VINGT Paris News

Cannes 2024 Twelve European Films in Directors' Fortnight

Text: Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa

With the emphasis on discovering new talents, the 42nd Directors’ Fortnight, which will run from May 13-23 at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, unveiled its selection at midday today in Paris. It offers a rich line-up of 21 world premieres (a record) and 11 debut films among the 22 features in the main programme. European cinema takes pride of place with 12 titles (by directors from France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, the UK, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany) and two co-productions selected by the new delegate general, Frédéric Boyer.

Belgium is represented by two titles: Olivier Masset-Depasse’s Illegal (co-produced by Luxembourg and France); and Gust Vanderberghe’s Little Baby Jesus of Flanders. Meanwhile, Italy will be hoping for success with Michelangelo Frammartino’s The Four Times (co-produced by Germany and Switzerland); Spain with Oliver Laxe’s Todos Vos Sodés Capitans; Germany with Philip Koch’s Picco; and Denmark with Christoffer Boe’s Everything Will Be Fine (co-produced by Sweden and France). The line-up also includes UK director Alicia Duffy’s Irish/Belgian/French co-production All Good Children and Swiss filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Bron’s documentary Cleveland Vs. Wall Street (produced by France).

Jules Verne Festival Le Grand Rex

Text: Omid Tavallai

For years, springtime has meant the invasion of France by movie stars and their rabid fans. The red carpet is rolled out, flashbulbs pop, and someone invariably brags about having rubbed elbows with Gérard Depardieu or Malcolm McDowell at the festival.

No, this isn't along the sunny esplanade in Cannes, but the corner of the boulevard and rue Poissonnière on the cusp of the 2nd and 9th arrondissements. Every year, Le Grand Rex theatre plays host to the Festival Jules Verne, which has given Parisian film fans a chance to play insider for a long weekend.  In addition to catching a glimpse of movie stars in the flesh, the festival offers non-glitterati the chance to be part of a properly-produced awards ceremony and see big-name movies before the rest of the world.

Besson Unveils Blockbuster Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

Text: Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa

Backed by a huge media campaign and widely acclaimed by critics impressed by the great spectacle it offers, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec will be launched in theatres tomorrow by EuropaCorp. Here, director Luc Besson makes a successful return to live-action film, which he abandoned in 2024 to focus on the animated Arthur trilogy: Arthur and the Invisibles, Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard and, the latest installment, Arthur and the Two Worlds War (which will be released October 20).

Adapted from two titles in Jacques Tardi’s comic book series (Adèle and the Beast and Mummies on Parade), the director’s ninth narrative feature plunges into 1912 Paris for some incredible adventures in the spirit of the popular serialised fantasy stories of the early 20th century. A killer pterodactyl, an Egyptian mummy, a mad scientist, a hunter and a police detective all gravitate around the central character, intrepid journalist and female Indiana Jones figure Adèle Blanc-Sec, played by rising star Louise Bourgoin (The Girl From Monaco). The cast also includes Mathieu Amalric, Gilles Lellouche and Jean-Paul Rouve.

Cannes 2024 Björkman’s Second Bergman Tribute

Text: Cineuropa

Last year, Stig Björkman brought Scenes from the Playground, featuring exclusive, behind-the-scenes material from several Ingmar Bergman films, to Cannes Classics. This year, …But Film is My Mistress, the second part of Björkman’s retrospective documentary about the legendary Swedish director, will be unveiled in the same sidebar of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival (May 12-23).

Björkman (a well-known film critic and long-time associate of Bergman’s) and his producer Stina Gardell, of Mandaray Film & TV Production, were asked by the Ingmar Bergman Foundation to make two compilation films from unique, behind-the-scenes footage from Bergman’s films. Martin Scorsese’s World Film Foundation then joined in to commission those major film tributes, also co-financed by AB Svensk Filmindustri.

A Prophet Honoured at Césars

Text: Cineuropa

On Saturday night, Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet surpassed the triumph of his film The Beat That My Heart Skipped at the Césars 2024 by winning not eight but nine trophies, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, as well as three Césars in the acting categories (two for Tahar Rahim, one for Niels Arestrup).

The other favourites had to make do with lesser prizes: Xavier Giannoli’s In the Beginning (11 nominations) picked up Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Emmanuelle Devos) and Radu Mihaileanu’s The Concert (six nominations) was honoured in the Best Original Score and Best Sound categories.

In the few categories not topped by Audiard’s film, actress Isabelle Adjani nabbed the Best Actress statuette for Skirt Day, and Riad Sattouf received the Best Debut Film Cesar for The French Kissers. Meanwhile, Coco Before Chanel picked up just one award (Best Costume Design).

Finally, an Honorary Cesar was awarded to US actor Harrison Ford and homage was paid to Eric Rohmer.

Full list of prize-winners:

Michael Ballhaus Retrospective at the Cinémathéque Francaise

Text: Sarah Moriaty
Image: Chinese Roulette

This month the Cinémathéque Francaise in Paris's 12th arrondissement will honour German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus with a retrospective of his work running from February 17th to 28th. The showcase kicked off last with a screening of the 1976 film with Ballhaus, 74 in attendance.

The iconic cinematographer laid the foundations of his career through his work with German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder who he met in 1970. The pair made their first film together the following year - the subversive Western Whity - before going on to make a further ten films in fifteen years, including; Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven (1975) and Chinese Roulette (1976).

Critics Crown A Prophet and White Ribbon

Text: Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa

Honours continue to rain down on Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet: after the Grand Prize at Cannes, the 2024 Louis-Delluc Prize, the European Film Award for Best Actor, 13 César 2024 nominations and a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination, the feature last night picked up the 2024 Best Film Prize, awarded by the French Film Critics’ Union. The film’s major rival, Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, triple honours at the EFA Awards (Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay) and is also vying for the Oscar, scooped Best Foreign Film.

Best French Debut Film went to Nassim Amaouche’s Goodbye Gary, which previously won the Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prize.  Awarded since 2024, the prize for an unusual, French-language co-production, whose "unusual" work the critics are keen to emphasise, was handed to Patrick-Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic’s The Other One. Meanwhile, François Leroy and Stéphanie Lansaque’s Mei Ling triumphed in the short film category.  Finally, on the television side, Best Drama was presented to Jean-Paul Lilienfield’s Skirt Day and Best Documentary to Philippe Kohly and Raphaëlle Bacqué’s L’Enfer de Matignon (The Hell of Matignon). A Courage Prize was specially awarded to Emmanuelle Bercot’s Tirez Sur le Caviste (Shoot the Wine Merchant).

Max Linder Panorama

Text: Chris Holt

Max Linder Panorama is one of several classic art deco cinemas concentrated in 9th and 18th arrondissements . Unlike its landmark neighbor, the 3000 seater Rex, Max Linder has an unassuming exterior.

Built in 1912, the theatre was re-named after the French silent film pioneer Max Linder who purchased it in 1914. The theatre was renovated in 1987, preserving a beautiful art deco interior. While the decor is retro, the theatre itself has a state of the art sound system and a huge curved screen (thus the name Panorama). The result is an immersmovie-going experience and is an ideal venue seeing one of the many 3D movies to recently hit the box office.

Tim Burton to head the Cannes Jury

Text: Cineuropa

The jury at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, which will take place from May 12- 23, 2024, will be presided by US director Tim Burton, who follows in the footsteps of last year’s president, French actress Isabelle Huppert. The director, whose film Ed Wood screened in competition at Cannes in 1995, commented on his appointment with a mixture of humour and seriousness that is typical of his style: "After spending my early life watching triple features and 48-hour horror movie marathons, I feel ready for Cannes. It’s a great honour and I look forward, with my fellow jurors, to watching some great films from around the world. When you think of Cannes, you think of world cinema. And as films have always been like dreams to me, this is a dream come true."

Prix Lumière 2024 Celebrate Engaged French Cinema

Text: Joanna Bronowicka

This year the ceremony of the Prix Lumière, which took place at Hotel de Ville on January 15, 2024, celebrated French cinema for its ardent engagement in current political and social issues. The award for best film went to Welcome, a film by Philippe Lioret about a young Kurdish boy who tries to swim across the Channel to join his sweetheart in London. The release of Welcome put spotlight on the plight of refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan waiting in Calais to cross illegally to Great Britain. The film stirred a lively political debate and led to a creation of a shelter for unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan in Paris.