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French directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon (“The Little Gangster”) were summoned by police on July 1 for questioning in connection with complaints filed by actor Judith Godreche on Feb. 8.

The two directors were taken in custody by the Juvenile Protection Brigade, according to the Afp.

Godrèche lodged a rape complaint against Jacquot and accused him of “predation” and “violent rape of a minor under 15 years old committed by a person in authority.” She met Jacquot in 1986, when she was 14 years old (the director was then 39) on the set of his movie “Les Mendiants,” and began a relationship with him which went on for six years. She also starred in his 1990 film “La Desenchantée.” The offences were alleged to have taken place between 1986 and 1992. Jacquot has denied all of Godrèche’s accusations.

The director’s attorney, Julia Minkowski, told Variety that Benoît Jacquot “had requested to be heard since the beginning of the investigation.

Fresh controversy is brewing in the French film industry just weeks after a bombshell documentary detailing sexual assault accusations against Gérard Depardieu divided its ranks.

In what promises to be another divisive affair, actress Judith Godrèche has publicly condemned the relationship she openly had with director Benoît Jacquot in the late 1980s, which she says began when she was only 14 years old and he was 40.

Godrèche said this week that she was “under his influence” and that the relationship was wrong.

Jacquot – whose films as director include 2015 drama Diary Of A Chambermaid, Farewell, My Queen and Casanova, Last Love – has always held that Godrèche was 15, the minimum age of consent in France.

Godrèche, who is now 51, lived with Jacquot for six years and appeared in his films The Beggars and The Disenchanted, before leaving him in her early 20s.

She went on to build a successful career as an actress...

It’s time to get excited about David Cronenberg’s upcoming “The Shrouds,” at least according to Diane Kruger.

“We just finished filming it. I think it might be his most personal film, because it talks about him and the passing of his wife.”

Kruger, starring alongside Vincent Cassel – cast as Karsh, an innovative businessman and grieving widower, who builds a device to connect with the dead – confirmed she will play multiple roles in the thriller.

“I was very emotional making it, because I knew it was so close to him and he was a little bit detached because of it. I could feel him being so vulnerable. I hope it’s going to be great,” she said at the Zurich Film Festival.

This year’s Golden Eye Award recipient, presenting “Visions” at the Swiss fest, Kruger also opened up about her beginnings. Growing up in Germany and dealing with...

Empreinte Digitale, the thriving Paris-based production company behind Disney +’s “Parallèles,” has hired Thomas Saignes, a well-established producer whose track record includes “Bad Banks” and “Parlement.”

Joining from Cinétévé, Saignes will be in charge of producing drama series and one-offs for streaming services and traditional TV channels, as well as spearheading Empreinte’s international co-productions.

Saignes, who is based in Paris and lived a number of years in Montreal, Canada, has been actively involved in the financing and co-productions of films and series with international and European partners, notably Benoit Jacquot’s period movie “Farewell, my Queen.” Prior to Cinétévé, Saignes worked at the Luxembourg-based company Iris where he was involved in the Zdf-Arte series “Bad Banks” which Federation sold around the world. During his tenure at Cinétévé, Saignes collaborated with veteran producer Fabienne Servan-Schreiber and was a driving force behind several ambitious series, for instance Noé Debré’s political...

Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Bernard-Henri Lévy just days before he is elected President of Ukraine Photo: Yann Revol, courtesy Cohen Media Group

Bernard-Henri Lévy on Wednesday, April 20 moved up our scheduled time to meet from 3:00pm (New York time) to 2:30pm so he could watch from the start the final French presidential debate between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. The election is today, Sunday April 24.

In The Will To See (Une Autre Idée Du Monde), co-directed with Marc Roussel, produced by Kristina Larsen, and executive produced by Emily Hamilton, Bernard-Henri Lévy takes us up close to many of the never-ending crises around the world.

Bernard-Henri Lévy: “I was in Ukraine a few days ago. Before that I was in the area of Odessa, Mykolaiv, I continue to go.” Photo: Cohen Media Group

This must-see documentary, shot by Olivier Jacquin and Roussel is dedicated to Paris Match Managing...

The number of films about Giacomo Casanova is legion, which makes the question “why another one?” especially relevant. What insight can be found to kindle enough interest to pour reportedly more than $7.5 million into a retelling of the great diarist’s life? Given Benoît Jacquot’s success with his earlier costume drama “Farewell, My Queen,” based on Chantal Thomas’ novel, perhaps he thought a new angle could be found together with Thomas, this time credited as main scriptwriter. How odd then that their vision imagines a world of predatory hormonally-charged females all throwing themselves at a lackluster, aging roué who shows more gusto wolfing down food than rutting around skirts.

Is this the Casanova for the early 21st century? A man famed among peers for his charisma and broad intelligence, companion of Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin, reduced to a lovesick sad-sack pining after a capricious young prostitute whose physical attributes...

Playtime has acquired international sales rights to Philippe Le Guay’s “The Man From the Basement,” a Paris-set thriller produced by Anne-Dominique Toussaint’s Les Films des Tournelles.

Now in post, the film shot during the lockdown on location in Paris, with a stellar cast including François Cluzet, Jérémie Renier (“Slalom”), Bérénice Bejo and Jonathan Zaccaï (“The Bureau”).

“The Man From The Basement” was written by Le Guay, Gilles Taurand, the critically acclaimed screenwriter of “Wild Reeds” and “Farewell, My Queen,” and Marc Weitzmann, a French journalist and novelist.

The thought-provoking thriller revolves around a Parisian couple who decide to sell an unsanitary basement in their building. A seemingly ordinary man, Mr. Fonzic, shows up to buy it and makes it his permanent residence. But slowly, Mr. Fonzic becomes a threat to the family as he turns out be a hateful man spreading anti-semitic lies and exerting a perverted influence...

Netflix may get most of the attention, but it’s hardly a one-stop shop for cinephiles who are looking to stream essential classic and contemporary films. Each of the prominent streaming platforms caters to its own niche of film obsessives.

From chilling horror fare on Shudder, to the boundless wonders of the Criterion Channel, and esoteric (but unmissable) festival hits on Film Movement Plus and Ovid.tv, IndieWire’s monthly guide highlights the best of what’s coming to every major streaming site, with an eye towards exclusive titles that may help readers decide which of these services is right for them.

Here’s the best of the best for January 2020.

“Midsommar”

Despite its ritualistic terrors, slasher-inspired structure, and “Hostel”-like affinity for butchering self-obsessed American tourists, “Midsommar” is clearly a film that uses horror tropes as a means to an end. The sun-blasted story of a grieving young woman...

La Daronne

Director Jean-Paul Salomé’s international reputation should expand significantly with his eighth feature, La Daronne aka Mama Weed, adapted from a celebrated novel by Hannelore Cayre and starring the inimitable Isabelle Huppert. The crime comedy, produced by Jean-Baptiste Dupont and Kristina Larsen is scored by Bruno Calais (Oscar nominated for 2004’s The Chorus) and features a noted supporting cast, including Hippolyte Girardot, Liliane Rovere, Iris Bry (a recent Cesar nominee for The Guardians), Jade Nadja Nguyen, Youssef Sahraoui, Kamel Guenfoud and Farida Ouchani.…...

Amos Gitai, one of Israel’s most influential directors who has “A Tramway in Jerusalem” and “A Letter to a Friend in Gaza” playing at Venice Film Festival, is set to direct “Doña Gracia,” a sprawling period drama about Gracia Mendes Nasi.

Although her legacy is not well-known, Doña Gracia was a heroic figure who escaped persecution in 16th century Lisbon and became a prominent figure in the politics of the Ottoman Empire as well as one of the wealthiest Jewish women of Renaissance Europe. She used her wealth to save hundreds of converted Jews from the Inquisition.

Gitai has been developing the project for four years with Marie José Sanselme, his co-writer on “Rabin, the Last Day,” “Disengagement” and “Free Zone,” among other films.

“‘Doña Gracia’ was an incredibly fierce and visionary woman who led an exceptional life,” said Gitai. “Not only did she escape persecution, she faced off...

Ava DuVernay, Kristen Stewart, Denis Villeneuve, Chang Chen, Robert Guédiguian, Khadja Nin, Léa Seydoux and Andrey Zvyagintsev have been named members of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival Jury.

They will join Cate Blanchett, who was previously named president of the jury at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.

During the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, the jury is made up of five women and four men, only the third time that women have made up a majority of the jury. All three times have come in the last 10 years.

The jurors are of seven nationalities and from five continents.

Also Read: Cannes Lineup Reaches From Spike Lee to Jean-Luc Godard

Blanchett marks the first female jury president since Jane Campion served in 2014. Other women to take on the role this century include Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert and Liv Ullmann. It is the 12th time in festival history a woman has headed the jury. Director, screenwriter and actress Jeanne Moreau served twice, with all others putting in one year each.

The Cannes Film Festival will take over the south of France from May 8-19.

See the full bios for the jury members courtesy of the festival organizers below.

Also Read: Cannes Will Welcome Back Lars von Trier, Says Festival Director

Chang Chen – Chinese actor

Chang Chen made his film debut in the late Edward Yang’s A Brighter Summer Day. He rose to fame in the Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000. His film credits include “Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together” (1997), 2046 (2004), “The Grandmaster” (2013), Hou Hsiao-hsien’s “Three Times” (2005) and “The Assassin” (2015), Tian Zhuangzhuang’s “The Go Master” (2006) John Woo’s “Red Cliff” (2008-2009) “The Last Supper” directed by Lu Chuan (2012). In 2017, he returned for Yang Lu’s film Brotherhood of “Blades II” and recently played in “Forever Young” by Fangfang Li.

Ava DuVernay – American writer, director, producer

Nominated for the Academy Award and Golden Globe and winner of the BAFTA and Emmy, Ava DuVernay is a writer, director, producer and film distributor known for the historical drama “Selma” (2014), the criminal justice documentary “13th” (2016) and the recent Disney cinematic adaptation of the classic children’s novel A wrinkle in Time. Winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Best Director Prize for her film “Middle of Nowhere,” DuVernay amplifies the work of people of color and women directors through her film collective Array.

Robert Guédiguian – French director, writer, producer

The work of Robert Guédiguian, an activist filmmaker, celebrates the city of Marseille where he grew up. Acclaimed by critics when he first started directing in the 80s, he met public success with Marius and Jeannette, which won the Prix Louis-Delluc in 1997.

His film credits include “Marie-Jo et ses deux amours” (2002) “Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars” (2004) “Le Voyage en Arménie” (2007) “Lady Jane” (2008) “L’armée du crime” (2009) “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (2011). His latest film in date, “The House by the Sea” (2017), received enthusiastic response from critics and audience.

Khadja Nin – Burundian songwriter, composer, singer

Youngest of a family of eight Khadja Nin studied music at an early age, before leaving Africa to go to Europe. Her albums are a mix of occidental popmusic, African and afro-cuban rhythms. She gained wide recognition and success with “Sambolera Mayi Son.” “Ya…” (“From me to you”) is a wonderful tribute to Mandela and the video of her song “Mama” was directed by Jeanne Moreau. International Artist, she became a Unicef and Acp Observatory on Migration Good Will Ambassador. She was awarded the Prize “Prix de l’Action Feminine” by the African Women’s League in 2016. She has been committed to support ordinary heroes.

Léa Seydoux – French actress

Rising to fame with Christophe Honoré’s “The Beautiful Person” in 2008, Léa Seydoux is an award-winning actress, notably the Palme d’Or for Abdelatif Kechiche’s “Blue is the Warmest Colour” in 2013. She successfully alternates between author and mainstream films. Her film credits include Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Dear Prudence” and “Grand Central,” Benoît Jacquot’s “Farewell, My Queen” and “Diary of a Chambermaid,” Bertrand Bonello’s “Saint Laurent,” Sam Mendes’ “Spectre,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster” and Xavier Dolan’s “It’s Only the End of the World.”

Kristen Stewart – American actress

Kristen Stewart has been playing roles since an early age and received widespread recognition in 2008 for “The Twilight Saga” film series (2008-12). Her film credit includes “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012), “Equals” by Drake Doremus (2015) “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” by Ang Lee (2016), and several Festival de Cannes Selections such as “On the Road” by Walter Salles (2012) “Clouds of Sils Maria” (2014) and “Personal Shopper” (2016) both by Olivier Assayas (2014) as well as “Café Society” by Woody Allen. She directed her first short film “Come Swim” in 2017.

Denis Villeneuve – Canadian director, writer

Internationally renowned and recently two-time Academy Award winner for “Blade Runner 2049,” Denis Villeneuve made his debut at the National Film Board of Canada in the early 90’s. His first feature, “Un 32 août sur Terre” (1998) was invited to Cannes. He returned there with “Next Floor” (2008), “Polytechnique” (2009) and the Oscar nominated “Sicario” (2015). In 2010 “Incendies” was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. In 2017, Arrival was nominated for 8 Oscars and 9 BAFTAs, including best movie and best director.

Andreï Zvyagintsev – Russian director, writer

Multi-award winning filmmaker Andreï Zvyagintsev has already become one of the most respected directors in Russian and international cinema. He directed his first feature film in 2003 The Return which won him a “Golden Lion” at the Venice Film Festival. He has continued to write and direct award-winning feature films “The Banishment” (2007), “Elena” (2011) and “Leviathan” (2014). His most recent film “Loveless” won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Festival de Cannes, and was among the nominees at the Golden Globe and 90th Academy Awards.

Read original story Ava DuVernay, Kristen Stewart Join Cate Blanchett on 2018 Cannes Film Festival Jury At TheWrap...

'Everest' 2015, with Jake Gyllenhaal at the Venice Film Festival. What global warming? Venice Film Festival 2015 jury: Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón president The 2015 Venice Film Festival, to be held Sept. 2–12, has announced the members of its three main juries: Venezia 72, Horizons, and the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film. In case you're wondering, “Why Venezia 72”? Well, the simple answer is that this is the 72nd edition of the festival. Looking at the lists below, you'll notice that, as usual, Europeans dominate the award juries. The only two countries from the Americas represented are the U.S. and Mexico, and here and there you'll find a sprinkling of Asian film talent. Golden Lion jury The Golden Lion – Venezia 72 Competition – jury is comprised by the following: Jury President Alfonso Cuarón, the first Mexican national to take home the Best Director Academy Award (for the Sandra Bullock-George Clooney...

Benoît Jacquot's Farewell, My Queen (Les Adieux à la Reine) starring his leading ladies Léa Seydoux, Diane Kruger and Virginie Ledoyen

CinéSalon's Benoît Jacquot: Leading Ladies (March 3 - 24), curated by Delphine Selles-Alvarez at the French Institute Alliance Française in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York included screenings of The Disenchanted (La Désenchantée) starring Judith Godrèche, Marcel Bozonnet and Ivan Desny, introduced by Jacquot; A Single Girl (La Fille Seule) - Virginie Ledoyen, Benoît Magimel, Dominique Valadié introduced by choreographer Blanca Li, who has worked with Pedro Almodovar and Michel Gondry; Villa Amalia - Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Xavier Beauvois and À Tout De Suite - Isild Le Besco, Ouassini Embarek, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Laurence Cordier.

Léa Seydoux is lovely and tough as the reader and our heroine in Farewell, My Queen Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

On Tuesday, March 24 at 7:30pm, Eye For...

Sneak Peek footage and images from the R-rated 'Marie Antoinette' romantic feature "Farewell, My Queen ("Les Adieux à la reine") directed by Benoît Jacquot, based on the novel of the same name by author Chantal Thomas.

The film is an eyewitness account of France's doomed Queen 'Marie Antoinette' (Diane Kruger), as seen through the eyes of an infatuated, female servant, 'Sidonie Laborde' (Léa Seydoux) :

"...in 1789, on the eve of the 'French Revolution', the court at the 'Palace of Versailles' still live their routines, relatively unconcerned by the increasing turmoil in Paris a distance away. 

"When news about the storming of the 'Bastille' reaches the Court, most aristocrats and servants desert the Palace, fearing that the government is falling. 

"They abandon the Royal Family. But 'Sidonie Laborde', a young servant who is the Queen's reader, has a crush on the monarch and refuses to flee.

"She...

Hollywood's Costner takes home Honorary Award Speaking of Hollywood, the French Academy has frequently given its Honorary César (an equivalent to the Lifetime Achievement Award) to some curious group of Hollywood celebrities. Among those are Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Quentin Tarantino, Hugh Grant, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Spike Lee, Andie McDowell, and Sylvester Stallone. This year, they've made another curious choice: Kevin Costner, whose Honorary Award was a tribute to his "fabulous contribution to cinematic history." Costner, among whose movie credits as actor and/or director are Dances with Wolves, Bull Durham, JFK, The Bodyguard, The Postman, and Waterworld, thanked the French Academy of Film Arts and Sciences for embracing him "for who I am." Other César winners Among this year's other César winners were, in the supporting categories, Valérie Benguigui and Guillaume de Tonquédec for What's in a Name? / Le Prénom, directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere.

Sneak Peek new images from the dramatic period feature "Farewell, My Queen ("Les Adieux à la reine") directed by Benoît Jacquot, based on the novel of the same name by author Chantal Thomas.

The film is an eyewitness account of France's doomed Queen 'Marie Antoinette' (Diane Kruger), as seen through the eyes of an infatuated, female servant, 'Sidonie Laborde' (Léa Seydoux) :

"...in 1789, on the eve of the 'French Revolution', the court at the 'Palace of Versailles' still live their routines, relatively unconcerned by the increasing turmoil in Paris a distance away. 

"When news about the storming of the 'Bastille' reaches the Court, most aristocrats and servants desert the Palace, fearing that the government is falling. 

"They abandon the Royal Family. But 'Sidonie Laborde', a young servant who is the Queen's reader, has a crush on the monarch and refuses to flee.

"She feels secure under the protection...

14th Mumbai Film Festival (Mff) announced its complete lineup today in a press conference. Mff will be held from October 18th to 25th at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Ncpa) and Inox, Nariman Point, Liberty Cinemas, Marine Lines as the main festival venues and Cinemax, Andheri and Cinemax Sion as the satellite venues. Click here to watch trailers and highlights from the festival.

Here is the complete list of films to be screened during the festival (October 18-25)

International Competition for the First Feature Films of Directors

1. From Tuesday To Tuesday (De Martes A Martes)

Dir.: Gustavo Fernandez Triviño (Argentina / 2012 / Col. / 111′)

2. The Last Elvis (El Último Elvis)

Dir.: Armando Bo (Argentina / 2012 / Col. / 91′)

3. The Sapphires

Dir.: Wayne Blair (Australia / 2012 / Col. / 103′)

4. The Wall (Die Wand)

Dir.: Julian Pölsler (Austria-Germany / 2012 / Col. / 108′)

5. Teddy Bear (10 timer til Paradis)

Dir.: Mads Matthiesen (Denmark / 2012 / Col. / 93′)

6. Augustine

Dir.: Alice Winccour (France / 2012 / Col.

Sneak Peek actress Diane Kruger in the new dramatic feature "Farewell, My Queen ("Les Adieux à la reine") directed by Benoît Jacquot, based on the novel of the same name by author Chantal Thomas.

The film is an eyewitness account of France's Queen 'Marie Antoinette' (Kruger), before she falls under the guillotine, as seen through the eyes of a young female servant, 'Sidonie Laborde' (Léa Seydoux) :

"...in 1789, on the eve of the 'French Revolution', the court at the 'Palace of Versailles' still live their routines, relatively unconcerned by the increasing turmoil in Paris a distance away. When news about the storming of the 'Bastille' reaches the Court, most aristocrats and servants desert the Palace, fearing that the government is falling. They abandon the Royal Family.

But 'Sidonie Laborde', a young servant who is the Queen's reader, has a crush on her and refuses to flee.

"She feels...

French writer and director Benoît Jacquot gives an intimate look at the last days of monarchy during the beginning of the French Revolution. A young woman’s eagerness to please the Queen gets her in danger when she’s assigned a secret mission that could get her killed. Jacquot wisely avoids what’s already known by focusing on the intimate details of the last days of Versailles where Marie Antoinette is involved in a love triangle with two other women. It’s a beautiful and intimate period drama with a contemporary feel for authenticity. The solid cast includes Léa Seydoux as the naive reader to Diane Kruger’s Marie Antoinette. The supporting cast includes Virginie Ledoyen, Xavier Beauvois and Noémie Lvovsky. “Farewell, My Queen” (Les adieux à la reine) opened the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF55) where I sat down with the filmmaker. Cohen Media Group open the film in theaters tomorrow.

Editor’s note: Farewell, My Queen is opening in limited theaters this week, so please enjoy this re-run of our review from the Berlin Film Festival, originally posted on February 9, 2012. The realm of 18th century France is a dusty one. Period dramas, especially lofty costume dramas, are so numerous that you can barely toss a powdered wig without hitting one. With Farewell, My Queen (Les Adieux à la Reine), writer/director Benoît Jacquot tears off the wig, pulls down the drapes and sets fire to both. The wonderfully un-stuffy film stars and is told through the eyes of Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux) who acts as a cipher for the manic last few days of Marie Antoinette’s (Diane Kruger) reign in the late 1700s. It’s Laborde’s story, meaning it’s the story of a voyeur who watches from doorjambs as the business of being extravagantly wealthy and powerful becomes not only meaningless, but...

If Sofia Coppola's bubblegum take on the royal life of Marie Antoinette was a tad too pop for you, then you won't want to miss Benoit Jacquot's latest period drama, "Farewell, My Queen," which depicts the final tumultous days of the queen (Diane Kruger) in a far more realistic way via the eyes of her official reader, Sidonie Laborde ("Midnight in Paris" star Léa Seydoux). To satiate your appetite for all things French before the handsome picture opens in select theaters on July 13, Indiewire has two exclusive scenes from the film that demonstrate how different this is from Coppola's vision.   And for comparison's sake, here's the trailer for Coppola's "Marie Antoinette":...

Benoit Jacquot‘s Farewell My Queen (Les adieux à la reine) was chosen to open the Berlin and San Francisco Film Festivals and that’s reason enough to pay attention to this movie, a behind-the-scenes look at Versailles in July 1789. Farewell My Queen is a best-selling novel by Chantal Thomas, who also co-wrote the screenplay along [...]

Continue reading New Farewell, My Queen Trailer and Poster on FilmoFilia.

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The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 - May 3)  will open with this year's Berlinale opener, "Farewell, My Queen," directed by Benoit Jacquot. The period drama -- starring Diane Kruger ("Inglourious Basterds"), Lea Seydoux ("Midnight in Paris") and Virginie Ledoyen ("Army of Crime") -- takes place over the first days of the French Revolution and is told from the perspective of the servants at Versailles. Kruger plays Marie Antoinette. (Go Here for Indiewire's review). Jacquot will be present for a post-screening Q&A.  ...

Diane Kruger attended the premiere of her movie Les adieux à la reine, or Farewell, My Queen, in Paris this evening with her costars Léa Seydoux and Virginie Ledoyen. Diane wore a lace, collared dress by one of her favorite designers, Derek Lam, for the occasion. The actress's latest film features her as Marie Antoinette and will open in select theaters stateside on March 21. Diane made the trip to France following a recent stay in La, during which she attended the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty solo and was spotted getting domestic the following week, running some dressed-down errands. The French premiere of her period film follows the Berlin Film Festival debut in early February. Farewell, My Queen will be Diane's first movie to hit American theaters since the thriller Unknown, which came out in February of last year and starred Diane opposite Liam Neeson and January Jones. View Slideshow ›...

New York's Rendez-Vous With French cinema - Part One

The 17th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Unifrance Films’ celebrated annual showcase of the best in contemporary French film, hits screens at The Film Society, the IFC Center and BAMcinématek, March 1-11.

The opening night film of the 2012 Berlin Film Festival Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux à La Reine) takes us behind the scenes at Versailles...

If you’re fan of historical dramas, then I’m sure you’re going to love this report. Farewell, My Queen (Les adieux à la reine) is a French movie which opened the Berlin film festival on Thursday, or, if you prefer, it’s one of the most interested titles that launched the competition at the 62th Berlinale. Movie [...]

Continue reading 2012 Berlinale: Farewell, My Queen Starring Diane Kruger and Léa Seydoux on FilmoFilia.

Related posts: Hayley Atwell, Diane Kruger or Kate Beckinsale In Oblivion Starring Tom Cruise? Diane Kruger: ‘Troy’ kind of sucked Diane Kruger Denies Possible Superman Casting...

Opening with a bit of a historic snooze fest yet also offering greatness… While costumes and pictures of opening film Les Adieux à la Reine (Farewell My Queen) by Benoït Jacquot were absolutely stunning the story itself was more on the boring side. The film focuses on Léa Seydoux as Sidonie Laborde, Queen Marie Antoinette’s (Diane Krüger) reader, during the days of the French Revolution. The director however is clearly more interested in his female protagonists’ shapes and an overall composed aesthetic than in actually constructing an engaging story; when the camera isn’t busy resting on mademoiselle Sydoux well-shaped breasts there is a lot of slow rushing through Versailles and very little story development going on. In a way it feels like everyone’s hurrying to get off the Titanic, except Versaille is a much more impressive set.

Frédéric Videau’s A Moi Seule (Coming Home) – also in...

Meryl Streep also honoured by 62nd edition.

The world premiere of Benoît Jacquot’s Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux à La Reine) will open the 62nd Berlin Film Festival.

The screen adaptation of Chantal Thomas’ prize-winning novel of the same name stars Diane Kruger, Léa Seydoux and Virginie Ledoyen and examines the first days of the French Revolution from the perspective of the servants at Versailles.

Set in 1789, revolution is imminent. Behind the facades of the royal palaces, everyone is thinking of fleeing, including Queen Marie...

Diane Kruger as Marie Antoinette, Farewell, My Queen The world premiere of Les Adieux à la reine / Farewell, My Queen will open the 2012 Berlin Film Festival next February 9. Directed by Benoît Jacquot (Tosca, Villa Amalia, Deep in the Woods), Farewell, My Queen stars Inglourious Basterds' Diane Kruger (as Marie Antoinette), Midnight in Paris' Léa Seydoux, and Army of Crime's Virginie Ledoyen. Adapted by Jacquot and Gilles Taurand from Chantal Thomas’ novel, Farewell, My Queen is set during the first days of the French Revolution, as seen from the perspective of the servants at Versailles. The synopsis below is from the Berlin Film Festival website: Versailles in July 1789. Unrest is growing in the court of King Louis the XVI (Xavier Beauvois). The people are rebelling — a revolution is imminent. Behind the facades of the royal palaces, everyone is thinking of fleeing, including Queen Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) and her entourage.

The 62nd Berlin International Film Festival will open at the Berlinale Palast on February 9, 2012 with the world premiere of the period drama Les Adieux à la reine (Farewell My Queen) that features such international stars as Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds), Léa Seydoux (Midnig

ht in Paris) and Virginie Ledoyen (Army of Crime).

In a screen adaptation of Chantal Thomas’ prize-winning novel of the same name, French Director Benoît Jacquot (Tosca, Villa Amalia, Deep in the Woods, among others) portrays the first days of the French Revolution from the perspective of the servants at Versailles. With ironic overtones, a historical drama unfolds that also draws parallels to the present.

Versailles in July 1789. Unrest is growing in the court of King Louis the XVI. The people are rebelling – a revolution is imminent. Behind the facades of the royal palaces, everyone is thinking of fleeing, including Queen Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) and her entourage.

Cologne, Germany - Farewell My Queen, a period drama from director Benoit Jacquot (The Untouchable) starring Diane Kruger as Marie Antoinette, will open the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 9. Story: 'Iron Lady' Meryl Streep To Receive Berlin Golden Bear The film, an adaptation of Chantal Thomas’ prize-winning novel of the same name, is set in the early days of the French revolution as people begin to revolt against the court of King Louis the XVI. The film co-stars Lea Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) and Virginie Ledoyen (Army of Crime). In a rarity for

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