, is the front-runner for this year’s César Awards, scoring 14 nominations, including in the best film and best directing categories.

The period drama, starring Pierre Niney, beat out Jacques Audiard’s Oscar frontrunner Emilia Pérez, which got 12 noms, and Beating Hearts, Gilles Lellouche’s contemporary reimagining of Romeo and Juliet featuring François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos, which earned 13 nominations.

Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere’s lavish adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic was the biggest French box office hit of last year, drawing close to 10 million viewers for a $40 million local take. Globally, the film has grossed more than $75 million.

Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner, and Oscar contender, Anora, is up for the Cesar for best foreign film, against Academy Award hopefuls including Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance,...

Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patelliere’s epic literary adaptation The Count Of Monte-Cristo leads the nominations for France’s Cesar Awards with 14.

There were also strong showings from Gilles Lellouche’s Beating Hearts with 13 and Jacques Audiard’s Oscar and Bafta-nominated Emilia Perez with 12.

Scroll down for the full list of nominations

The Count Of Monte-Cristo and Emilia Perez are in the running for best film alongside Boris Lojkine’s Souleymane’s Story, Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia and Emmanuel Courcol’s The Marching Band.

All of the films nominated for best film had their world premiere at the...

“The Count of Monte Cristo,” a three-hour epic adventure adapted from Alexandre Dumas’s literary classic, is leading the race at the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, with a whooping 14 nominations. “Beating Hearts,” Gilles Lellouche’s sprawling crime romance, follows shortly with 13 nominations.

A favorite in the Oscar race, Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” is nominated for 12 Cesar Awards, including best film and actress for Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldana. The French awards show has highlighted international performers before, notably Kristen Stewart, who won a Cesar nod in 2015 for her supporting role in Olivier Assayas’ “Cloud of Sils Maria.”

It’s worth noting that the two Cesar frontrunners — “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Beating Hearts” — were also France’s second and third highest grossing local films in 2024. Both movies are produced by Mediawan-owned banners, Chapter 2 and Chi-Fou-Mi (the latter produced “Beating Hearts...

The Count of Monte Cristo has topped the nominations for France’s prestigious César awards, followed by Beating Hearts and Oscar frontrunner Emilia Pérez.

The film has made it into 14 categories in the nominations, which were announced in Paris on Wednesday morning. Beating Hearts clinched 13, followed by Emiia Pérez with 12.

Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere’s lavish and fast-paced adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel starring Pierre Niney was one of France’s top performing movies at the local box office in 2024, drawing close to 10M spectators and its top international export.

Gilles Lellouche’s modern Romeo and Juliet tale Beating Hearts – co-starring François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos – has also performed well at home, drawing more than five million spectators.

The 12 nominations for Jacques Audiard’s Cannes Jury prize-winning musical film Emilia Pérez continue its buzzy awards season run which has seen it clinch four Golden Globes and...

Exclusive: Studiocanal has revealed a first image for Vincent Maël Cardona’s tense behind-closed-doors thriller No One Will Know as it launches sales on the title at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris this week.

The huis close follows the clients and bar staff of a shabby cafe outside Paris in the early hours of the morning, who enter into a deadly pact when an elderly regular comes in and wins €294 million in the lottery.

Cardona has gathered a high-profile ensemble cast featuring Pio Marmaï (The Three Musketeers duology and The Ties That Bind Us), Sofiane Zermani (Hunting With Tigers), Panayotis Pascot (Loup Garous), Lucie Zhang and Joseph Olivennes (Magnetic Beats).

They are joined by Pulp Fiction star Maria de Meideros as the bar’s tough-talking, streetwise, eccentric landlady who stumbles in on the dangerous plan, which ultimately send all the participants on a bloody downward spiral.

The...

France was one of the few markets to see admissions increase year-on-year in 2024, driven by a powerhouse top 10, three of which were local blockbusters.

Admissions reached 181.3 million admissions, up a slight 0.5% on 2023, according to figures from Comscore and the Cnc. Total box office for the year was an estimated €1.3 billion ($1.35bn) based on an average ticket price of €7.20, driven largely by French films that took a 44.4% market share, the highest since 2008.

However this was still 12.8% down from the pre-pandemic yearly average of the 2017-2019 period.

Scroll down for full top 30 chart

An uneven 2024 started off slowly with just 55.9 million ticket sales between January and April,...

After surging back from the pandemic with a 16% growth in 2023, France’s box office continued to grow in 2024 with €1.36 billion ($1.41 billion) grossed from 183.1 million admissions sold, a 0.5% year-on rise, according to Comscore and the National Film Board (Cnc).

While the increase may appear modest, it nevertheless solidifies France as Europe’s healthiest theatrical market, and one that shows the biggest signs of post-covid recovery even in a year that saw the country host the Olympic Games. Elsewhere in Europe, ticket sales dipped in 2024, per Comscore France.

The market share of French movies reached 44.4% compared to 36.7% for American movies, according to the Cnc, which notes that “it’s one of the highest level for local releases ever recorded.”

A wide-ranging duo of French movies beat Hollywood heavyweights to take the first two slots of this year’s box office chart: “A Little Something Extra” (“Un p’tit truc en plus”), a...

France was one of the first countries to require streamers to invest in the local film and TV production sector. Three years on, its impact is being felt.

A comprehensive study from the Cnc and French audiovisual regulatory authority Arcom published in late November revealed the impact of the introduction of the European Union’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (Avmsd) in France on the country’s film and TV sector.

The Avmsd requires the US streamers to invest at least 20% of their annual turnover in local film and TV. According to the report, it has given the French industry a nearly $1.05bn (€1bn) financial boost.

France was one of the first countries to require streamers to invest in the local film and TV production sector. Three years on, its impact is being felt.

A comprehensive study from the Cnc and French audiovisual regulatory authority Arcom published in late November revealed the impact of the introduction of the European Union’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (Avmsd) in France on the country’s film and TV sector. The Avmsd requires the US streamers to invest at least 20% of their annual turnover in local film and TV. According to the report, it has given the French industry a near $1.05bn (€1bn) financial boost.

“Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight” is the new CG-animated ‘Roman Empire’ comedy TV series, based on characters created by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny, directed by Alain Chabat and Fabrice Joubert, starring Alain Chabat, Gilles Lellouche, Anaïs Demoustier, Géraldine Nakache, Laurent Lafitte, Jeanne Balibar, Thierry Lhermitte, Grégory Gadebois, Alexandre Astier, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Grégoire Ludig, Jérôme Commandeur and Fred Testot, streaming in 2025 on Netflix:

“…the ‘Druid’ named ‘Panoramix’ forgot the recipe…

“…for the magic potion after receiving a ‘menhir’ on the head…

“…while ‘Abraracourcix’, leader of the brave ‘Gauls’…

“…is challenged by one of his counterparts…

“…during a battle of the leaders.”

Click the images to enlarge…...

France has published its most comprehensive study to date detailing the impact of investment obligations introduced in 2021 requiring global streamers to invest at least 20% of their annual local turnover in French film and TV production.

The obligations were introduced in June, 2021 as part of the country’s transposition into law of the European Union’s 2018 Audiovisual and Media Services Directive (Avmsd), updating the bloc’s legislation for the digital age and the rise of global streaming platforms.

The report – compiled by France’s National Cinema Centre (Cmc) and audiovisual authority Arcom – showed that global streamers had invested more than $1.02B (€974.6M) in French film and TV shows from 2021 to end 2023.

Within this, streamers put $73M (€70.1M) into 58 Cnc-approved features over the three-year period and financed 106 audiovisual works for an investment of $952M (€904.4M). Arcom’s figures, which included films not registered with the Cnc, were slightly higher, showing investment and...

Netflix gave a sneak peek at its 2025 line-up of non-English programming yesterday with shows such as The Leopard (Italy), Last Samurai Standing (Japan), The Empress S2 (Germany), El Refugio Atómico (Spain), Senna (Brazil), Alice in Borderland S3 (Japan), and even this year’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia).

“People like the authenticity of local stories,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said.

“When you try to make something that appeals to everyone, you just end up making something that appeals to no one.” It’s why Bajaria encourages her teams to be ambitious and support the vision of creators with the “goal to make shows and films that resonate in their home country first.”

Netflix shouted out the stat that they dub in 36 languages and subtitle shows in 33 languages. Bajaria also said that 80% of Netflix subs watch Korean content.

Bajaria at Netflix’s International Showcase

Alcaraz (Spain)

Docuseries

Alcaraz...

Filmax has acquired international rights to Spanish comedy From Good To The Hood, starring Quim Gutiérrez and Sara Sálamo.

The film is based on the 2019 French film New Biz In The Hood, starring Gilles Lelouche and directed by Mohamed Hamidi.It tells the story of a successful communications agency located in a luxury area of Madrid forced to move to a downtrodden part of town, where the team must learn to adapt to their new environment and neighbours who don’t do things by the book.

From Good To The Hood is Mar Olid’s feature-length directorial debut after an...

Studiocanal’s romantic dramaBeating Hearts (L’Amour Ouf) topped the French box office in October during a strong month that saw admissions hit 15.53 million (€111.8m based on an average ticket price of €7.20), a 10.8% jump from last year according to figures from the Cnc.

Audiences turned out strongly for Gilles Lellouche’s film which stars Adele Exarchopolous and Francois Civil and premiered in Competition at Cannes in May. The melodrama has sold 2.17 million tickets (approximately €15.6m) after two weeks in cinemas since its October 16 release. Strong word of mouth particularly among younger audiences helped the decades-spanning romantic drama sell more tickets in...

Worldwide box office October 18-20 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Smile 2 (Paramount) $46m $46m $23m $23m 63 2. The Wild Robot (Universal) $33.3m $196m $23.2m $94.3m 77 3. Joker: Folie a Deux (Warner Bros) $16.9m $191.9m $14.7m $135.5m 79 4. Terrifier 3 (various) $12.3m $44.8m $3m $8.6m 10 5. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) $8.7m $434.6m $3.7m $150.6m 75 6. The Volunteers: To The War 2 (various)

$8.5m $154.5m $8.5m $154.5m 2 7. L’Amour ouf (Studiocanal) $6.6m $6.6m $6.6m $6.6m 1 8. The Substance (Mubi) $5.2m $42.1m $4.3m $28.7m 36 9. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Warner Bros) $4.7m $4.7m $4.7m $4.7m 1 10. Transformers One (Paramount) $4.6m $119m $2.6m $62.4m 71

Credit: Comscore.

Filmmaker Quentin Dupieux has earned a reputation for crafting surreal comedies that turn expectations upside down. His movies embrace absurdity and unexpected twists. With Daaaaaalí!, Dupieux set out to create a “fake biopic” about the legendary Spanish artist Salvador Dali.

The film stars Anaïs Demoustier as journalist Judith, who’s assigned to interview the eccentric Dali. But capturing the famously shape-shifting artist proves challenging. Dali is portrayed by multiple actors throughout, with his age changing randomly.

Dupieux crafts Daaaaaalí! as more of an homage than a straightforward biopic. It celebrates Dali’s surrealist spirit rather than claiming to be the definitive telling of his life. The director draws from Dali’s fascination with dreams and the subconscious through Daaaaaalí!’s experimental storytelling.

This review will analyze how Daaaaaalí!’s narrative structure comments on traditional biopic tropes and self-mythologizing artists. It will also explore Dupieux’s surreal approach and discussion of reality,...

A popular anime empire and a beloved manga both hit screens in North America this weekend, with The Outrun starring Saoirse Ronan, five actors playing surrealist artist Salvador Dali, and a trio of thought provoking docs new on the specialty circuit this weekend.

Also noting Columbia Pictures’ Saturday Night from Jason Reitman, which rocked its opening last week, expands in NY and LA and adds ten new markets for 21 locations total before going wide Oct. 11. The film, based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live in 1975, debuted to $270k at five theaters in NY/LA for a terrific $54k per theater average.

Moderate releases: Sony Pictures Classics’ Saoirse Ronan-starring and Nora Fingscheidt-directed drama The Outrun hits 508 screens. After a decade away in London, 29-year-old Rona (Ronan) returns home to the Orkney Islands. Sober but lonely,...

In a scene near the end of Quentin Dupieux’s Daaaaaalí!, Judith (Anaïs Demoustier), a French journalist assigned to interview Salvador Dalí, is riding the bus, in the doldrums after the latest failure to capture her mercurial subject on film. The facial hair of the man seated across from her reminds her of Dalí’s iconic mustache, and after Judith aks him if it’s an intentional homage, he retreats behind his newspaper. The front-page headline reads, “Barista Lets Off Steam on Paris Bus”—a reference to the insult that Judith’s producer (Romain Duris) calls her—with a photograph of Judith below. Dupieux then cuts to a reverse shot of her that begins as a perfect match of the photo, one of countless flourishes of dream logic in the film that subvert conventional cinematic handling of time and space.

That there are almost as many actors portraying Dalí as...

"Now it's sublime." Music Box Films has unveiled the official US trailer for the acclaimed film Daaaaaali! from wacky filmmaker Quentin Dupieux (who also premiered his latest film The Second Act in Cannes earlier this year). Quite simple, this brilliantly hilarious comedy is a wild and weird take on the iconic artist Salvador Dalí. It premiered a the 2023 Venice Film Festival last year to uproarious laughter - it was one of my favorite films of the festival. Dupieux's film is sort of about a young journalist who attempts to meet with the iconic surrealist artist Salvador Dalí on several occasions for a documentary. But it never seems to work out. To add to the confusion, multiple actors portray Dali during different scenes in the film. Starring Anaïs Demoustier, Romain Duris, Gilles Lellouche, Edouard Baer, Pio Marmaï, Didier Flamand, and Jonathan Cohen.

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, there are few films that earned as much love during its premiere as “Beating Hearts.” While the film didn’t necessarily score big with critics, it did earn a huge 15-minute ovation after it premiered. That must count for something, right?

As seen in the trailer, “Beating Hearts” tells the story of two childhood loves who come back together later in life.

Continue reading ‘Beating Hearts’ Trailer: Adèle Exarchopoulos Stars In Gilles Lellouche’s Romance at The Playlist.

The 2024 Venice Film Festival kicked off August 28 with the long-awaited Tim Burton-Michael Keaton sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opening the 81th edition, which runs through September 7 on the Lido. Deadline is on the ground to watch all the key films.

The lineup for the world’s oldest fest also includes world premieres of Todd Phillips’ Joaquin Phoenix-Lady Gaga pic Joker: Folie à Deux, Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, Pablo Larrain’s Maria Callas biopic Maria starring Angelina Jolie and new works from the likes of Alfonso Cuarón, Walter Salles, Harmony Korine, Thomas Vinterberg, Brady Corbet, Takeshi Kitano, Claude Lelouch, Errol Morris and others.

Below is a compilation of our reviews from the fest, which last year awarded its Golden Lion for best film to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, who went on the win the Best Actress Oscar. Isabelle Huppert heads the competition jury this year.

If you’ve spent time in towns in the far-flung provinces of any number of European countries — particularly ones in which mills that supplied the economic lifeblood of working-class communities have closed, leaving inhabitants adrift without a raft — chances are you’ll recognize the fictional Northeastern French setting of And Their Children After Them (Leurs enfants aprés eux). These are places stuck in time, usually around the point when their industries were shuttered. That fossilization can be observed at public celebrations where the locals mob the dance floor when the cheesiest of Euro-pop relics are blasted over the speakers, in this case Boney M.’s “Rivers of Babylon.”

Writer-director brothers Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma capture that atmosphere with such specificity and melancholy fondness in their ambitious adaptation of Nicolas Mathieu’s 2018 Prix Goncourt-winning novel that it’s easy to imagine they lived it — or at least something very close to it.

There is the faint sound of a callback to Francois Truffaut in Venice Film Festival competition title And Their Children After Them (Leurs Enfants Après Eux), a sunlit story of three teenagers set in a moribund French steel town in the 1990s. Check, for example, those fundamental French subjects: first love and sexual awakening, nature and the spontaneity of youth, the consuming love of family and corresponding desire to break free. It is an echo that grows fainter by the minute, however, as that lightness of touch is weighed down by a repetitive narrative and the charmlessness of its central characters.

Gormless working-class boy Anthony (Paul Kircher) pursues Steph (Angelina Woreth), a pretty girl from a couple of yards the other side of the tracks, from one summer to the next. They meet first at the picturesque local lake, where Anthony has just stolen a canoe along with his cousin (Louis Memmi). That night,...

Of the many ’90s needle drops in this episodic epic about a smalltown, working class French youth, it is one by Bruce Springsteen that captures its spirit. It takes a special film to earn the right to play ‘Born To Run’ over the end credits, and this does. The fourth feature by twin brothers Ludovic Boukherma and Zoran Boukherma, adapted from a 2018 novel by Nicolas Mathieu, is so close to the essence of The Boss that it might have been reverse-engineered from his DNA.

Set over four summers “And Their Children After Them” drops us into a formative day in the life of 14-year-old Anthony (Paul Kircher). The first shot is of perfect blue sky; the camera pans down to reveal a vista so tranquil as to be almost banal — puffy clouds, forest, lake — until it is sullied by a cigarette butt flicked into the water. In this world, it...

French writer Nicolas Mathieu won the Prix Goncourt — France’s highest-profile literary award — for his 2018 novel “And Their Children After Them,” a working-class Bildungsroman set against a backdrop of severe deindustrialization, for which he stated his disparate influences to include John Steinbeck, Émile Zola, Bruce Springsteen and the 2012 Jeff Nichols film “Mud.” The Springsteen namecheck is easily taken care of in this brash big-screen adaptation, via a thuddingly obvious needle-drop as its bike-riding hero straps his hands across some engines and hits the open road. Mathieu’s more literary allusions, however, haven’t survived the journey to Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s overlong, outwardly emotive but strangely unmoving film, which resorts to soap-opera mechanics in its saga of three youths variously affected over a six-year period by one rash act of teen delinquency.

The Boukherma twins showed some inventive, genre-jumbling verve in their first three features — most prominently “Teddy,” a...

Twin brothers Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma left their village in southwest France for Paris just over a decade ago to study film at the Luc Besson-spearheaded L’École de la Cité.

The duo is now settled in the French capital, but they still turn for inspiration to their working-class upbringing in so-called “Peripheral France”, a term coined in the 2010s to describe disadvantaged communities left behind by globalisation.

Their fourth feature And Their Children After Them – which world premieres in competition in Venice this weekend – taps into this world in the 1990s.

Adapted from Nicolas Mathieu’s 2018 novel of the same name, the drama revolves around three youngsters growing up in a former steel town in north-eastern France.

Anthony and Hacine (Sayyid El Alami), are the sons of two ex-steel workers, and Steph (Angelina Woreth), a girl from a comfortable middle-class background.

Over the course of four summers...

Barely a decade out of film school, Gallic twins Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma are primed for an international splash once their fourth feature, “And Their Children After Them,” premieres in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

Adapted from a literary sensation that won the Prix Goncourt, France’s equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize, the film explores teenage heartache and working-class doldrums with a novelistic sweep, playing as a coming-of-age power ballad full of operatic emotions and chart-topping tunes.

“We wanted to turn a story made up of fairly ordinary, small conflicts into something vast and cinematic,” says director Zoran Boukherma, who co-wrote with his brother Ludovic after actor-filmmaker Gilles Lellouche handed each of them a copy of the book over lunch two years ago.

“That idea stemmed from our discussion with Gilles and with [original author] Nicolas Mathieu, who recognized that a very small event could lead to an entire family’s downfall.

Films Boutique has acquired French and international rights to “Pigskin” (“Peau de cochon”), a 2004 film directed by Philippe Katerine, a French musician, actor and filmmaker who took part in the Olympics’ opening ceremony. Films Boutique will relaunch the film in the fall festivals for its 20th birthday.

Katerine stars in the film opposite French singer Dominique A, film critic Thierry Jousse and Helena Noguerra. Katerine won the Cesar for best actor in a supporting role in Gilles Lellouche’s box office hit “Le Grand Bain” in 2019. He’s also been celebrated as a musician and was crowned Artist of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique, French equivalent to the Grammy awards in 2020. He previously performed “Moustache” on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.

More recently, Katerine played the Greek God Dionysus in the controversial scene which was interpreted by some as a satirical take on Leonardo da Vinci’s religious painting “The Last Supper.

France goes to the polls on Sunday for the second round of a snap parliamentary election in which far right National Rally (Rn) party looks set to come out on top.

With less than 48 hours until the booths open, polls are forecasting Rn is on course to win between 200 to 230 seats in France’s 577-seat National Assembly lower house.

This will not give it an absolute majority but could result in the party’s 28-year-old president Jordan Bardella becoming prime minister with the backing of its leader Marine Le Pen.

Emmanuel Macron, who called the election in response to hefty far right gains in European Parliament elections in mid-June has vowed to stay in place as president until the end of his term in May 2027, although it is not clear what power he will wield if the new government is led by Rn.

The prospect of Rn taking political control...

Europe is in a flux. Two sets of elections taking place within days of each other could see two of the continent’s most powerful countries — both with influential entertainment industries — head in opposite directions.

In the U.K., the Labour Party is expected to claim a landslide victory following Thursday’s election, shifting the country towards the center and, potentially, a period of political calm after years of turbulent Conservative rule that has leant further to the right. In France, however, following a wind of populism across Europe, the far-right could come into power for the first time since the pro-Nazi Vichy Regime during World War II. And it’s a move that many fear could threaten cultural policies, progressive agendas and economic standings across key countries.

Boasting one of the world’s biggest economies, France also has a vibrant film and TV industry and ranks as Europe’s...

French filmmakers Cedric Klapisch, Bertrand Bonello and Gilles Lellouche, and actors Laurent Lafitte, Romane Bohringer and Isabelle Carré, are among the more than 1,000 film and culture professionals and organisations who have signed an open letter warning of the dangers of a potential far-right government and its implications for the industry.

The open letter, published in Le Monde newspaper, and spearheaded by producers union the Arp, comes two weeks after French president Emmanuel Macron’s surprise decision for a snap election to elect a new National Assembly that will see voters head to the polls for a two-round process on June...

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig from Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has swooped to a late victory on Screen’s 2024 Cannes jury grid with an average score of 3.4.

See the final jury grid below.

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig and Michel Hazanavicius’ The Most Precious Of Cargoes were the final two titles to land on the grid, with the latter scoring 1.2, the lowest score this year.

Rasoulof attended last night’s (May 24) Cannes premiere after fleeing his country following an eight-year prison sentence from Iranian authorities. The family drama follows a judge in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court grappling...

The popular French actor working in just about every film genre has been on the Croisette on a couple of occasions but as a filmmaker got his first taste when Sink or Swim (also known as Le grand bain) — a 2018 selection slotted as an Out of Competition item. Six years later we have L’amour Ouf (Beating Hearts) which was was packaged and advertised at last year’s Cannes and moved into production with a huge ensemble of players in May. Gilles Lellouche directs François Civil, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Malik Frikah, Mallory Wanecque, Alain Chabat, Anthony Bajon, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Benoît Poelvoorde, Vincent Lacoste, Élodie Bouchez, Karim Leklou and Raphaël Quenard star.…...

This is what it would look like if Michael Bay directed a romantic musical. Though this doesn't have nearly enough explosions or mind-boggling drone shots to really live up Bay's movies. Beating Hearts is a big, epic, flashy, cheesy, nearly-three-hour long French love story thriller made by a French filmmaker named Gilles Lellouche. He last directed an absurd comedy called Sink or Swim that played at Cannes 2018, and somehow he was able to secure a Main Competition slot this year at Cannes with his latest titled L'amour ouf in French (or just Beating Hearts in English). For some reason, before its premiere the movie was being referred to as a musical – but it's not really a musical. More of an epic, sweeping romance like Romeo + Juliet with two big dance sequences and tons of famous songs used in it. But there's no singing and it's not a classic musical,...

Translating film titles for international markets can be a commercial necessity, but magic is often lost in the process. It’s hard to think of a more perfect name for Gilles Lelouche’s latest movie than “L’amour ouf,” which punchily captures the bruising nature of the love story at its heart. The clue is in the wordplay: If l’amour fou is an affliction of the mind, l’amour ouf tells us the force we’re dealing with is rather more physical, perhaps even painful.

Squint, though, and “Beating Hearts,” the anglophone title that seems sentimental by comparison, suggests not just life but flagellation. It befits a film that contains its fair share of bloody thrashings over the course of some 20 years in the lives of its star-crossed protagonists, whose love is battered at the peak of their relationship by a miscarriage of justice that goes on to change everything — and nothing — between them.

Gilles Lellouche arrived at the Cannes press conference for his Competition title Beating Hearts (L’amour Ouf) on Friday with one of the biggest cast delegations of the festival as its 77th edition entered its final strait.

As well as being joined on the stage by co-stars François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos and newcomers Mallory Wanecque and Malik Frikah, actors Jean-Pascal Zadi, Elodie Bouchez, Raphaël Quenard, Vincent Lacoste, Alain Chabat, Karim Leklou and Antony Bajon took up the front row of the press room.

They arrived on the wave of an enthusiastic response from the audience at Thursday night’s world premiere in the Grand Théâtre Lumière, which gave it a 15-minute standing ovation.

The modern Romeo and Juliet tale, which took Lellouche 17 years to bring to the big screen, is the actor and director’s third feature after hit comedy Sink or Swim.

“I take great, great pleasure from directing.

Good afternoon Insiders, Jesse Whittock back again to take you through the week’s news in the entertainment industry, as the Cannes Film Festival nears its close.

What More Cannes I Say?

Stand up for the standouts: After a quiet opening, the Cannes Film Festival received a shot of life as several buzzy titles finally hit the screen. The excitement on the ground began with The Substance, the much-anticipated blood-splattered horror thriller from French director Coralie Fargeat, which was met with a 13-minute ovation, the longest for a title at this year’s festival until Gilles Lellouche’s Beating Hearts (L’Amour Ouf) took that crown last night. Fargeat’s pic, which stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid, is a punk rock fable centered around a new product called The Substance that promises to transform people into the best version of themselves. It’s an offer that comes with a twist.