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The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced that Sidonie Dumas, CEO of Gaumont, will be honored with this year’s International Emmy Directorate Award.

Dumas will receive the honor at the 52nd International Emmy Awards gala in New York on Nov. 25.

Paris-based television and film production Gaumont is the world’s oldest continuously operating film studio — it celebrates its 130th anniversary next year — with a library that includes such iconic titles as Jean-Luc Godard’s Bande à Part and Louis Malle’s Au Revoir les Enfants, as well as more recent blockbusters, from Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element to Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano’s Untouchable.

Dumas, who has been head of Gaumont since 2010, was a major force in shifting the company’s focus to the small screen, helping deliver global hits including Netflix’s Lupin — featuring Untouchable star Omar Sy — and Narcos.

Other series greenlit under...

“Amelie” and “The Intouchables,” two of France’s all-time biggest box office hits, will be re-released by their respective studios, Ugc and Gaumont/Studiocanal, during the Olympic Games.

With three to four million Olympics fans expected to descend on Paris during the Olympics, French studios are looking to capitalize on the presence of these floods of international visitors and lure them into air-conditioned theaters.

These re-released movies will be subtitled in English which will mark a first in France, at least in recent history.

“The Intouchables,” a 2009 comedy starring Omar Sy as a street-smart caretaker working for a quadriplegic aristocrat, will be re-released by Gaumont and Studiocanal. Sy, who delivered a breakthrough performance in the movie, won a Cesar Award for best actor, becoming the first French Black actor to win such prize in the country. The actor went on to star in “Lupin,” the hit Netflix series.

Directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache,...

Exclusive: Last month, Michael Sheen’s appearance on new BBC interview series The Assembly popped on social media, and now Australia’s biggest and brightest names will get the chance of a similar experience.

We can reveal public broadcaster the ABC has ordered an Australian version of The Assembly (aka The A Talks), with Mark Fennessy’s Helium Pictures attached to produce a six-part series. The production was announced at the ABC’s upfront today in Sydney.

The Assembly is being adapted from French hit Les Rencontres du Papotin, which launched two years ago on France 2. Helium began production yesterday, and will continue for six weeks with a potential network premiere date in Q3.

The Australian show will follow a group of autistic student journalists, as they prepare to interview six of the nation’s biggest names, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The other stars are under wraps, but...

Newly-launched Carrousel Studios has appointed French film industry veteran Cécile Gaget as its CEO, with effect from May 1.

Billed as an artists-first European independent studio and media company, Carrousel Studios was launched in March by actor-producer Omar Sy, producer-director Louis Leterrier and entrepreneur/producer Thomas Benski.

Their aim is to develop and produce multi-generational, high quality and high-concept entertainment for the global audience.

In her new role, Gaget will utilize her sales and film finance expertise to help expand and grow upon the Carrousel’s founders’ capabilities.

Based out of Paris, her mission will be to ramp up a local and global production slate, forge strategic partnerships and more specifically oversee development, production, financing and distribution strategies.

“I am very grateful to Omar, Louis, and Thomas for their trust in my abilities to help build and lead this studio to its fullest potential. I’m thrilled to embark on this journey with Carrousel Studios,...

Actor Omar Sy has teamed with Lupin and Fast X director Louis Leterrier and former Pulse Films CEO Thomas Benski to launch Carrousel Studios.

Carrousel Studios is billed as an artists-first European independent studio and media company with a focus on producing commercial films and high-end TV series for global audiences. Carrousel will lean into genres such as elevated action, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy and comedy.

A statement announcing the launch of Carrousel said the founding trio “plan to modernise the process of developing, financing and producing films and series, and take advantage of myriad tax credits, subsidies, cost of production,...

French star Omar Sy (Lupin, The Intouchables) is joining forces with Fast X and Transporter director Louis Leterrier and producer Thomas Benski (American Honey, Gangs of London) to launch Carrousel Studios, a new European independent studio.

Billed as an “artists-first” studio, Carrousel aims to focus on elevated genre, in the film and TV, to “lean into elevated action, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy and comedy projects,” according to a statement, by taking advantage of “myriad tax credits, subsidies, cost of production, incredible talent (in front and behind the camera) as well as other European incentives.”

All three men are represented by CAA and CAA Media Finance set up the financing for the venture. Carrousel Studios will have offices in Paris, London, Los Angeles and Senegal.

The company name is meant to evoke a spirit of entertainment. “By definition, a carrousel’s sole purpose is to entertain, no matter where the riders come from,...

Actor Omar Sy has teamed with Lupin and Fast X director Louis Leterrier and former Pulse Films CEO Thomas Benski to launch Carousel Studios.

Carousel Studios is billed as an artists-first European independent studio and media company with a focus on producing commercial films and high-end TV series for global audiences. Carousel will lean into genres such as elevated action, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy and comedy.

A statement announcing the launch of Carousel said the founding trio “plan to modernise the process of developing, financing and producing films and series, and take advantage of myriad tax credits, subsidies, cost of production,...

Melvil Poupaud began his 40-year career, at the age of 10 Photo: Thomas Brunot/UniFrance Following in the illustrious wake of talents including Juliette Binoche, Virginie Efira, Olivier Assayas and Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, it is the turn of actor Melvil Poupaud to be honoured during the UniFrance Rendezvous with French Cinema in Paris later this month.

He will be given the French Cinema Award during a glittering ceremony at the French Ministry of Culture at a ceremony on 18 January.

Poupaud’s career has stretched across almost four decades, having begun his acting debut at the age of ten in City Of Pirates, directed by Raoul Ruiz, with whom he went on to make a further five critically acclaimed films.

Melvil Poupaud and Amanda Langlet in Eric Rohmer’s A Summer’s Tale Photo: Les Films du Losange During his career Poupaud has worked with many of France's most respected directors,...

L.A. French cinema lovers were deprived of their annual fall fix of Gallic film culture this year with the cancellation of the American French Film Festival due to the Hollywood strikes.

A handful of the titles originally slated to play at that event will now screen at the third edition of the French Comedy Club, running this weekend at the Lumière Cinema in Beverly Hills.

The two-day showcase opens with The Midwife (Sage-homme) which grossed $4.6 million at the box office in France for Warner Bros. France earlier this year.

Newcomer Melvin Boomer stars opposite Karin Viard as a young man who decides to try out midwifery after he fails his medicine exams.

The program also features A Difficult Year, the latest film from Untouchable directorial duo Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. Pio Marmaï, and Jonathan Cohen co-star as two swindlers opposite Noémie Merlant as an eco-activist.

The film, which...

2023 box office takings are still on track to surpass last year’s figures.

The French box office continued its autumn dip in October with 13.86 million tickets sold, down 3.9% from October 2022.

However, an impressive final week of admissions in the month and a strong line-up of films set for release in November and December mean that France’s total 2023 box office should surpass last year’s takings.

The October box office came in at €99.8m, based on an average ticket price of €7.20. This is 26.1% below the pre-pandemic 2017-2019 average.

The October figure is above September’s traditionally low box office which...

The world’s most famous gentleman thief is back in Paris and is now France’s most-wanted man. Part 3 of “Lupin” bowed a week ago and took the top spot on the streamer’s Global Top 10.

“Lupin,” which garnered 11.6 million views globally within its first week, stars Omar Sy as Assane Diop, a character inspired by Arsène Lupin, a stylish thief and master of disguise portrayed in Maurice Leblanc’s original 1907 novel.

The escapist Paris-set heist comedy show has been hugely popular since it debuted in January 2021, turning Sy into a global star and bolstering sales of Leblanc’s novel nearly 100 years after the original book was published. Following the premiere of “Lupin,” as many as 140,000 copies of the book sold in France and French-speaking countries and also picked up steam in Italy, Spain, the U.S., the U.K. and Korea. Produced by Gaumont in France, “Lupin” ranks as...

”“September is always low,” said Fncf’s Marc-Olivier Sebbag, “People have other things to do.”

Despite a promising summer blockbuster boost and August upswing, France’s September box office struggled with just 8.8m ticket sales and a total gross of approximately €63.2m, based on an average ticket price of €7.

The September slump was down 21.1% compared to the pre-pandemic 2017-2019 average and the lowest since 2005 (8.4m).

However it was up 16.1% from last year’s abysmal 7.6m admissions. Last September’s record low marked the worst month at the French box office since 1980, excluding the pandemic-ridden 2020 when cinemas were closed for most of the year.

Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) unveiled its first wave of 60 selections on Monday, July 24. The slate includes 37 world premieres, seven international openings and 12 North American debuts and will be held September 7 – 17, 2023. See the full lineup of films (so far) below.

Among the standouts is “The Holdovers,” a caustic Christmas comedy from “About Schmidt” and “Sideways” writer-director Alexander Payne. Pundits expect the film could emerge from the festival as a major Oscar player in several races, including Best Picture. Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” a retelling of the GameStop short squeeze starring Paul Dano, and David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers,” a pharma satire with Emily Blunt, could land two previously overlooked actors their first Oscar spotlight.

See 14 most anticipated movies for July include ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ ‘Barbie’ … [Photos]

George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” is a highly anticipated Civil Rights drama that Gold Derby users currently predict will...

Given the chaos wrought by the SAG-AFTRA strike, Toronto has just announced a surprisingly strong first-wave lineup.

In recent days, festival regulars have been apprehensive about the prospects of starry English-language movies making it to Venice, Toronto and Telluride, especially after the blow Venice was dealt last week when Zendaya starrer Challengers pulled out of its opening slot and moved to a spring 2024 release.

Despite the challenges, TIFF’s Cameron Bailey has managed to pull in an impressive lineup of potential awards contenders and acquisition titles. Among the lineup are Emily Blunt starrer Pain Hustlers, Sony’s Dumb Money, Chris Pine’s directorial debut Poolman, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Anthony Hopkins starrer One Life, Kate Winslet drama Lee, and plenty others. This is in addition to some strong arthouse debuts such as Ladj Ly’s new movie and a handful of Cannes holdovers including Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone Of Interest...

After unveiling a few titles, the Toronto International Film Festival has now dropped the initial 60 films taking part in their Galas and Special Presentations line-up when the festival takes place from September 7-17.

Highlights include Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Lukas Moodysson’s Together 99, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, and Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat.

The festival will also feature a number of acclaimed films from earlier this year, including Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, Chloe Dumont’s Fair Play, John Carney’s Flora and Son, and Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, and more.

See the lineup below.

Gala Presentations 2023

*Previously announced

Concrete Utopia Um...

The Toronto International Film Festival is back for another big year.

On Monday, TIFF announced a whopping 60 films in its first wave of titles for the 2023 edition of the festival.

Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Is The First Confirmed Title

Spanning both the Gala and Special Presentations sections of the fest, the lineup includes a number of big titles, including 37 world premieres.

“This year’s Galas & Special Presentations showcase a rich tapestry of talent, vision, and storytelling,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “From thought-provoking narratives to breathtaking visuals and stories so unreal they have to be real, each work embodies the power of cinema to inspire, challenge, and move audiences. Get ready to experience an unforgettable celebration of film and a memorable and star-studded festival, showcasing the best of global cinema for film lovers in September.”

Several of the films at this...

Films directed by actors Michael Keaton, Chris Pine, Viggo Mortensen, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ethan Hawke, Tony Goldwyn and Anna Kendrick will screen at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced on Monday as they unveiled the first group of films in the festival’s Gala and Special Presentations sections.

Keaton, Goldwyn, Kendrick, Mortensen, Pine and Thomas will present the world premieres of their films – Keaton with “Knox Goes Away,” Goldwyn with “Ezra,” Kendrick with “Woman of the Hour,” Mortensen with “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” Pine with “Poolman” and Thomas with “North Star.” Hawke’s film, “Wildcat,” will make its international premiere in Toronto, meaning it will likely screen at the Telluride Film Festival just before TIFF.

Films that will receive their world premieres in Toronto include Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” with Paul Dano and Pete Davidson; Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” with Kate Winslet; David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers,” with Emily Blunt...

Two labor strikes may be upending Hollywood’s awards season and the film festivals that serve as launching pads for many Oscar contenders, but the Toronto International Film Festival signaled Monday that it still plans to showcase the best in cinema, unveiling its 2023 slate of movies.

Alexander Payne, Richard Linklater, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Justine Triet are among the auteurs who will be screening their latest works at the festival. Payne will be on hand with “The Holdovers,” a comedy set in a boarding school that reunites him with “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti, while Linklater is showing “Hit Man,” an action-comedy with Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Kore-eda and Triet will screen “Monster” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” both of which premiered at Cannes, where the latter won the Palme d’Or.

All told, the festival’s first wave of selections includes 60 films, representing 70 countries around the world. But the lineup...

All film festivals face a challenged season ahead as most onscreen talent will be forced to sit this one out due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Just last week, MGM and Luca Guadagnino yanked “Challengers” from the Venice opening night slot and shifted the movie entirely to April of next year.

But the Toronto International Film Festival forges ahead with a nevertheless starry lineup this year of 60 films across the Galas and Special Presentations sections, as announced Monday morning. The festival has not made an opening night selection but has so far also programmed Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” and Ladj Ly’s “Les Indésirables.”

Among the world premieres are Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” starring Kate Winslet as war photographer Lee Miller and Andy Samberg as Life Magazine photographer David E. Scherman; Viggo Mortensen’s directorial effort “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” a Western starring himself and Vicky Krieps; Craig Gillespie...

Lucas Bernard’s romantic comedy ’In The Sub For Love’ is another new acquisition for French studio.

French studio Gaumont has unveiled a hefty genre-hopping Cannes slate complete with all new acquisitions Gilles de Maistre’s family adventure Moon The Panda, Stéphane Brizé’s romance drama Out Of Season and Lucas Bernard’s romantic comedy In The Sub For Love in addition to a slew of market premieres and official selection festival titles.

New acquisitions

Moon The Panda is the latest film from the master of the human-animal adventure tale Gilles de Maistre following Mia And The White Lion and The Wolf And The Lion.

In keeping with tradition, the 2023 edition of Cannes Classics promises to be a feast for cineastes with tributes to global masters and restored versions of all-time classics.

Cannes Classics’ Memories of Jean-Luc Godard strand pays homage to the master who died in 2022 by screening a restored version of “Contempt” (1963); “Godard by Godard,” a self-portrait of the auteur; and the world premiere of “Phony Wars,” a trailer for a film that will never get made, described by the festival as a venture where the filmmaker “transformed his synopses into aesthetic programs.”

Liv Ullman will be present at the strand with “Liv Ullmann – A Road Less Travelled,” a documentary directed by Dheeraj Akolkar.

Japanese master Ozu Yasujiro will be paid tribute to with screenings of “Record of a Tenement Gentleman” (1947) and “The Munekata Sisters” (1950) off restored prints. “Return to Reason” – where four films of painter, photographer and director Man Ray have been...

Series is adaptation of diaries of Dutch author Etty Hillesum, who was murdered in Auschwitz.

Hagai Levi, showrunner of The Affair and Scenes From A Marriage, is writing and will direct the series The Girl Who Learned How to Kneel, which is being produced by Arte France with France’s Les Films du Poisson and the Netherlands’ Topkapi Films.

The loose adaptation of the diaries of Dutch author Etty Hillesum is set in Amsterdam in the late 1930s and early 1940s during the German occupation before she was deported and murdered in Auschwitz. Hillesum was 27 when she wrote the diaries,...

Series is adaptation of diaries of Dutch author Etty Hillesum, who was murdered in Auschwitz.

Hagai Levi, showrunner ofThe Affair and Scenes From A Marriage, is writing and will direct the series The Girl Who Learned How to Kneel, which is being produced by Arte France with France’s Les Films du Poisson and the Netherlands’ Topkapi Films.

The loose adaptation of the diaries of Dutch author Etty Hillesum is set in Amsterdam in the late 1930s and early 1940s during the German occupation before she was deported and murdered in Auschwitz. Hillesum was just over age 40 when she wrote the diaries,...

Woody Allen’s ’Wasp 2022,’ ’Murder Mystery 2’ and Apple TV+’s Benjamin Franklin biopic among the prestige projects to shoot.

Paris enjoyed record levels of production in 2022, with 102 features and 68 series filmed in the city throughout the year.

The French capital saw 7,500 shooting days, up from 2021’s then-record 7,000 shooting days. In 2019, before the pandemic, Paris registered 5,000 days of shooting.

Feature film production dipped slightly from 110 films in 2021, but series were up from 64 the previous year.

Among the major international titles filming in Paris were Woody Allen’s Coup De Chance, rumoured to be the prolific director’s 50th and last film.

French gender equality and diversity group Le Collectif 50/50 has hit out at the lack of female representation at the upcoming César awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars.

Related Story César Nominations: Louis Garrel’s ‘The Innocent’ Takes Surprise Lead, Followed By ‘Night Of The 12th’ – Full List Related Story Dominik Moll's 'The Night Of The 12th' & Albert Serra's 'Pacification' Lead Prizes At French Lumière Awards Related Story 'Saint Omer' Takes Top Honors At 34th Palm Springs Film Festival

The protest comes after not a single woman made it into the Best Director category in nominations announced Wednesday. The awards ceremony is February 24 in Paris.

Just one feature by a female director — Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi’s controversy-hit Forever Young — was nominated for Best Film.

This outcome raised surprise in some quarters as there was a raft of strong features by female directors on release in...

Gaumont has enlisted distributors in major European markets and beyond for “A Difficult Year,” a topical comedy directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the French filmmaking duo behind the smash hit “Intouchables.”

Deals were scored on the heels at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous showcase in Paris, where Gaumont unveiled the film’s promo to buyers with Toledano and Nakache on hand.

“A Difficult Year” has now been sold to Spain (A Contracorriente), Belgium and Netherlands (Cineart), Italy (iWonder), Germany and Austria (Weltkino), Poland (Gutek), Switzerland (Ascot Elite), Greece (Feelgood), Hungary (Mozinet), Czech Republic, Slovakia (Aerofilms), Portugal (Nos), Scandinavia (Scanbox), Romania (Independenta) and Israel (Lev).

Gaumont will next present the promo at the Berlinale’s European Film Market where it will be closing further sales.

Toledano and Nakache’s eighth feature, “A Difficult Year” is bolstered by an ensemble cast including Jonathan Cohen, Pio Marmaï, Noémie Merlant and Mathieu Amalric. The...

Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the French filmmaking duo best known for their smash hit comedy “Intouchables,” are wrapping up their eighth feature, “A Difficult Year,” which Gaumont teased to buyers at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous last week. The topical comedy is bolstered by an ensemble cast including Jonathan Cohen, Pio Marmaï, Noémie Merlant and Mathieu Amalric. “A Difficult Year” reteams Toledano and Nakache with their longtime producers at Quad Films. The pair also co-produced through their banner Ten Cinema, alongside Gaumont.

Highlighting growing contradictions within our society, “A Difficult Year” follows two compulsive spenders, Albert and Bruno, who are in debt up to their necks. While seeking help from community workers to get their lives back on track, Albert and Bruno run into a group of young green activists. Lured by the free beer and snacks rather than by the ideals of these eco-activists, Albert and Bruno find themselves joining the movement without much conviction.

Studio executives, renowned directors, and a crop of rising young talent huddled below crystal chandeliers in Paris’ Palais Royal on Thursday, turning out to fête “Benedetta” star Virginie Efira as she received the Unifrance French Cinema Award – a prize honoring those who carry the banner for Gallic cinema across the globe – in the presence of Unifrance president Serge Toubiana and the country’s Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak.

Organized as part of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris, the ceremony drew a fittingly international crowd, with filmmakers Emily Atef, Juho Kuosmanen, Sergei Loznitsa and Albert Serra joining “Athena” star Dali Benssalah, “Forever Young” lead Nadia Tereszkiewicz, “Mother and Son” breakout Annabelle Lengronne and “Everybody Loves Jeanne” director Céline Devaux for an intimate reception held in opulent surroundings.

Abdul Malak kicked off the Efira tribute with a victory lap of sorts, boasting about local theatrical attendance rates – which, with only 29 lost...

Virginie Efira, the prolific actor of “Benedetta” who emceed last year’s Cannes Film Festival, will receive the French Cinema Award during the Unifrance Rendez-Vous, a week-long showcase of French movies.

The honorary award will pay tribute to the local and international success of Efira, who was born in Belgium but has become one of France’s most popular and bankable actors. Her recent credits include Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris” which played at Cannes, and Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Les enfants des autres” which competed Venice. Both movies were successful at the French box office and sold around the world. Efira has seen her career take off since working with Justine Triet for “Victoria” and “Sybil,” and Paul Verhoeven for “Elle” and “Benedetta.” She has been delivering consistently strong performances in films by some of the most exciting directors in France, from Zlotowski to Winocour, Triet, Regis Roinsard and Serge Bozon.

Those accused or convicted of acts of sexual violence can still attend the ceremony if they have not been nominated.

France’s Cesar Academy has banned any nominees who have been accused or convicted of acts of sexual violence from attending its 2023 ceremony and related events.

The decision comes in the wake of its removal in November of Forever Young actor Sofiane Bennacer from the shortlist for the ‘Revelations’ prize for most promising rising stars after he was accused of rape and sexual assault. Bennacer vehemently denies the allegations.

“Out of respect for the victims (even alleged ones in cases...

David Fincher is set to receive the Honorary Cesar Award, France’s highest film prize, during a ceremony which will take place Feb. 24 in Paris.

“Fincher is one of these rare filmmakers whose entire filmography has become cult over the years,” said the Cesar Academie in a release.

The French organization described Fincher as being a “visionary,” and said his movies were “hypnotic, intellectual and a source of inspiration for so many artists.”

“He shocked us with ‘Seven,’ kept us on the edge with ‘The Game,’ and struck us again with ‘Fight Club.’ With ‘Zodiac,’ ‘The Social Network,’ ‘Gone Girl,’ which is his biggest film success so far, or with ‘Mank’ (his Oscar-nominated Netflix drama about the screenwriter of ‘Citizen Kane’), he breaks the usual codes and garners raving international reviews,” said the Cesar Academie.

The Honorary Cesar Award, which pays tribute to artists and filmmakers’ career achievements, has previously...

Selected actors will vie for five coveted spots in each of the most promising actor and actress categories.

France’s Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques, which runs the prestigious César awards, has unveiled its annual Revelations shortlist of local rising stars. They will vie for five coveted spots in each of the most promising actor and actress categories that will make the official nominees selection ahead of the 48th annual Cesars ceremony in Paris on February 24.

Among this year’s breakout stars are Saint Omer actresses Guslagie Malanda and Kayije Kagame, Cannes’ title Forever Young stars Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Clara Bretheau and Sofiane Bennacer,...

Ziad Doueiri, the French-Lebanese filmmaker of the Oscar-nominated movie “The Insult” who made his TV debut with the hit series “Baron Noir,” will next direct “Fièvre” (“Fever”).

“Fièvre” was penned by “Baron Noir” screenwriter Eric Benzekri and has been co-developed by French pay TV group Canal+’s Creation Originale label.

The show is being produced by Quad, the Paris-based company behind Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s “Intouchables” and the series “The Bonfire of Destiny.”

“Fievre” is headlined by two female characters played by Nina Meurisse, who notably starred in Celine Sciamma’s Berlinale competition film “Petite Maman,” and Julia Piaton, from Emmanuel Mouret’s “Love Affair(s)” which was part of Cannes 2020’s official selection.

Doueiri told Variety that the series will follow a woman who leads a crisis management firm and comes across a massive scandal involving a Black soccer player who beat the team’s coach, who is white.

Cécile Gaget, a former senior executive at Anton Capital and Gaumont, is set to join Wild Bunch as head of film.

It’s a new era for Wild Bunch, which was previously co-headed by Vincent Maraval, Vincent Grimond and Brahim Chioua. It’s now led by Ron Meyer, a veteran studio chief and CAA co-founder, and Sophie Jordan, a former beIN Media Group executive.

Gaget will lead the film group reporting to Meyer and Jordan. Gaget, who is well-regarded in the industry and enjoys close relationships with talent, will be overseeing French acquisitions, distribution and local production. She’ll also be ramping up an international production slate, including English-speaking projects for Wild Bunch Ag, who will act as producer and financier.

Gaget is joining from Anton, where she began working in 2020 as president of international production and distribution, helping the banner ramp up the slate production and sales team. She...

International sales and production veteran Cécile Gaget has been appointed as Head of Film at leading European indie studio Wild Bunch, as it expands under the leadership of CEO Ron Meyer and co-ceo Sophie Jordan.

Gaget, who takes up her role today (September 1), will lead the studio’s film group and report to Meyer and Jordan.

Her focus will be overseeing French acquisitions, distribution and local production as well as building an international production slate including English-speaking projects for Wild Bunch, which will act as producer and financier.

The appointment comes amid a period of great change for the company following the surprise arrival of veteran studio chief and CAA co-founder Meyer and former beIN Media Group executive Jordan as CEO and co-ceo last November.

“I am very excited to join Wild Bunch and work along with Sophie and Ron to be part of the company’s dynamic next chapter.

The 14th annual ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York kicks off April 7 and runs through April 13 as a hybrid with both in-person and virtual events. ReelAbilities is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expression of people with disabilities.

The 2022 edition boasts a dozen features and more than 25 shorts, plus post-screening discussion, presented by Pfizer, and other events aimed at opening dialogue and discussion.

“The Specials” (pictured above), starring Vincent Cassel, Reda Kateb, Helene Vincent and Brian Mialoudama opens the festival. The drama, from acclaimed duo Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano (“The Intouchables”) tells the story of two close friends who have combined their nonprofits to train youth in underprivileged areas to be caregivers for autistic children and teens. Although the program runs into challenges the power of unity, compassion and acceptance within the program prove exceptional.

Closing night film is Brian Malone and Regan Linton’s documentary “Imperfect,...

Orange Studio, the film and TV production and distribution arm of France’s leading telco group, is launching a trio of new projects, “The Nannies,” “The Green Perfume” and “A Cat’s Life,” at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris.

“The Nannies” (“Les femmes du square”), directed by Julien Rambaldi (“Labor Day”), stars Eye Haïdara (“C’est la Vie”) as Angèle, a young undocumented woman in her thirties who lives on the outskirts of Paris. Threatened by gangsters she conned, Angèle decides to leave her neighborhood and starts working as a nanny for Hélène’s 10-year-old son in a chic Parisian area. Although she’s supposed to keep a low profile, Angèle meets other nannies, some of whom are being taken advantage of, and sets out to help them. Haïdara stars in the film opposite Ahmed Sylla (“The Climb”) and Léa Drucker (“Custody”).

“The Nannies” is produced by Les Films du Kiosque,...

Colcoa, the L.A.-based French film and series festival, has unveiled the television section of its upcoming 25th anniversary edition.

“In Treatment,” Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s French adaptation of the original Israeli series “BeTipul”; Julie Delpy’s series debut “On The Verge”; and “Germinal,” the 19th century-set ambitious period series adapted from Emile Zola’s masterpiece created by Julien Lilti (“Hippocrate”) are among the nine TV titles set to have their North American premiere at Colcoa.

The other series set to compete at Colcoa include “High Intellectual Potential” starring Audrey Fleurot (“Spiral”) as an intractable cleaning lady-turned-ace detective and “Nona and her Daughters,” co-written and directed by Valerie Donzelli (“Declaration of War”).

Set to take place Nov. 1-7 at the DGA, the festival will showcase 12 programs, including seven series, four TV movies and one documentary. The section is being backed by Titrafilm and has enlisted some of France’s top companies,...

The 74th Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its jury which includes five women; a majority in the nine-person group including President Spike Lee.

The jury includes French-Senegalese actor-director Mati Diop whose 2019 movie Atlantics took home the Grand Prix from the festival; Crazy Heart Oscar nominated actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, French Inglorious Basterds actress Mélanie Laurent, Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner and French singer Mylène Farmer.

Rounding out the jury are French actor and recent Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated The Mauritanian actor Tahar Rahim, Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho and South Korean actor Song Kang-Ho who starred in the 2019 Cannes Palme d’Or winner and ultimate Oscar Best Picture winner, Parasite. Song has been a frequent star in Bong Joon Ho’s canon including The Host and Memories of Murder.

Diop’s Atlantics was shortlisted as one of the ten best international films at the Oscars. She has also directed several short-films...

About 100 celebrated French filmmakers warn against a new media chronology that would be too favourable to streaming platforms. Jacques Audiard, Arnaud Desplechin, Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, Michel Hazanavicius, Laurent Cantet, Stéphane Brizé, Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, Robert Guédiguian, Emmanuel Mouret, Michel Ocelot, Agnès Jaoui, Pierre Salvadori, Cédric Klapisch, Catherine Corsini, Philippe Faucon, Rachid Bouchareb, Emmanuel Finkiel, Claire Simon, Philippe Lioret, Philippe Le Guay, Martin Provost, Nicolas Philibert, Bruno Podalydès, etc. In an open letter published today in the daily newspaper Le Monde, a very large number of some of the most prestigious French filmmakers add their voices to the debate, just as the 31 March deadline for the interprofessional negotiation regarding the reform of France’s media chronology rears its head. If no agreement is reached, then it is the government that will decide on this reform, which concerns the timing and rhythm of films’ screening windows across various...

French actor and screenwriter Jean-Pierre Bacri died of cancer in Paris on Monday at the age of 69. Bacri’s death was confirmed by his agent, Anne Alvares-Correa, to Afp.

Bacri, whose career started in the 80s, delivered, along with Agnes Jaoui, his wife and lifelong friend, films and plays such as “The Taste of Others” and “Kitchen and Outbuildings,” which gained cult status in France. And he never stopped working. He was celebrated by many different generations of audiences and artists for his sharp humor, sense of observation and uncompromising integrity.

Bacri’s popularity could be observed through the success of most films he headlined. His most recent roles include “C’est la vie,” a 2017 comedy-drama directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, and “Place Publique,” which he co-wrote with Jaoui, who directed. Together with Jaoui, Bacri created and often starred in films which explored human nature and relationships through dark humor.

Longtime Gaumont sales chief Cecile Gaget is joining Euro producer-financier Anton as President of International Production and Distribution from October 1, 2020.

Gaget most recently served as Gaumont’s Head of International Production and Distribution, overseeing international acquisitions, English and local-language productions and foreign remakes. She also set up the company’s U.S. film division.

In her new role at Anton, the French pro will work closely with Anton founder Sebastien Raybaud and the Anton team to expand the company’s film production and distribution arm.

During her 10-year tenure at Gaumont, Gaget acquired the U.S. remake rights to the iconic Korean zombie hit Train to Busan set up at New Line. She handled sales on hit features including The Intouchables, C’est La Vie, and The Specials from directors Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. She also oversaw sales and distribution on Nicolas Winding Refn’s films Only God Forgives, starring Ryan Gosling,...

Exclusive: UniFrance and Film at Lincoln Center have set the lineup for the 25th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema (March 5–15), the annual New York mini-festival dedicated to French filmmaking. The event will open with Hirokazu Kore-eda’s drama The Truth, starring Juliette Binoche, Catherine Deneuve and Ethan Hawke.

For the first time, the festival is introducing an Audience Award. Additionally, the festival is expanding its industry-facing events with a day-long networking event to bring together French sales agents, French producers, and American industry on Friday, March 6.

Highlights of the 22-film lineup include Christophe Honoré’s On a Magical Night, for which Chiara Mastroianni won an award in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section; Quentin Dupieux’s satire Deerskin, starring Oscar winner Jean Dujardin and Adèle Haenel; Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc, which received a Cannes Special Jury Mention; Mounia Meddour’s Papicha, the story of young women’s resistance...

The Istanbul-based gathering will screen 83 films from around the world, and will host a national and an international competition, while Brillante Mendoza will chair one of the juries. The seventh edition of the Bosphorus International Film Festival is ready to kick off. Running from 18-25 October in Istanbul, the festival will bring 83 films from 25 countries to audiences in the city’s Atlas, Beyoğlu and Kadıköy theatres. Organised by the Bosphorus Cinema Association and the Istanbul Media Academy, the festival “has an outstanding programme, underlining the significance of the seventh edition”, as Bosphorus artistic director Emrah Kılıç pointed out. This year's Bosphorus International Film Festival will open with Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano’s The Specials. Based on a real-life story, the social comedy starring Vincent Cassel and Reda Kateb, which brought the 72nd Cannes Film Festival to a close, will be screened after the opening ceremony on 18 October....

‘The Endless Trench’ picked up four prizes.

Brazilian production Pacified (Pacificado) by Us director Paxton Winters won the top award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, at the ceremony held on Saturday, September 28.

With Darren Aronofsky as a producer, the film is set in a favela in Rio de Janeiro.

The jury, led by Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan, also awarded Pacified the Silver Shell for best actor to Bukassa Kabengele and the Jury prize for best cinematography to Laura Merians.

Paxton Winters, a reporter and filmmaker, got to know life in the favelas he portrays living there before he tackled Pacified.

Awww wow, The Specials is really something wonderful. Instantly one of my favorite films of the year. The Specials is the latest feature from writers / directors Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano, the same two French filmmakers who made the hit film The Intouchables a few years back. This originally premiered as the Closing Night film at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, but I missed it there. I finally caught up with it at the San Sebastian Film Festival and oh my goodness, I love it with all my heart. A spectacular film across the board, delivering in every sense - profound performances, engaging storytelling, energetic music, sincere moments of empathy and understanding. It's a film with a hard-hitting message (that we must take care of every last human – especially those that society rejects), yet one of the finest examples of a message film in years. It will move you...

Ladj Ly’s politically-charged feature debut, “Les Miserables,” which won the Jury Prize at Cannes, has been selected by France’s Oscar committee as the country’s submission to the international feature film competition. While much has been made about the decision to submit the film over “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” the decision by the committee is a historical one for the country, as it marks the first time that France has chosen a film from a black filmmaker to represent the country at the Academy Awards.

Based on his powerful 2017 short film of the same name, “Les Misérables” is inspired by the violent 2005 Paris riots, which primarily involved youth of African descent. The three-week uprising was rooted in rising unemployment among the youth, who were mostly confined to poor housing estates, and the harassment they routinely experienced at the hands of the police. At the center of...

The Zurich Film Festival has unveiled a raft of gala screenings, with “Joker” among the lineup after its rousing premiere at Venice.

“Judy” about a late-career Judy Garland will also have its premiere in German-speaking countries at Zurich, and Ron Howard’s feature doc “Pavarotti” will have its local premiere at a gala screening attended by the late opera singer’s wife Nicoletta Mantovani.

Other gala screenings at the festival include Jonas Alexander Arnby’s “Suicide Tourist,” with “Game of Thrones” star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Christian Schwochow’s “Deutschstunde,” Roger Michell’s “Blackbird,” Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano’s “Hors Normes,” and Karim Aïnouz’s “The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao, and Marjane Satrapi’s film about Marie Curie, “Radioactive,” will also all have gala showings.

The above-mentioned filmmakers will be in town for their films’ screenings.

Zurich had already announced Niklaus Hilber’s “Bruno Manser – Die Stimme Des Regenwaldes,” billed as Switzerland’s “Apocalypse Now,...

Parasite Photo: © 2019 Cj Enm Corporation, Barunson E&a Bong Joon-ho's Cannes Palme d'Or winner Parasite is among the titles announced in San Sebastian's Pearls section for its 67th edition.

Parasite, which along with all the films in the section will compete for the Audience Award, is joined by additional titles from the French festival, including Ladj Ly's debut Les Misérables, which offers a contemporary take on the Victor Hugo classic, Ken Loach's gig economy drama Sorry We Missed You and Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano's Cannes The Specials (Hors Normes), which follows two friends who set up an association for autistic children.

Also fresh from La Croisette, will be Oliver Laxe's Fire Will Come (O Que Arde), which sees an ex-con arsonist returning to an isolated hamlet to live with his mother and Kantemir Balagov's Second World War drama Beanpole.

Other titles announced include So Long, My Son...