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Benoit Delépine and Gustave Kervern’s eighth joint feature won the Berlinale’s special Silver Bear this year.

Wild Bunch has secured a slew of sales on French directorial duo Benoit Delépine and Gustave Kervern’s comedy Delete History, which won the Berlinale’s special Silver Bear this year.

Deals tied up at the Berlinale’s European Film Market include to France (Ad Vitam), Benelux (September Film), Switzerland (Pathé), Germany (X Verleih), Spain (La Aventura Audiovisual), Italy (Officine Ubu), Portugal (Apm), Sweden (Njutafilms), ex-Yugoslavia (McF), Hungary (Cirko Film), Czech Republic (Film Europe) and Baltics (A-One).

Outside of Europe, it sold...

Saint Amour

Directors: Gustave Kervern, Benoit Delepine

Writers: Gustave Kervern, Benoit Delepine

Eclectic Belgian directing duo Gustave Kervern and Benoit Delepine have created a variety of bizarre scenarios together ever since their 2004 debut Aaltra. Notable titles also included 2010’s Mammuth starring Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani, as well as their not-to-be-missed 2012 title Le Grand Soir, which won the top prize out of Directors’ Fortnight. In Venice 2014, they unveiled Near Death Experience while Kervern has been appearing on other French projects in front of the camera, opposite Catherine Deneuve in In the Courtyard (2014) as well as 2015’s delightfully offbeat Ashphalte from Samuel Benchetrit (unveiled out of competition at Cannes). They often recycle the same cast mates in their feature, and a few of them populate their next feature, Saint Amour (previously known as The Wine Route), with leads Depardieu and Benoit Poelvoorde (The Brand New Testament; 3 Hearts) as father and son...

The 44th edition of the Festival du Nouveau Cinema has just announced their entire lineup and it’s pretty insane! The festival which takes place in Montreal from October 7 to 18 is screening nearly 400 films and events in only 11 days. This includes 151 feature films and 203 short films from 68 countries – 49 world premieres, 38 North American premieres and 60 Canadian premieres. Give credit to the team of programmers: Claude Chamberlan, Dimitri Eipides Julien Fonfrède, Philippe Gajan, Karolewicz Daniel, Marie-Hélène Brousseau, Katayoun Dibamehr and Gabrielle Tougas-Frechette.

Below is the lineup. There’s a lot to process so take your sweet time!

Opening and closing

The whole New Testament directed by Jaco Van Dormael (Toto the Hero, Mr Nobody, The Eighth Day), will kick off this 44th edition.

After its world premiere at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes last May, the new opus unconventional Belgian director, starring Benoît Poelvoorde (Three Hearts, Ransom of Glory), Yolande Moreau (Mammuth,...

Father and son wine tour tale reunites directorial duo Benoit Delépine and Gustave Kervern with Gérard Depardieu and Benoît Po

Le Pacte has picked up sales on Benoit Delépine and Gustave Kervern’s latest collaboration Saint Amour, starring Gérard Depardieu and Benoît Poelvoorde as a farmer and his son who bond and find love on an eventful wine tour.

Delépine and Kervern last worked with Depardieu on their 2010 comic road movie Mammuth, which premiered in Berlin, was a breakout arthouse hit in France and sold well internationally.

Poelvoorde is a frequent collaborator with Delépine and Kervern, starring most recently as middle-aged punk in Le Grand Soir – which won Un Certain Regard’s Grand Jury Prize in 2012.

In Saint Amour, Poelvoorde plays disheartened cattle breeder Bruno who is attending the Paris International Agriculture Show with his father Jean, played by Depardieu.

The latter is hoping their prize bull Nabucodonosor will finally take top honours at the event and that...

Venice -- The no-budget, fascinating-as-a-trainwreck feature Near Death Experience, from eccentric French directorial duo Gustave Kervern and Benoit Delepine (Le Grand Soir, Mammuth), stars French literary giant Michel Houellebecq as an absolutely average and totally burnt-out employee of a call center who’s driven to suicide. This intimate psychological drama is set in the great outdoors, as it follows the protagonist into the mountains where he might end it all. A one-man-show for practically its entire running time, Nde, as it’s also being called, manages to stay dramatically grounded despite its possibly pretentious casting choice

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Ablations

Director: Arnold de Parscau

Writer: Benoit Delepine

Producers: Jpg Films, Nexus Factory, No Money Productions

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Denis Menochet, Virginie Ledoyen, Philippe Nahon, Yolande Moreau, Julie Delpy, Olivier Gourmet

This is Arnold de Parscau’s feature debut, based on a 2012 short film he directed of the same name. Besides a fantastic cast of Gallic greats, what’s even more exciting is that the screenplay was penned by Benoit Delepine, who has co-directed a number of brilliantly bizarre films with Gustave de Kervern, such as Mammuth and Le Grand Soir. We’re sure this will be equally offbeat as well as a notable title in the coming year. Here’s the trailer.

Gist: The story begins with a man waking up one morning in an open field, half-naked, with no memories of his mishaps of the previous day. As soon as he gets back to his hotel,...

★★★☆☆ Following last year's underwhelming Mammuth (2010), directors Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern present their latest oddball comedy Le Grand Soir (2012) in the 'Laugh' section of the 56th London Film Festival. Our protagonist is Not (Benoît Poelvoorde), "the oldest punk in Europe with a dog" as he describes himself. Despite his ostensible claims to living a life of freedom, Not gravitates around a single shopping mall on the edge of town where his mother and father own a chip shop, which he consequently visits in order to celebrate his mother's birthday.

Read more »...

French actor alleged to have struck a car driver in the face after collision in the sixth arrondissement of Paris on Wednesday

Gérard Depardieu has been accused of assault after an altercation following a traffic accident in Paris on Wednesday.

The incident occurred after Depardieu's scooter collided with a motorist's car in the sixth arrondissement. The driver of the car claims a heated argument culminated in the French actor punching him in the face. The motorist filed his complaint at the prosecutor's office on Thursday. Depardieu is yet to comment.

The star, known internationally for his role in Green Card, his Oscar-nominated turn in Cyrano de Bergerac and a long-term stint as greedy Gaul Obelix in the Asterix movies, made headlines last year over reports that he was ejected from a flight for urinating in the aisle. Depardieu's Asterix co-star, Édouard Baer – who was on the flight – said...

Despite the UK Film Council's golden age, 2011 was very much a mixed bag of events

In some ways, 2011 was the strangest year in living memory for British cinema. The UK Film Council was officially wound up at the end of March, a showy act from this coalition government, annulling a Labour creation on the grounds of high salaries and cronyism, but transferring much of its budget and responsibilities to the British Film Institute. And this at a time when the Film Council was having a golden age: a bag of Oscars for The King's Speech and a feeling that it had fostered real talent. Something was going very right for British cinema. Lynne Ramsey's We Need to Talk About Kevin premiered at Cannes; Steve McQueen's Shame and Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights made waves at Venice.

Two film-makers from Iran showed that cinema was able to address...

Release Date: Dec. 6, 2011

Price: DVD $29.95

Studio: Olive Films

Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani hit the road in Mammuth.

France’s great Gérard Depardieu (Inspector Bellamy)—sporting a wild mane of hair—stars in the 2010 comedy-drama movie Mammuth, co-starring the usually-fine and always-beautiful Isabelle Adjani (Ishtar).

The movie turns on a 60-year-old working-class man named Serge (Depardieu), who decides to retire and reap his pensioner’s rewards. Unfortunately, Serge runs into the implacable wall of bureaucracy after finding out that his former employers have neglected to declare his earnings. To receive full benefits, he needs to go back to them and gather the missing affidavits. Encouraged by his wife, Serge climbs onto his old 1970s Mammoth motorcycle and sets off on a trip to recover his lost wages—unaware that he’s also due to encounter some buried memories. As he reconnects with old friends, Serge discovers that their idea of...

Roundups on some of the more interesting titles opening this weekend have been updated through today: The Last Picture Show, 50/50, Margaret, Take Shelter and My Joy — see, too, Daniel Kasman's review — as well as another on the documentaries.

"Hillbilly horror is nothing new," writes Cheryl Eddy in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. "Some might mark its heyday as the 1970s, a decade containing Deliverance (1972), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), and I Spit On Your Grave (1978). Others might point to Herschell Gordon Lewis's immortal Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), probably cinema's most persuasive example of why Yankees road-tripping below the Mason-Dixon Line should never, for any reason, detour off the main highway…. But what if, asks Eli Craig's Tucker and Dale vs Evil, you were totally misjudging those sinister-seeming whiskey-tango yokels? What if, despite being a little unwashed and fond of sharp objects and power tools, they...

In Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern's black comedy Aaltra, a pair of mutually hostile paraplegics set out in their wheelchairs from Belgium to Finland to seek compensation from the manufacturers of the harvester that maimed them. Their new film, Mammuth, is also a quirky road movie, in this case about Serge (Gérard Depardieu), a recently retired French butcher in a small-town meatpacking plant. He has to drive around south-western France on his old Mammuth motorbike to gather documents from all his past employers in order to claim his state pension. Depardieu, now the size of a beached whale, exudes sadness as he meets a succession of fellow eccentrics while pursuing his hopeless task. The earlier film was in elegant black-and-white; this one is in grainy, almost granulated, colour and is intermittently very funny. In one bizarre scene (reminiscent of a similar moment between Depardieu and Robert De Niro...

X-Men: First Class (12A)

(Matthew Vaughn, 2011, Us) James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones. 132 mins

Considering the odds were stacked against this – preceding as it does four X-Men movies (including Hugh Jackman's Wolverine), entering a superhero-stuffed summer schedule, juggling scores of characters, and telling a story fans know already – this does a remarkably good job. The cold war setting offers a new take on closeted mutanthood, and a parallel version of the Cuban missile crisis, not to mention Bond-like stylings, and McAvoy and Fassbender add dramatic ballast to some overbearing special effects.

Senna (12A)

(Asif Kapadia, 2010, UK) 106 mins

A Formula One doc that doesn't follow the formula, this assembles a compelling, even moving, biography of the superstar Brazilian driver using only archive material and audio interviews; no talking heads or modern-day footage. The racetrack excitement is contagious.

Last Night (12A)

(Massy Tadjedin, 2010, Us/Fra) Sam Worthington,...

This week we present a Brazilian documentary special. We speak to British director Asif Kapadia about his film Senna, the tragic tale of the Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna.

Rio Breaks explores the lives of the young surfers of the favelas. Its writer and producer Vince Medeiros joins Jason and Asif to discuss the Brazilian love of sport and daring and how surfing is keeping young people away from the violent gang culture.

Xan Brooks pops up to review some of this week's other releases, including X-Men: First Class, Gérard Depardieu in Mammuth, Keira Knightley in Last Night and sperm donation documentary Donor Unknown.

Jason SolomonsXan BrooksJason Phipps...

Gérard Depardieu's bittersweet road movie boasts some genuinely unsettling moments

The black comedies of Gustave Kervern and Benoît Delépine combine intense Frenchness with a kind of Anglo-American comedy-sensibility, something of Adam McKay or Ricky Gervais. Mammuth is their best yet: a funny, sad and weird road movie starring Gérard Depardieu in a pungent role. Kervern and Delépine have an unmatched ability to spring something new on the viewer, to keep you off balance, and there is one jaw-dropping scene which shows Depardieu engaging in the kind of recreational activity which certainly never featured in Green Card.

He plays a fat, resentful and slow-witted man called Serge, nicknamed "Mammuth" on account of his extreme corpulence: this film is a glorious rebuke to the Hollywood piety that leading characters have to be sympathetic. Serge is uncompromisingly unsympathetic. He is married to supermarket shelf-stacker Catherine, played by the directors' repertory regular Yolande Moreau.

Edinburgh fails to entice, Don Draper steps behind the camera, and Gérard Depardieu proves that the French believe in Dutch courage

Scotched festival

What's happened to Edinburgh? The world's longest-running film festival is in peril and there appears little can be done as the start date of 15 June approaches. Recent patrons Tilda Swinton and cameraman Seamus McGarvey will not be in attendance (Swinton's shooting Wes Anderson's new film, Moonrise Kingdom, with Bruce Willis, go figure; McGarvey is filming superhero mash-up The Avengers in Hollywood). Even more worrying is the absence of perennial supporter Sean Connery. The Bond star and local boy made good celebrated his 80th year with a screening of The Man Who Would Be King at the festival last year, but has withdrawn his involvement for this latest edition. The festival, under new management and seeking new direction after the departure of Hannah McGill, has even jettisoned the Michael Powell award,...

Heartbeats (15)

(Xavier Dolan, 2010, Can) Xavier Dolan, Monia Chokri, Niels Schnieder, Anne Dorval. 101 mins.

He's young (22), talented, he directs, writes, produces and acts: don't you hate Xavier Dolan already? Those green with envy will find plenty to object to about the French-Canadian's second movie, not least the fact that it's rather good. It's a love triangle for our times: at its apex a charming Adonis who becomes the covert object of desire for two friends, a guy and a girl. Like its characters, it's not quite as sophisticated as it wants to be, but it's honest, accomplished and recklessly romantic.

The Hangover Part II (15)

(Todd Phillips, 2011, Us) Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms. 102 mins.

The location is different (Bangkok – or at least the movie version) but this sequel to the hit amnesiac prenuptial buddy comedy takes no risks with formula or cast (even Mr Chow is back). The adult humour, though,...

Mammuth star is the honourable descendent of Parisian pugs from Lino Ventura to Vincent Cassel

We can all agree that this has been a terrible few weeks for French masculinity – thanks not only to the off-duty actions of former Imf chief and alleged "rutting chimpanzee" Dominique Strauss-Kahn, but also to the moronic, insulting rationalisations offered de haut en bas by highly placed apologists such as Bernard-Henri Lévy and Jack Lang, who've sounded like scheming bourgeois misogynists from some mid-period Claude Chabrol movie.

Before this grotesque episode, Dsk had always reminded me of the great burly, barrel-chested, ugly-beautiful stars of French gangster movies; you could just imagine him blackmailing Lino Ventura, whom he strongly resembles (all the more so in handcuffs) or beating up Yves Montand in some Pigalle pissoir.

Luckily, we can still turn to Gérard Depardieu to redeem this fine tradition of Gallic movie sex symbols resembling bison who've...

At her best, Adjani was always a victim going over the edge of sanity, and that seems to match Truffaut's account of her at work

It has never been safe to predict what Isabelle Adjani was going to do, or why. In 1974, François Truffaut was planning to make The Story of Adele H, about a daughter of Victor Hugo who falls in love with a young army officer and goes mad in her efforts to get him to return the love. He wanted someone new for the lead role, and was intrigued by Adjani in a recent hit comedy called La Gifle. Adjani was 19 and ravishing; but she was under contract as a stage actress to La Comédie-Française.

Truffaut pursued her. The theatre company declined to release her. The matter went to law. Adjani stayed quiet – but in the end she had her way. She would do Adele H. Truffaut...

Fans of Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine's kooky sense of humour will be pleased to know the zany writing team behind last year's Mammuth - and 2004's darkly comic and highly inventive wheelchair road movie, Aaltra - are back with their latest offering, Louise-Michel.

The Euro is strong and orders are down in economically bad times, but, after reassurances from the factory bosses, the workers are given their own name-embroidered smocks. Yet upon arriving to work the next day they find, without any warning, that the factory has been shut down and decide to call a worker's meeting. As a result of said meeting, the workers are offered a mere 2,000 Euros for over 20 years work - an insulting offer that leaves a bitter taste - until ex-con Louise suggests they pool their resources and hire a hit-man to “whack” their unscrupulous bosses. Well, it's that or making a nude calendar.

Xavier Beauvois' "Of Gods and Men" dominated the nominations of the 36th Annual Cesar Awards, the French equivalent of the Oscars. "Of Gods" received 11 nominations total and will compete against Heartbreaker (L'Arnacoeur), Gainsbourg (Vie Heroique), Mammuth, Le Nom Des Gens, The Ghost Writer, and On Tour for Best Film.

The Social Network, Invictus, Inception, Illegal, The Secret In Their Eyes, Bright Star, and Les Amours Imaginaires will duke it out for the Best Foreign Film category.

Jodie Foster will preside over the ceremony and Quentin Tarantino will be given an honorary Cesar award. The 36th Annual Cesar Awards will be held on Feb. 25th.

Here is the full list of nominees:

Best Film

Heartbreaker (L'Arnacoeur), dir: Pascal Chaumeil

Of Gods and Men (Des Hommes Et Des Dieu), dir: Xavier Beauvois

Gainsbourg (Vie Heroique), dir: Joann Sfar

Mammuth, dir: Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kervern

Le Nom Des Gens, dir: Michel Leclerc

The Ghost Writer,...

The nominations for this year’s César Awards (France’s Oscar equivalent) has been announced. In addition the awards ceremony has also chosen Quentin Tarantino as the recipient of the ceremony’s honorary award. Alain Terzian, the president of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma announced at a press conference this morning confirmed that the director would be present to ick up his award in person.

It is also worth noting that there are three American movies among the seven nominees for Best Foreign Film: Inception, The Social Network and perhaps the biggest surprise, Invictus.

The 36th edition of the Césars will take place on February 25 in Paris.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best Movie

L’arnacoeur by Pascal Chaumeil

Le nom des gens by Michel Leclerc

The Ghost Writer by Roman Polanski

Tournée by Mathieu Amalric

Des Hommes et des Dieux by Xavier Beauvois

Gainsbourg...

Three U.S. films are among the seven nominees for best foreign film in this year’s César Awards, France’s version of the Oscars. Meanwhile, American director Quentin Tarantino has been selected to receive an honorary award and will be at the Feb. 25 ceremony in Paris to accept it, it was announced Friday.

The three American films cited by the Académie des arts et techniques du cinema are Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” David Fincher’s “The Social Network” and Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus,” an Oscar contender in the States last year.

Xavier Beauvois’ “Of Gods and Men” (“Des hommes et des Dieux”) — not one of the nine films still in contention for the best foreign film Oscar — leads with 10 nominations, while Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer” and Joann Sfar’s “Gainsbourg” (“Vie Héroïque”) are also nominated in multiple categories.

Presiding over this year’s awards is American actress and director Jodie Foster.

Source. Inception, The Social Network are among foreign nominees. Best Film Heartbreaker (L’Arnacoeur), dir: Pascal Chaumeil Of Gods and Men (Des Hommes Et Des Dieu), dir: Xavier Beauvois Gainsbourg...

It’s going to be an American night at this year’s César Awards (France's Oscar equivalent). For starters, Quentin Tarantino is the recipient of the ceremony’s honorary award, Alain Terzian, the president of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma announced at a press conference this morning in Paris. It was also confirmed that the Inglorious Basterds director will pick up his trophy in person. Additionally, three American movies are among the seven nominees for Best Foreign Film: Christopher Nolan’s Inception, David Fincher’s The Social Network and Clint Eastwood’s Invictus. Presided by Jodie Foster and hosted for the second year running by French actor Antoine de Caunes — a witty guy but meek compared to Ricky Gervais — the 36th edition of the Césars will take place on February 25 in Paris. See the full list of César nominees after the jump. As an overview, Xavier Beauvois...

Quentin Tarantino will receive an honorary achievement award at the 36th annual Cesar Awards on Feb. 25. The Cesars are the French equivalent to the American Oscars, and Tarantino is being recognized for being a “great international artist,” according to Cesar president Alain Terzian. The French Academy’s nominations also were announced, with Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men and Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer dominating the major categories. Several American films were nominated for Best Foreign Film, including Oscar frontrunner, The Social Network. See below for the list of the best films:

Best Film

Heartbreaker

Of Gods and Men...

Roman Polanski directing The Ghost Writer Best Film Heartbreaker produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun, directed by Pascal Chaumeil Of Gods And Men produced by Pascal Caucheteux, Grégoire Sorlat, Etienne Comar, directed by Xavier Beauvois Gainsbourg (Vie HÉROÏQUE) produced by Marc du Pontavice, Didier Lupfer, directed by Joann Sfar Mammuth produced by Jean-Pierre Guérin, Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern, directed by Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern The Names Of Love produced by Caroline Adrian, Antoine Rein, Fabrice Goldstein, directed by Michel Leclerc The Ghost Writer produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde, directed by Roman Polanski TOURNÉE produced by Laetitia Gonzalez, Yaël Fogiel, directed by Mathieu Amalric Best Foreign Film Les Amours Imaginaires, Xavier Dolan Bright Star, Jane Campion The Secret In Their Eyes, Juan José Campanella ILLÉGAL, Olivier Masset-Depasse Inception, Christopher Nolan Invictus, Clint Eastwood The Social Network, David Fincher Best First Film Heartbreaker, Pascal Chaumeil, produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky,...

Apart from the classic auteurs in the Special Presentations section, the 39th Festival du nouveau cinéma will be filled to the gills in new works from across the globe. I view the extremely popular film festival as sort of a B-side for film festival circuit items that generally find a spot in a major film fest such as Cannes and afterwards would normally fall through the cracks. Think the Nyff's much wilder, Canadian cousin. Over 295 films - this includes shorts, fiction and documentary, animation, retrospectives, tributes, professional panels, outdoor interactive installations, the festival which takes place between the 13th to the 24th of October, furiously promotes not only world talent, but local French Canadian filmmakers. Among the notable titles, we have Michelangelo Frammartino's Le Quattro volte, Olivier Assayas' Carlos and Alex de la Iglesia's The Last Circus and Wang Bing will be in town for a Master Class for Venice-winning The Ditch.

Cologne, Germany -- Olive Films has picked up U.S. rights to "When We Leave," the debut drama from German director Feo Aladag starring Sibel Kekilli ("Head-On") as a woman ostracized by her devout Muslim family.

"When We Leave" has been collection accolades since its debut at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. The film won best feature and Kekilli best actress honors at Tribeca and Kekilli picked up the Best Actress Lola -- Germany's equivalent of the Oscar -- for her commanding performance as Umay, an abused wife whose family turns against her.

The deal was negotiated by Olive Films' president Farhad Arshad and Irina Ignatiew, evp of German world sales group Telepool.

"We felt strongly about this title from the very beginning," Arshad said. "A delicate examination of a painful reality, the film affords the audience the space needed to experience the anxieties of the characters...

The full line up for the 54th BFI London Film Festival was announced in the Odeon, Leicester Square this morning, with a number of highly anticipated films set to light up the capital this October.

The festival runs from the 13th to the 28th of October and will begin with Mark Romanek’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s haunting masterpiece Never Let Me Go, and will close with Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours which stars James Franco.

Announcing the roster were Artistic Director Sandra Hebron and the Director of the British Film Institute, Amanda Nevill.

HeyUGuys will be all over the festival this year, it looks like it will be one to remember.

Click here to view the full calendar

The 54Th BFI London Film Festival Programme Launch

London, Wednesday 8 September: The programme for the 54th BFI London Film Festival, launched today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron, showcases an array of...

Bob Ellis looks back at this year’s Sydney Film Festival.

We are forbidden urination after a three-hour film and herded bursting out into the rain and pushed in front of speeding traffic by big Tongan guardians of the Red Carpet while inside, in the ever-gorgeous art-deco foyer, barmen and pie vendors gazed on its lovely emptiness planning their bankruptcies and other careers and cursing, like all of us, the Clare Stewart Effect on world cinema.

Audiences entering successive sessions without hellish incident these last 113 years have not educated this woman; clamour, ticketless offices, caffeine deprivation, pissed trousers and lack of a chance to chat between sessions (or even sit on the marble steps) have characterised her Cromwellian rule for years now and several deaths, I calculate, from the pelting rain and it is wrong for her to preen her ghastly dress sense in golden spotlight just because certain films...

Vanessa Paradis will star in "Cafe de flore," a time-spanning love story that marks director Jean-Marc Vallee's return to French-language filmmaking.

French-Canadian Vallee wrote and directed 2005's "C.R.A.Z.Y.," his award-winning 1970s-set breakthrough, then directed the Emily Blunt period movie "Young Victoria," released last year. He began writing "Cafe" just before he took on the Graham King-produced "Victoria."

"I have been writing it since 2007, and when I was offered 'Young Victoria,' a love story, I thought why not do it, it will be good practice," said Vallee, who also directs. "I see this as a continuation of 'C.R.A.Z.Y,' which gave me the confidence and the wings to fly high."

Vallee describes "Cafe" as "an epic love story that deals with supernatural resources." It tells two stories, one set in the 1960s and follows a mother of a child with Down syndrome, and the other...

Funny Balloons - the French sales company (founded in 03) has created a small niche of repertoire films, and are the folks behind some of my breakout favorites such as Chile's Tony Manero and Mexico's Lake Tahoe (both Cannes products). - Funny Balloons - the French sales company (founded in 03) has created a small niche of repertoire films, and are the folks behind some of my breakout favorites such as Chile's Tony Manero and Mexico's Lake Tahoe (both Cannes products). This year they'll be presenting Benda Bilili! in the Director's Fortnight (opening night slot) and they've got a promo reel for Pablo Larrain's Post Mortem (see pic above) - which I would now say is lining up for Venice preem. Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz - Post-Production Mammuth by Benoît DelÉPine - Completed Post Mortem by Pablo LarraÍN - Post-Production Wandering Streams (Les Petits Ruisseaux...

Funny Balloons - the French sales company (founded in 03) has created a small niche of repertoire films, and are the folks behind some of my breakout favorites such as Chile's Tony Manero and Mexico's Lake Tahoe (both Cannes products). This year they'll be presenting Benda Bilili! in the Director's Fortnight (opening night slot) and they've got a promo reel for Pablo Larrain's Post Mortem (see pic above) - which I would now say is lining up for Venice preem. Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz - Post-Production Mammuth by Benoît DELÉPINE - Completed Post Mortem by Pablo LARRAÍN - Post-Production Wandering Streams (Les Petits Ruisseaux) by Pascal RABATÉ - Completed Benda Bilili! by Florent De La Tullaye - Completed Lake Tahoe by Fernando Eimbcke - Completed Louise-michel by Gustave Kervern - Completed Nowhere Man by Patrice Toye - Completed Tony Manero by Pablo LARRAÍN - Completed...

Sam Worthington in Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans (top); Mia Wasikowska in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (upper middle); Franck Dubosc, Mathilde Seigner, Claude Brasseur, Mylène Demongeot in Fabien Onteniente’s Camping 2 (lower middle); Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu in Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine’s Mammuth (bottom) Robert Pattinson’s Remember Me Surprisingly Jumps 17%; Kristen Stewart’s The Runaways Down: Box Office Internationally, Clash of the Titans, starring Avatar’s Sam Worthington, remained the #1 movie this past weekend with an estimated $32 million in 60 markets, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Overseas total to date: $240.4 million. Clash of the Titans‘ month-long reign, however, will likely end when Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr, opens in several markets next week [...]...

Rounding out a month as the No. 1 title on the foreign theatrical circuit, "Clash of the Titans" claimed an estimated $32 million from 10,075 screens in 60 markets on the weekend, raising its overseas boxoffice total to $240.4 million.

"Titans'" offshore domination ends this week as an early-to-arrive summer season, thanks to the June 11-July 11 World Cup, kicks off this week. Paramount's "Iron Man 2" begins its overseas run on Wed. in six markets, including France, Belgium, Sweden and Norway.

A Japan opening at 481 screens generated for the 3D update of MGM's 1981 action fantasy based on Greek mythology $3.1 million, including paid previews. In all, said distributor Warner Bros., 3D venues provided 64% of "Titans'" overseas gross.

Taking second place on the weekend was Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," which tallied $26.7 million in its eighth round on the foreign circuit from 7,233 venues in 54 markets. A Brazil bow generated $5.7 million from 649 locations, Disney's biggest market gross ever for this market.

A few weeks back we posted a fantastic clip from dryly absurd French comedy Mammuth in which star Gerard Depardieu berates a grocery store deli clerk for not showing a proper respect from ham and now we're back with more.  The full trailer has arrived and it does nothing but build on the promise of that original clip. Some very funny stuff here, delivered in a pleasingly understated way that comes off almost like Gondry or Jonze on valium.  Here's the official synopsis:

As he turns 60, a working-class man takes his retirement. Hard at work since the age of 16, he has never missed a day, never gone sick.

When he tries to claim his well-deserved retirement pension, he runs into the implacable wall of bureaucracy. It turns out that several of his former employers have "forgotten" to declare his earnings. To receive full benefits, his only solution is to go...

Above: Yasujiro Shimazu's 1937 film, The Lights of Asakusa.

Arriving for the last few days of this year’s Berlinale, at first I thought my being late to the party was why I didn’t find any new films that blew me away (as opposed to last year’s stellar yield of Everyone Else, By Comparison, Beeswax, and The Milk of Sorrow). But reports of the first week, such as those of fellow Auteurs correspondents, led me to believe that I hadn’t missed that much, what with World on a Wire, a restored 1973 Fassbinder TV miniseries, drumming up the most critical excitement.

Germany’s present-day cinema made a strong showing, with Angela Shanalec’s Orly and Thomas Arslan’s Im Schatten (In the Shadows) drawing raves on this site and elsewhere. I was able to catch up with the Arslan and if anything, it’s an incredibly pleasurable film to watch,...

Above: Yasujiro Shimazu's 1937 film, The Lights of Asakusa.

Arriving for the last few days of this year’s Berlinale, at first I thought my being late to the party was why I didn’t find any new films that blew me away (as opposed to last year’s stellar yield of Everyone Else, By Comparison, Beeswax, and The Milk of Sorrow). But reports of the first week, such as those of fellow Auteurs correspondents, led me to believe that I hadn’t missed that much, what with World on a Wire, a restored 1973 Fassbinder TV miniseries, drumming up the most critical excitement.

Germany’s present-day cinema made a strong showing, with Angela Shanalec’s Orly and Thomas Arslan’s Im Schatten (In the Shadows) drawing raves on this site and elsewhere. I was able to catch up with the Arslan and if anything, it’s an incredibly pleasurable film to watch,...

Let me clear about this right up front. I am not a fan of Gerard Depardieu and I never have been. I'm not sure whether it's something about his acting style or the projects he chooses but there is generally just something that keeps me away from the vast majority of his films.

But there are always exceptions. And Mammuth looks to be one of them.

When the film appeared in Berlin this year word began trickling back to me from a number of trusted friends that this was something special. And rather unusual. And definitely my style. Though I wasn't able to catch the film at the festival I have tracked down an extended clip reel and if these bits are true to the spirit of the entire feature then hell yes, this is a Depardieu film I can get behind.  Here's the synopsis:

As he turns 60, a working-class man takes his retirement.

With Berlinale wrapped, let's take one last looksie at random celebs working the premieres and photo ops. Part of our irregular red carpet lineup tradition. And then the awardage.

From left to right: I didn't know what Michael Winterbottom looked like, so I've included him here. He's a boyish 48. I think his career is pretty fascinating because it covers so much global ground and differing genre terrain. He's so prolific while still making intelligent films. I'm impatient so prolific works for me. That said, his new noir The Killer Inside Me might be one I'll have to skip. If festival types are so horrified by the violence I'm sure it's more than I can take.

Julianne Moore looking foxy on her way to fifty. She's gone a bit goth here with smoky eyes, black dress and black fingernails. More on her in a bit.

Two-time Oscar nominee Isabelle Adjani, who hasn't been working much,...

Berlin -- British director Michael Winterbottom has defended graphic scenes of violence in his latest movie, "The Killer Inside Me," which prompted dozens of people to walk out of a press screening in disgust.

The movie, starring a U.S. cast of Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson, had already caused a stir when it was shown at the Sundance festival last month, and it is now in competition at Berlin, where it premieres Friday.

"The Killer Inside Me" is based on a pulp fiction novel by Jim Thompson, which Winterbottom said left a deep impression on him when he read it.

The most explicit violence comes early on in the movie when Affleck's character, the respected yet creepy deputy sheriff Lou Ford, decides to beat his prostitute girlfriend Joyce (Alba) to death in order to frame an old enemy and take his money.

Little is left to the...

Cologne, Germany – The Berlin International Film Festival has added the documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" from British street artist Bansky to its official 60th anniversary program, completing its 2010 lineup.

"Exit Through The Gift Shop," which debuted in Sundance, will have an out of competition screening in Berlin.

Included among the films competing for this year's Berlinale Gold and Silver Bears, previously announced, include Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer;" Noah Baubach's "Greenberg" starring Ben Stiller; Oskar Roehler's period drama "Jew Suss – Rise and Fall" and "Apart Together" from Chinese director Wang Quan'an, which opens the Berlinale Feb. 11.

Japanese film "About Her Brother" from Berlinale veteran Yoji Yamada will close the festival Feb. 20. It will be the seventh Berlin entry for the prodigious filmmaker, who will receive an honorary lifetime achievement Berlin Camera prize at the festival on Feb. 20.

The 60th Berlin International Film Festival will also feature the world premiere,...

Berlin -- The Berlin International Film Festival is going indie for its 60th anniversary with new films from Michael Winterbottom, Noah Baumbach, Thomas Vinterberg and other independent filmmakers among this year's competition lineup.

Baumbach's comedy "Greenberg" starring Ben Stiller as a New Yorker house sitting for his brother in Los Angeles, will have its world premiere in Berlin as will Vinterberg's latest, "Submario," a Danish drama that sees the director of "The Celebration" returning to the treacherous landscape of familial relationships.

Winterbottom's Western thriller "The Killer Inside Me" starring Casey Affleck will head to Berlin after its world premiere in Sundance, one of several titles catching the Park City-Berlin express this year. These include "Howl," a drama from famed documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman centered on poet Allen Ginsberg's 1957 obscenity trial; Nicole Holofcener's comedy "Please Give" starring Catherine Keener and Amanda Peet and Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids Are Alright.