News

Screen’s chief critic and reviews editor Fionnuala Halligan dissects this year’s Competition films.

Welcome to the “huge party” of Cannes 70. If the Official Selection this year is a “lab”, the formula isn’t quite complete - Thierry Fremaux announced 18 films which will compete for the Palme D’Or today, implying that three have yet to arrive (he also hinted that a glaring absence, that of a film from China for the second consecutive year, may yet be rectified; nothing was said however about the absence of a major Hollywood studio thus far).

Read more:

Cannes 2017: Official Selection in full

A total of 1,930 films viewed, the selection process running through to 3am: Cannes 70 will be a “meeting, a vision of the world, and a promise of a better life together”. No small ambition, but the line-up has been warmly greeted by cineastes. Clearly, it isn’t a same-old-names Cannes habitues Competition, although [link=nm...

Exclusive: Paris-based company reshuffles sales team as Carole Baraton steps down as head of sales.

Wild Bunch will launch sales on new films by Jean-Luc Godard, Christian Carion, Michel Ocelot, Raymond Depardon as well as a feel-good, Senegal-set drama starring Omar Sy at Unifrance’s upcoming Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris (Jan 12-16).

The event will also mark the first outing for the company’s reconfigured sales team following Carole Baraton’s decision to step down as head of sales to set-up her own company.

Baraton’s long-time territories the Us, France and the UK will be carved up between the sales team, now consisting of Silvia Simonutti, Emilie Serres, Olivier Barbier, recent hire Fanny Beauville and Esther Devos for festivals.

Notably, Beauville will co-handle Canada and the Us in partnership with La’s Creative Artist Agency (CAA), working closely with the agency’s film finance and sales group co-chief Roeg Sutherland and his team.

Bilingual...

Every week, a bevy of new releases (independent or otherwise), open in theaters. That’s why we created the Weekly Film Guide, filled with basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.

For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.

See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016

Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 5. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.

Wide

Bazodee

Director: Todd Kessler

Cast: Chris Smith, Kabir Bedi, Kriss Dosanjh, Machel Montano, Natalie Perera, Staz Nair

Synopsis: Anita Ponchouri (Natalie Perera), the dutiful Indian daughter of a deep-in-debt businessman (Kabir Bedi) is about to marry a wealthy Londoner (Staz Nair) when a chance encounter with local singer,...

Well, here we are in the closing weeks of summer movie season. It’s the last gasp for big-budget blockbusters before the coming fall festival season, but there are plenty of indie alternatives for whatever your tastes may be. Below, you’ll see every planned theatrical release for the month of August, separated out into films with wide runs and limited ones. (Synopses are provided by festivals and distributors.)

Each week, we’ll give you an update with screening locations for these various titles. In the meantime, be sure to check our calendar page, where we’ll update releases for the rest of the year. Happy watching!

Week of August 5 Wide

Suicide Squad

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney, Will Smith, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood

Synopsis: A secret government agency led by Amanda Waller recruits imprisoned...

Each weekend we highlight the best repertory programming that New York City has to offer, and it’s about to get even better. Opening on February 19th at 7 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side is Metrograph, the city’s newest indie movie theater. Sporting two screens, they’ve announced their first slate, which includes retrospectives for Fassbinder, Wiseman, Eustache, and more, special programs such as an ode to the moviegoing experience, and new independent features that we’ve admired on the festival circuit (including Afternoon, Office 3D, and Measure of a Man).

Artistic and Programming Director Jacob Perlin says in a press release, “Jean Eustache in a Rocky t-shirt. This is the image we had in mind while making this first calendar. Great cinema is there, wherever you can find it. The dismissed film now recognized as a classic, the forgotten box-office hit newly resurrected, the high and the low,...

Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks, will make its World Premiere at the 53rd New York International Film Festival, running from September 25 to October 11. The film was one of 26 announced as part of the festival’s main slate, along with one of four World Premieres.

Some of the main slate highlights include Todd Haynes’s Carol, featuring Cannes Best Actress Winner Rooney Mara alongside Cate Blanchett, Miguel Gomes’s three part saga Arabian Nights, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin, the Us premiere of Michael Moore’s latest Where to Invade Next, Michel Gondry’s French film Microbe et Gasoil, and the World Premiere of the documentary Don’t Blink: Robert Frank, about the life of the fames photographer and filmmaker.

Previously announced films include the World Premiere of The Walk, Robert Zemeckis’s Philippe Petit biopic serving as the opening night film, the World Premiere of...

★★☆☆☆ French director Claire Denis has maintained a wonderful run, from her 1998 debut Chocolat to recent efforts such as 36 Shots of Rum and White Material. Her latest, Bastards (Les Salauds, 2013), shows not in the main competition at Cannes - which, as ever, is woefully short on women - but instead in the Un Certain Regard strand. In retrospect, however, this decision might be just for Bastards, a broken revenge tragedy set in a rainswept France - a misstep, if not a downright stumble. A man commits suicide and his teenage daughter, Justine (Lola Créton), is found wandering the streets with blood running down her thighs.

The recently-deceased gentleman's friend and brother-in-law, Marco (played by Vincent Lindon, who many will remember from 2009's Welcome), is a ship's captain on an oil tanker stationed out in the Middle East. However, on hearing the tragic news, he returns immediately to France to find out...

Once they were ten. Now they are three. Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Attenberg, Robert Guédiguian’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Ruben Östlund’s Play have gone thru into the final round of the European Parliament Lux Prize. Among the three chosen finalists we have a film about a women discovering her sexuality in an economically starved Greek town and more recently from Cannes, we have the perfectly executed crimes committed and "acted" by pre-teens in an otherwise very tolerant Swedish town. Two stunning features in my books that are indeed perfect examples of how cinema can examine social issues without suffocating itself with taking some by-the-books moral stance. I've yet to see Guédiguian’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro, but it to was presented at this year's Cannes Film Fest. The award will be given out in mid-November, so you can check back with us - as we'll be curious...

Now that we're done salivating over the unveiling of the Gala and Special Presentation screenings for 2011 Toronto Int. Film Festival, we now put our attention on the official selection of the Venice Film Festival sidebar know as Venice Days. Director Giorgio Gosetti has mounted an edition that includes some gem auteurs and newbie filmmakers we've been keeping tabs on for the better half of 2010/2011. For the most part consists of French productions and of the "12 feature films in the Official Selection, three Special Events, one short opening film and two special collaborations," Lou Ye's Love and Bruises - a film that was a tad not ready for Cannes is indeed ready to go on the Lido. We've been thinking great things about the film the moment Tahar Rahim was announced as the lead, hot tempered character. The second name that sticks out is vet documentarian Frederick Wiseman who last explored...

Adriano Luz in Raúl Ruiz's The Mysteries of Lisbon At the 46th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, European Parliament member Olga Sehnalová, filmmaker Feo Aladag, actress Sibel Kekilli, and the Karlovy Vary Festival's artistic consultant Eva Zaoralová announced the ten films competing for the 2011 Lux Prize. They are, in alphabetical order: A Torinói ló (The Turin Horse) by Béla Tarr (Hungary, France, Switzerland, Germany) Attenberg by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Greece) Essential Killing by Jerzy Skolimowski (Poland, Norway, Ireland, Hungary) Habemus Papam by Nanni Moretti (Italy, France) Le Havre by Aki Kaurismäki (Finland, France, Germany) Les neiges du Kilimandjaro (The snows of Kilimandjaro) by Robert Guédiguian (France) Morgen by Marian Crisan (France, Romania, Hungary) Mistérios de Lisboa (The Mysteries of Lisbon) by Raúl Ruiz (Portugal) Pina by Wim Wenders (Germany, France, UK) Play by Ruben Östlund (Sweden, France, Denmark) Established in 2007, the annual Lux Prize nominees are selected by a...

Currently making the rounds for a Foreign Oscar bid, Feo Aladag's Die Fremde (When We Leave) has just won the European Parliament's Lux prize beating out fellow nominees in Olivier Masset-Depasse "Illegal" and "Akadimia Platonos" by Greek helmer Filippos Tsitos. In previous years was awarded to: Fatih Akın's The Edge of Heaven, Dardenne Bros.' Lorna's Silence and last year's Philippe Lioret's Welcome. Olive Films will release When We Leave in January of next year. This win perhaps adds to the film's cred as an ideal dark horse pic for the first Foreign nom category shortlist. Gist: This examines one woman’s struggle for personal freedom. It is a riveting and heartbreaking story of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, who must not only free herself from that marriage, but also the cultural prejudices and judgments that would keep her there. Feo Aladag built the nuances of...

Review by Mike Gregory

The title of this powerful and provocative drama is steeped in irony; apparently, the Us isn’t the only country with immigration issues. Regardless, Philippe Lioret’s stark drama puts a face on the issue, and it doesn’t matter that it takes place in France. Bilal (Firyat Ayverdi in a stunning debut) is a Kurdish teen who wishes to go to England to marry his girlfriend from back home. After failing to cross the first time, he attempts to swim the English channel with the help of a swim coach, Simon (Vincent Lindon). The performances are superb and the characters are engaging and sympathetic, but the narrative gets a little choppy at times. Nevertheless, this is a film that is a must see for any serious film-goer.

Welcome will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Saturday, November 13th at 1:30 pm and Sunday,...

A look at what's new on DVD today:

"Triage" (2009)

Directed by Danis Tanovic

Released by National Entertainment Media

Although a largely tepid reception at last year's Toronto Film Festival and a downer of a subject matter prevented "No Man's Land" director Danis Tanovic's English-language debut from getting American theatrical distribution, Colin Farrell delivers an award-worthy performance as a photojournalist recovering from the ravages of war and the loss of his friend and colleague in this direct-to-dvd drama. Even with Paz Vega to come home to, Farrell's photographer tries to make sense of the horrors he witnessed as his wife (Vega) and the wife of his dead friend (Kelly Reilly) try to get him to open up.

"Children of Invention" (2009)

Directed by Tze Chun

Released by Indieblitz Releasing

An alum of Sundance 2009, Chun's feature debut centers around a Chinese immgrant single mother's determination to give her children a better life...

Edinburgh International Film Festival

The UK's oldest film festival has always championed homegrown product, but it's surprising how much of it they've found this year, both old and new. Most of the British entries are so brand new, it's almost a lucky dip, but last year's festival brought us Moon and Fish Tank, among others, so here's hoping. Promising-sounding premieres include SoulBoy, recreating the heyday of northern soul's epicentre; the Wigan Casino; urban horror Cherry Tree Lane (from London To Brighton director Paul Andrew Williams); and buddyship drama Third Star. Or for something a little stranger, try Jackboots On Whitehall, an animated alternative history of the second world war; Rhys Ifans as Howard Marks in Mr Nice; Kaufman-esque comedy Skeletons; or Hp Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror, an "audio movie" with no images at all.

For older aficionados, there's also a trove of rediscovered British films from the 1960s and 70s.

Courtesy of Sharmill Films, we have tickets for Mademoiselle Chambon, by Stéphane Brizé (Not Here to be Loved) and starring Vincent Lindon (Welcome, Anything for Her), Sandrine Kiberlain (Little Nicholas, Après Vous) and Aure Atika (The Beat That My Heart Skipped).

Mademoiselle Chambon is based on the novel by Éric Holder.

Jean leads a pretty ordinary life: he spends his days happily between his construction sites and his house, with his loving wife and son Kevin. He feels comfortable in his routine. One day, as he’s picking up Kevin from school, he stumbles upon Mademoiselle Chambon, his son’s teacher. She’s discreet, elegant, mesmerising, unlike any woman he has ever met before. This chance encounter will be a turning point in his well-organised life. An opportunity to change or a folly to regret?

The film will be released on June 10, 2010.

To win, email [email protected] and tell us,...

Yes, we're excited to see "Iron Man 2," "Inception" and God help us, "Predators." But what we're really looking forward to spending a few hours in the company of an undertaking Bill Murray ("Get Low"), an Italian-speaking Tilda Swinton ("I Am Love") and a toga-wearing Rachel Weisz ("Agora") in the comfort of air-conditioned theater over the next three months. (Either that or we'll be enjoying them from the comfort of home online, on demand or on DVD.)

There are no less than 114 independently produced movies arriving in theaters this summer to compete with the big studio blockbusters and we've compiled this helpful guide that covers all of them. Yet realizing that the latest arthouse and foreign fare is subject to changing dates, particularly if you don't live in Los Angeles or New York, we've also included links to follow the films on Twitter, Facebook and release schedules where available, so...

Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Filippo Timi in Marco Bellocchio’s Vincere Best Film BAARÌA produced by Medusa Film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore Mine Vaganti / Loose Cannons produced by Domenico Procacci directed by Ferzan Ozpetek La Prima Cosa Bella / The First Beautiful Thing produced by Fabrizio Donvito, Marco Cohen, Benedetto Habib for Medusa Film Motorino Amaranto, Indiana Production directed by Paolo Virzì L’Uomo Che Verra’ produced by Aranciafilm (Simone Bachini, Giorgio Diritti), Rai Cinema directed by Giorgio Diritti Vincere produced by Mario Gianani for Offside directed by Marco Bellocchio Best European Union Film Le Concert, Radu Mihaileanu (Bim) The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke (Lucky Red) A Prophet, Jacques Audiard (Bim) Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin (Bim) Welcome, Philippe Lioret (Teodora Film) Best Foreign Film A Serious Man, by Joel & Ethan Coen (Medusa) Avatar, by James Cameron (20th Century Fox) Inglourious Basterds, by Quentin Tarantino (Universal) Invictus, [...]...

Paris -- French film promotion organization Unifrance will spread the creme-de-la-creme of Gallic films and talent over the Big Apple when the 15th annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York satiates Manhattan's appetite for Gallic cinema on March 11th at Lincoln Center.

A selection of films will screen for the public at the Walter Reade Theater and the IFC Center in Manhattan and the Bam in Brooklyn, and Unifrance is hoping positive buzz for the titles will spark sales for the nine titles in the lineup still seeking Us buyers.

Christian Carion's "L'Affaire Farewell," a NeoClassics title stateside, will open the fest with Carion and the film's star Guillaume Canet set to join the opening festivities.

The Rendez-Vous will feature screenings of several titles nominated for this year's Cesar Awards including best film nominees Philippe Lioret's "Welcome," Xavier Giannoli's "In the Beginning" and Lucas Belvaux's "Rapt.

Jacques Audiard's prison saga takes home nine awards at the French equivalent of the Oscars, including best film, best director and best actor

The French film industry lined up behind Jacques Audiard's A Prophet on Saturday night, honouring the gripping prison drama with nine Césars, including best film, best director and best actor for its young star Tahar Rahim.

The movie, which chronicles a callow, illiterate Arab inmate's brutal education and rise to power during his six-year imprisonment, also won the awards for best original screenplay, editing, production design and cinematography. Niels Arestrup, who plays the Corsican mob boss who sees his influence ebb away to his young underling, won the best supporting actor award while Rahim was also named most promising actor. The Césars are France's equivalent of the Oscars, which A Prophet, nominated for best foreign-language film, has a chance of adding to its awards haul on 7 March.

"A Prophet" from director Jacques Audiard won nine awards at the 35th annual Cesar Awards. The Oscar nominated film for best foreign language took home best French film of the year, director, screenplay, editing, cinematography, production design, best actor, and most promising actor (best male newcomer) for Tahar Rahim. Niels Arestrup won best supporting actor also for "A Prophet."

Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" was named best foreign film of the year, beating out last year's Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire" and this year's blue contender, "Avatar."

Meanwhile, "Avatar's" Sigourney Weaver presented Harrison Ford with a Cesar of Honor award. Aw...

Here's the list of nominees and winners of the 35th annual Cesar Awards (winners are highlighted):

Best Film

A l.Origine, Xavier Giannoli

Le Concert, Radu Mihaileanu

Les Herbes Folles, Alain Resnais

La Journee de la Jupe, Jean-Paul Lilienfeld

Rapt, Lucas Belvaux

Un Prophete, Jacques Audiard

Welcome, Philippe Lioret...

No surprises at the 35th Cesars, as A Prophet cleaned up in all major categories it was nominated in: Best Film, Best Director (Audiard), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Stephane Fontaine), Best Editing (Juliette Welfling), Best Art Direction (Michel Barthelemy) and last but not least, one of my top 5 performance of the year, Niels Arestrup won for Best Supporting... - No surprises at the 35th Césars, as A Prophet cleaned up in all major categories it was nominated in: Best Film, Best Director (Audiard), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Stephane Fontaine), Best Editing (Juliette Welfling), Best Art Direction (Michel Barthelemy) and last but not least, one of my top 5 performance of the year, Niels Arestrup won for Best Supporting -- he of course won best supporting in The Beat that My Heart Skipped. The revelation of the year Tahar Rahim won a pair of awards...

Tahar Rahim in A Prophet (Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics) The Cesar winners will be announced on Feb. 27. Meilleur Film / Best Film A L’Origine / In The Beginning, Edouard Weil and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam; directed by Xavier Giannoli Le Concert / The Concert, Alain Attal; directed by Radu Mihaileanu Les Herbes Folles / Wild Grass, Jean-Louis Livi; directed by Alain Resnais La JOURNÉE De La Jupe / Skirt Day, Bénédicte Lesage and Ariel Askénazi; directed by Jean-Paul Lilienfeld Rapt, Patrick Sobelman, Diana Elbaum et Sébastien Delloye; directed by Lucas Belvaux * Un PROPHÈTE / A Prophet, Pascal Caucheteux, Grégoire Sorlat et Marco Cherqui; directed by Jacques Audiard Welcome, Christophe Rossignon; directed [...]...

Berlin -- Feo Aladag's "When We Leave," a social drama starring Sibel Kekilli ("Head-on") as a young mother in Germany struggling against the strict confines of her conservative Turkish family, has won the Europa Cinemas Label as best European film in the Berlinale's Panorama section.

"When We Leave" is Aladag's feature film debut. The Austrian filmmaker is well known for her television documentaries, many of which focus on issues such as violence against women.

"This is an emotionally powerful and profoundly human film about the struggle of a woman fighting for her family, confronted by the strict cultural rules of her upbringing," the Europa Cinemas jury said, explaining its decision. "Feo Aladag directs with great assurance and cinematic flair, while the remarkable performance by leading actress Sibel Kekilli really brings the film to life."

  "When We Leave" will now receive distribution support from Europa Cinemas' network of 816 cinemas in 42 European countries.

Quickcard Review

Welcome

Directed by: Philippe Loiret

Cast: Vincent Lindon, Firat Ayverdi, Audrey Dana

Running Time: 2hrs 15 min

Rating: R

Complete Coverage – 33rd Portland International Film Festival

Plot: Bilal (Ayverdi), a seventeen-year-old Kurdish refugee, arrives in France. He needs to get to London, where the love of his life is now situated with her family, but the French government is not allowing refugees to leave the country. Bilal pays a swimming coach named Simon (Lindon) to train him to swim across the English Channel.

Who’S It For? I think everyone should see this movie. Not only to catch a glimpse of how people are treated in other countries, but we need to see our own shadow as well.

Overall

The Kurdish refugees who fled to Europe were regarded as criminals and interlopers and treated like human detritus. Welcome is unrelenting in its depiction of how these people were treated.

Prison drama "A Prophet" is leading the way at France's most prestigious prize-giving ceremony - garnering a massive 13 nominations at the upcoming Cesar Awards. The film leads categories including Best Picture and Best Director, for Jacques Audiard, as well as garnering nods for its star Tahar Rahim, who is up for Best Actor and Best Newcomer.

Philippe Lioret's immigrant drama "Welcome" scored nine nominations and will go up against "A Prophet" in the Best Picture category, and Vincent Lindon will compete with Rahim for the Best Actor prize. Fashion biopic "Coco Before Chanel" also received five nods, with Audrey Tautou named in the Best Actress category.

The nominations for Best Foreign Film include James Cameron's "Avatar", "Milk", "Gran Torino and "Slumdog Millionaire". The 35th Annual Cesar Awards will take place on February 27.

Prison drama A Prophet is leading the way at France's most prestigious prize-giving ceremony - garnering a massive 13 nominations at the upcoming Cesar Awards.

The film leads categories including Best Picture and Best Director, for Jacques Audiard, as well as garnering nods for its star Tahar Rahim, who is up for Best Actor and Best Newcomer.

Philippe Lioret's immigrant drama Welcome scored nine nominations and will go up against A Prophet in the Best Picture category, and Vincent Lindon will compete with Rahim for the Best Actor prize.

Fashion biopic Coco Before Chanel also received five nods, with Audrey Tautou named in the Best Actress category.

The nominations for Best Foreign Film include James Cameron's Avatar, Milk, Gran Torino and Slumdog Millionaire.

The 35th Cesar Awards will take place on 27 February.

Adel Bencherif, Tahar Rahim in A Prophet (top); Vincent Lindon, Farit Ayverdi in Welcome (middle); Yvan Atall in Rapt (bottom) With 13 nods, Jacques Audiard’s prison drama A Prophet — one of the semi-finalists for this year’s best foreign language film Oscar, leads the 2010 Cesar Award nominations. In addition to best film and best director mentions, A Prophet is also up for best actor and male newcomer (Tahar Rahim, with two nods), best supporting actor (Niels Arestrup), best male newcomer (Adel Bencherif), best screenplay (Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Abdel Raouf Dafri, Nicolas Peufaillit), and best editing (Juliette Welfling). The runners-up are Xavier Giannoli’s In the Beginning, the tale of a con man (best actor nominee François Cluzet) involved in the building [...]...

Jacques Audiard’s prison drama “A Prophet” led France’s Cesar Award nominations, taking an impressive 13 nods including best film, best director, and both best actor and most promising male newcomer nominations for the film’s star Tahar Rahim. “A Prophet” joined Xavier Giannoli’s “In The Beginning” (which took 11 nominations itself), Radu Mihaileanu’s “The Concert,” Alain Resnais’s “Wild Grass,” Lucas Belvaux’s “Rapt” and Philippe Lioret’s “Welcome” in the best film category. Also …...

Paris – French Academy members got serious on Friday with two politically charged dramas heading the major categories for the 35th annual Cesar Awards that will see Jacques Audiard's "A Prophet" go head to head with Philippe Lioret's "Welcome." The nominees were announced Friday at a press conference in Paris.

While no one can foresee the winners, "A Prophet" looks bound to triumph with Jacques Audiard's prison drama nominated for 13 awards including best film, best director and a best actor and most promising male newcomer nod for the film's breakout star Tahar Rahim.

Academy voters also gave a hearty reception to Phillipe Lioret's "Welcome" with 10 nods and Xavier Giannoli's "In the Beginning" with 11 nominations.

Radu Mihaileanu's "The Concert" was also music to voters' ears with the tragicomedy about a washed-up former conductor of the Bolshoi orchestra who travels to Paris to make his career comeback scoring six nominations.

Paris -- Philippe Lioret's immigrant drama "Welcome" was named best French film of the year Friday night at the Lumiere Awards.

Director Regis Wargnier presided over the ceremony, held in Paris' City Hall, the Hotel de Ville.

"Welcome" stars Vincent Lindon and Firat Ayverdi in a story about a Kurdish boy from Iraq and the middle-age swimming teacher who tries to help him despite harsh French immigration laws.

Jacques Audiard was named best director for "A Prophet," and the film's leading man, Tahar Rahim, was named best actor for his role in the prison drama.

Both winners are on the Golden Globe Awards circuit stateside, and weren't in town to accept their prizes.

Veteran actress Isabelle Adjani took home the best actress prize for her performance in "Skirt Day," and newcomer Pauline Etienne was named most aspiring actress for her role in Lea Fehner's "Qu'Un Seul Tienne et les Autres Suivront.

Yesterday, the nominees for the Globe de cristal were announced. The purpose of this event is to allow the French press hand out awards in arts and culture. The artistic domains in question are cinema, television, architecture/design, literature, music, fashion, cultural exhibitions (read: museums) and stage shows.

1. Cinema:

Best film of 2009:

* Un prophète, by Jacques Audiard.

* Welcome, by Philippe Lioret.

* Oss 117: Rio ne répond plus, by Michel Hazanavicius.

* Le concert, by Radu Mihaileanu.

* À l'origine, by Xavier Giannoli.

Best actress of 2009

* Isabelle Adjani in La journée de la jupe.

* Chiara Mastroianni in "Non ma fille, tu n'iras pas danser".

* Kristin Scott Thomas in Partir.

* Marie-Josée Croze in Je l'aimais.

* Maïwenn Le Besco in Le bal des actrices.

Best actor of 2009

* Vincent Lindon in Welcome.

* Tahar Rahim in Un prophète.

* Yvan Attal in Partir.

* Jean Dujardin in Oss 117: Rio ne répond plus.

* François Cluzet in À l'origine.

Ok, I know that I'm almost one month late. After all, the list of the candidates for the Best Male and Female Hopes has been public knowledge since November 25. Anyway, I just want to post the information since I'm a lover of French culture. Enjoy.

The 2010 César for the Best Female Hope:

Marie-Julie Baup in Micmacs à tire-larigot

Astrid Berges Frisbey in Un barrage contre le Pacifique

Agathe Bonitzer in Un chat un chat

Sophie Cattani in Je suis heureux que ma mère soit vivante

Judith Davis in Je te mangerais

Anaïs Demoustier in Sois sage

Mati Diop in 35 rhums

Pauline Etienne in Qu’un seul tienne et les autres suivront

Alice de Lencquesaing in Le père de mes enfants

Florence Loiret-Caille in Je l’aimais

Sara Martins in Mensch

Lola Naymark in L’armée du crime

Vimala Pons in La Sainte Victoire

Soko in A l’Origine

Christa Theret...

Similar to the Golden Globes because it is a foreign group of film journalists who conduct the voting (though I'm sure they have no mandate to prefer films loaded in stars), this year's the 15th Lumiere Awards has a pair of films in the top tier that recently that duked it out for the Louis Delluc award. Philippe Lioret's Welcome (which just got picked up by Film Movement this week) and Jacques Audiard's A Prophet (a Spc release next February) received five and four noms respectively. - Similar to the Golden Globes because it is a foreign group of film journalists who conduct the voting (though I'm sure they have no mandate to prefer films loaded in stars), this year's the 15th Lumière Awards has a pair of films in the top tier that recently that duked it out for the Louis Delluc award. Philippe Lioret...

(Clockwise from upper left: Welcome, Visioneers, Crawford, A Single Man.)

Deals. Catching up on news from the past week: Contemporary drama Welcome deals with illegal immigration and "covert border crossings." Directed by Philippe Lioret, Welcome focuses on a teenager (Firat Ayverdi) and a middle-aged swimming instructor (Vincent Lindon) who develop a strong bond, in part because they are both dealing with being separated from the women they love. Film Movement plans to release Welcome in the second quarter of 2010, according to indieWIRE. Check out the trailer after the jump.

Online / On Demand Viewing. It may be cold outside, but you don't have to go outside to watch Visioneers, which "feels fresh and invigorating," wrote Eric D. Snider in his Cinematical review. "It's a high-concept comedy, but it's down-to-earth and accessible, even a little touching." The comedy is about a man's "search for meaning in his life, and comedian Zach Galifianakis...

Saving one more Euro fare from drowning into obscurity, Film Movement have announced the pick-up of Philippe Lioret's Welcome - a trilingual drama in French, English and Arabic that paints a portrait of two men wrestling with their own issues of lost love and alienation, while exploring larger contemporary dilemmas like illegal immigration and covert border crossings. Film Movement is planning a Spring-ish release. - Saving one more Euro fare from drowning into obscurity, Film Movement have announced the pick-up of Philippe Lioret's Welcome - a trilingual drama in French, English and Arabic that paints a portrait of two men wrestling with their own issues of lost love and alienation, while exploring larger contemporary dilemmas like illegal immigration and covert border crossings. Film Movement is planning a Spring-ish release. Welcome was recently selected as one of the nominees for the prestigious Louis Delluc Prize (A Prophet won) and since it preemed in Berlin,...

Philippe Lioret’s French, English and Arab-language drama “Welcome” has been picked up by Film Movement, which it plans to open in the second quarter of 2010. The company’s president Adley Gartenstein negotiated the deal with Film Distribution’s Francois Yon. The film paints a portrait of two men wrestling with their own issues of lost love and alienation, while exploring larger contemporary dilemmas like illegal immigration and covert border crossings. The film …...

With only Alain Resnais’ Les Herbes Folles and Bruno Dumont's Hadewijch as possible upset win scenario's, Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet was the logical winner for France’s Louis Delluc prize of best French film of the year. - With only Alain Resnais’ Les Herbes Folles and Bruno Dumont's Hadewijch as possible upset win scenario's, Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet was the logical winner for France’s Louis Delluc prize of best French film of the year. Other nominess in the category included: Xavier Giannoli's A L’Origine, Christophe Honore’s Non Ma Fille Tu N’Iras Pas Danser, Claude and Nathan Miller’s Je Suis Heureux Que Ma Mere Soit Vivante, Philippe Lioret’s Welcome and Alain Cavalier's Irene. A Prophet will probably duke it out versus The White Ribbon this year at...

Opening the fest is the North American premiere of Emmanuel Mouret's French sex comedy Please Please Me! (which I think should logically be picked up for the U.S. market - see trailer here) and the ten day fest will be closing with the North American premiere of Radu Mihaileanu's The Concert - a Weinstein Co. title starring Melanie Laurent that will most likely open sometime early in 2010. - Now in its 15th year, Montreal's Cinemania Film Festival, one of North America's better French language fests has unveiled its 30-title roster with its usual mix of films from the big four (Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Toronto) and select tiles from the Rotterdams, Locarnos, Karlovy Varys and Sundances. Opening the fest is the North American premiere of Emmanuel Mouret's French sex comedy Please Please Me! (which I think should logically be picked up for the U.

Philippe Lioret's film shows how EU countries that persecute immigrants are only doing Britain's dirty work

Audiences for Berlin award-winner Welcome are likely to be small but select. The hero is feisty enough to attempt to swim the Channel to get to Britain. He's no economic chancer or bogus asylum-seeker, but a good-looking star-crossed lover. All the same, the plight of a would-be illegal immigrant will doubtless engage only the high-minded few.

The film is bound to arouse indignation in such people. They'll see the wretched of the Earth being hounded, bullied and humiliated en route to our very own shores. Perhaps most startlingly, they'll discover that in France, sheltering aliens is a crime. A Calais swimming coach gets grassed up by a neighbour to the flics for taking in a stray Kurd. For some, this might stir up memories of the fate of French Jews under the occupation.

Maria Heiskanen in Everlasting Moments European Film Awards 2009 – Nominations: Part I Among the eligible films and performers that failed to nab a mention were Giovanna Mezzogiorno for Vincere, Audrey Tautou for Coco Before Chanel, Maren Ade’s Everyone Else, Ulrich Tukur for The White Ribbon, Martina Gedeck for The Baader Meinhof Complex, and Michael Fassbender for Fish Tank. Also, Christian Petzold’s Jerichow, Nina Hoss for Jerichow, Jan Troell’s Everlasting Moments, Maria Heiskanen for Everlasting Moments, Corneliu Porumboiu’s Police, Adjective, Andrzej Wajda’s Sweet Rush, and Philippe Lioret’s Welcome. Now, the curious thing about the European Film Awards is that the awards’ timing and eligibility rules (some of which have varied throughout the years) make many of the nominations seem like old news. Indeed, [...]...

Philippe Lioret’s “Welcome” received the $100,000 grand prize for best dramatic feature at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Gabriel Noble’s “P-Star Rising” took the best documentary feature prize, while Dean Yamada’s “Bicycle” (Jitensha) earned the Vison Award for best short film.

Ed Catmull, president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, was honored with the Pioneering Spirit Award.

Crystal Heart Awards were presented to Hilla Medalia’s "After the Storm”; "Bicycle" (Jitensha); Dag Hoel and Havard Bustnes’ "Big John"; Rene Bo Hanson's "The Eagle Hunter’s Son”; Gloria La Morte and Paola Mendoza's "Entre Nos"; Irene Taylor Brodsky's "The Final Inch”; Zvi Spielmann's "For My Father"; Melody George's "Marbles With Thoreau"; "P-Star Rising"; Debra Zimmerman's "Rough Aunties"; Greg Barker's "Sergio"; Omri Givon's "Seven Minutes in Heaven"; Christian Sonderby Jepsen's "Side by Side"; Jeremiah Crowell's "Small Collection"; and "Welcome.

London -- European parliament members will take a break from political debate to choose the winner of the Lux prize, which will come from a list of 10 Eurozone films announced by organizers Friday.

The 10 movies will be whittled down to three before the 736 members of the Ep vote on the winner after the trio of titles are named and screen during the Venice Film Festival in September.

Among the 10 movies shortlisted to compete are Claire Denis' "35 Rhums," Hans-Christian Schmid's "Sturm" and Caroline Strubbe's "Lost Persons Area."

The final selected trio will be shown at the European Parliament from Nov. 2-20 before the Euro MP vote.

The award will be given at the European Parliament on Nov. 25 in Strasbourg.

The Lux Prize aims to spotlight the wealth and diversity that characterizes European cinema by selecting films which deal, in different ways, with European issues such as immigration and public freedom.

"Eden Is West," co-written and directed by Costa-Gavras, was awarded the top prize by the jury of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. at the 13th annual City of Lights, City of Angels, a Week of French Film Premieres in Hollywood, which concluded Sunday at the Directors Guild Theatre.

Lafca's special prize went to "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life," written and directed by Remi Bezancon. Actress Yolande Moreau was given a special mention for her work in "Seraphine," her Cesar Award-winning performance, as well as her turn in the comedy caper "Louise-Michel."

The closing film, Philippe Lioret's "Welcome," about a Kurdish youth's struggle to emigrate from Iraq to the U.K. via Calais, won the Colcoa audience award, while "Baby Love," written and directed by Vincent Garenq, garnered both the Colcoa first feature and audience special prize awards.

Audience special mention went to the gangster...

In generally mild boxoffice action across most overseas markets, Warner Bros.' "Gran Torino" and 20th Century Fox's "Marley & Me" tied on the weekend for the No. 1 spot on the international circuit, with each title grossing a relatively modest $8.8 million.

The figures for each were the lowest weekend international grosses for a No. 1 attraction so far this year and pale on a per-market basis with the No. 1 boxoffice recorded by local-language films in France and in Germany.

Powered by Fete du Cinema festivities in France, the market experienced an exceptionally strong weekend.

Opening at No. 1 was Studio Canal's "Coco," a comedy starring Morocco-born stand-up comedian Gad Elmaleh, who also makes his debut as a director. Described as "a comedy about money," the title character is an arriviste planning a lavish bar mitzvah for his son. Debut gross was a huge $8.5 million from 565 sites, or more than $15,000 per screen, representing...

More Filmart news

London -- Market regulars across the world are familiar with European sellers such as Germany's Bavaria Media, France's Celluloid Dreams or Spain's Latido Films -- and those names are to be given a market boost in Hong Kong.

The three are among a slew of European-based films and sales banners being supported by movie promotion and trade body European Film Promotion traveling to Filmart this week.

The promotion body, which gets funding from the European Union's Media Program, said the Filmart support from its Film Sales Support cash pool is a first for companies traveling to Hong Kong.

Overall, 18 films will feel the love from the Fss support plan, which also offers financial help for films at selected non-European markets from 2009 onward.

To date, Fss had only been on offer for films at international festivals, the organization said.

An Efp executive said much of the decision to...

Thanks to nine new market openings -- notably a No. 1 premiere in the U.K. generating $6.5 million from 467 locations -- 20th Century Fox International's "Marley & Me" grabbed the top spot on the international circuit during the weekend, edging out "Watchmen."

The family drama, based on John Grogan's book about an obstreperous 100-pound dog, grossed a family-friendly estimate of $13.9 million from 2,708 screens in 34 markets, also including a first-place opening in Russia that provided $1.7 million from 517 locations. "Marley's" cumulative international gross stands at $51 million.

Paramount's "Watchmen," from director Zack Snyder, faded to second place with $13.5 million from 5,309 screens in 54 markets for an international gross to date of $49.5 million. The adaptation of the comic book series from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons opened at No. 1 in the prior frame with a gross of $26.6 million.

Finishing third on the weekend was Warner Bros.' "Gran Torino" with Clint Eastwood, which stepped up its international pace with a No.

Berlin -- Richard Loncraine's "My One and Only," a '50s-era comedy starring Renee Zellweger and Kevin Bacon, was squeezed into the competition lineup for this year's Berlin International Film Festival, barely a week before the event kicks off.

Zellweger plays a glamorous single mom on the hunt for a rich man to foot the bill for her and her sons' lifestyle. Produced by Merv Griffith Entertainment and Ray Gun Prods., "My One and Only" will have its world premiere in Berlin. Essential Entertainment is handling international sales.

Berlin also added Lone Scherfig's Sundance favorite "An Education" with Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina and Emma Thompson and Davis Guggenheim's music documentary "It Might Get Loud" for its Berlinale Special Galas, ensuring the films will get the red carpet treatment without any of the pressure of competition.

All three films should give an added boost of star power to...

With the addition of the following 26 titles (14 of which have been invited), the competition section is almost completed. You'll notice the kid with wings flick Ricky by Francois Ozon that we reported on earlier. Also having it's world premier is Mitchell Lichtenstein's (Teeth) newest film Happy Tears which sounds nothing it's predecessor (a genre piece) as it's a family drama.

You can check out the list after the break.

Competition (some out)

Cheri UK

By Stephen Frears (The Queen, Dangerous Liaisons)

With Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend, Felicity Jones

World premiere

Darbareye Elly (About Elly) Iran

By Asghar Farhadi (Fireworks Wednesday)

With Golshifteh Farahani, Taraneh Alidousti, Mani Haghighi

World premiere

Deutschland 09 Germany - Out of Competition

Compilation film by Fatih Akin, Tom Tykwer, Wolfgang Becker, Sylke Enders, Dominik Graf, Romuald Karmakar, Nicolette Krebitz, Isabelle Stever, Hans Steinbichler, Hans Weingartner, Christoph Hochhäusler, Dani Levy and Angela Schanelec

World...