Mallory Wanecque, the breakout actor of “The Worst Ones” who headlines Cannes competition title “Beating Hearts,” is starring alongside Sami Bouajila (“Through the Fire”) in “Vultures,” a thriller directed by Peter Dourountzis (“Rascal”).
Produced by Mediawan-owned 24-25 Films (“Black Box”), “Vultures” is represented internationally by Ginger & Fed, the new international film sales arm of Federation Studios headed by former TF1 Studio boss Sabine Chemaly. The cast is completed by Sami Bouajila (“Through the Fire”), Jean-Pierre Darroussin (“All Your Faces”), Pierre Lottin (“The Night of the 12th”) and Valerie Donzelli (“Declaration of War”).
“Vultures” will be delivered during the second quarter of 2025. Bouajila stars as Samuel, a journalist who partners with his intern daughter Ava to cover the brutal murder of a young girl that lead them to a male supremacist group headed by the enigmatic Nemesis. The movie marks Dourountzis’ follow-up to “Rascal,” an edgy film starring Pierre Deladonchamps as an outsider-turned-killer.
Produced by Mediawan-owned 24-25 Films (“Black Box”), “Vultures” is represented internationally by Ginger & Fed, the new international film sales arm of Federation Studios headed by former TF1 Studio boss Sabine Chemaly. The cast is completed by Sami Bouajila (“Through the Fire”), Jean-Pierre Darroussin (“All Your Faces”), Pierre Lottin (“The Night of the 12th”) and Valerie Donzelli (“Declaration of War”).
“Vultures” will be delivered during the second quarter of 2025. Bouajila stars as Samuel, a journalist who partners with his intern daughter Ava to cover the brutal murder of a young girl that lead them to a male supremacist group headed by the enigmatic Nemesis. The movie marks Dourountzis’ follow-up to “Rascal,” an edgy film starring Pierre Deladonchamps as an outsider-turned-killer.
- 5/17/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Already one of France’s most beloved and bankable actors (“The Stronghold”), Gilles Lellouche is about to graduate as a big-shot filmmaker five years after delivering his sophomore outing, “Sink or Swim,” a B.O. hit which lured more than four million moviegoers (over $35 million) in theaters.
His next movie, “Beating Hearts” (“L’amour Ouf”), budgeted in the €30 million range, is epic in many ways. And not just because of its breadth and running time exceeding three hours. A crime romance loosely based on Neville Thompson’s 1997 novel “Jackie Loves Johnser Ok,” the movie is an emotional rollercoaster spanning over 15 years in the lives of star-crossed lovers. It took Lellouche over a decade to write (alongside Audrey Diwan and Ahmed Hamidi) and four months to shoot with a cast mixing rising and famous actors, a pulsating soundtrack of cult 1980s and 1990s songs, topnotch key crew and dream-like musical interludes created by (La) Horde.
His next movie, “Beating Hearts” (“L’amour Ouf”), budgeted in the €30 million range, is epic in many ways. And not just because of its breadth and running time exceeding three hours. A crime romance loosely based on Neville Thompson’s 1997 novel “Jackie Loves Johnser Ok,” the movie is an emotional rollercoaster spanning over 15 years in the lives of star-crossed lovers. It took Lellouche over a decade to write (alongside Audrey Diwan and Ahmed Hamidi) and four months to shoot with a cast mixing rising and famous actors, a pulsating soundtrack of cult 1980s and 1990s songs, topnotch key crew and dream-like musical interludes created by (La) Horde.
- 1/20/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Kino Lorber has launched a new subscription streaming outlet, Kino Film Collection.
The $6-a-month destination for recent theatrical releases and hundreds of other films drawn from the company’s vast library will be available in the U.S. on Prime Video Channels.
Kino Lorber also operates Kino Now, a platform for rentals and purchases of arthouse and specialty films. The company has made several streaming moves of late. In 2022, it acquired MHz Choice and installed AMC Networks veteran Ed Carroll and former IFC Films head Lisa Schwartz in key management roles. Schwartz, Kino Lorber’s Chief Revenue Officer, will oversee Kino Film Collection. Last spring, Kino Lorber also formed a joint venture with First Look Media to operate both MHz Choice and First Look’s streaming service Topic.
Films available on Kino Film Collection at launch include new 4K restorations of The Conformist as well as key works by contemporary...
The $6-a-month destination for recent theatrical releases and hundreds of other films drawn from the company’s vast library will be available in the U.S. on Prime Video Channels.
Kino Lorber also operates Kino Now, a platform for rentals and purchases of arthouse and specialty films. The company has made several streaming moves of late. In 2022, it acquired MHz Choice and installed AMC Networks veteran Ed Carroll and former IFC Films head Lisa Schwartz in key management roles. Schwartz, Kino Lorber’s Chief Revenue Officer, will oversee Kino Film Collection. Last spring, Kino Lorber also formed a joint venture with First Look Media to operate both MHz Choice and First Look’s streaming service Topic.
Films available on Kino Film Collection at launch include new 4K restorations of The Conformist as well as key works by contemporary...
- 11/1/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Independent film distributor Kino Lorber has officially unveiled streaming service Kino Film Collection, available via Prime Video here.
The Kino Film Collection will be launched in the U.S. on the Amazon Service via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, with many now streaming for the first time.
New 4K restorations of films like Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” Tran Anh Hung’s “The Scent of Green Papaya,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” are among highlights of the first offerings from Kino Film Collection.
Kino canon films like Fritz Lang’s historic “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,...
The Kino Film Collection will be launched in the U.S. on the Amazon Service via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, with many now streaming for the first time.
New 4K restorations of films like Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” Tran Anh Hung’s “The Scent of Green Papaya,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” are among highlights of the first offerings from Kino Film Collection.
Kino canon films like Fritz Lang’s historic “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
French filmmaker Charlène Favier who broke out with the Cannes 2020 Label Slalom (read review) is currently in week 2 of production on her sophomore feature Oxana and we’ve got a social media glimpse into some of the young actresses that have boarded the project. We might not know the hierarchy in terms of casting and who landed the lead part but among the names we’ve found Albina Korzh, Lada Korovai, Louka Meliava, Yoann Zimmer and we’re delighted to learn that Noée Abita has reteamed with the director as well. We’ve also learned that The Worst Ones (aka les pires) cinematographer Eric Dumont is part of the creative team.…...
- 10/17/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Board makes “difficult decision” ahead of October event.
The ongoing Hollywood strikes have struck again, this time forcing the Franco-American Cultural Fund (Facf) to cancel its Los Angeles event the American French Film Festival.
The Facf, which brings together the DGA, MPA, WGA and France’s authors’ rights organisation Sacem, said its board members made the “difficult decision” this week to cancel, explaining that it was “not possible to continue with business as usual”.
The group said it was “keenly aware of the impact of this decision on the filmmakers, actors, producers, and distributors of the films and series that were due to be featured,...
The ongoing Hollywood strikes have struck again, this time forcing the Franco-American Cultural Fund (Facf) to cancel its Los Angeles event the American French Film Festival.
The Facf, which brings together the DGA, MPA, WGA and France’s authors’ rights organisation Sacem, said its board members made the “difficult decision” this week to cancel, explaining that it was “not possible to continue with business as usual”.
The group said it was “keenly aware of the impact of this decision on the filmmakers, actors, producers, and distributors of the films and series that were due to be featured,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Last year the Contemporary World Cinema had plenty of Cannes Film Festival gems in Aftersun, Falcon Lake, R.M.N. and The Worst Ones. This year’s programme no longer called Cwc but could be called Cannes replay but the programmers want us to call it the Centrepiece programme. We have the masterful (Cannes Best Actress-winning) About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan plus Croisette light touches in the feel-good films of Fallen Leaves, Perfect Days and Monia Chokri ‘s Simple Comme Sylvain. From Venice we find Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s City of Wind, Ariane Louis-Seize’s Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist.…...
- 8/10/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
New feature from the director of ‘Sheherazade’ added to Un Certain Regard strand.
US actor John C. Reilly will preside over the jury for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, which has added Salem by Cesar award-winning French director Jean-Bernard Marlin to its line-up.
Alongside Reilly on the five-person jury are French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actress Paula Beer, French-Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou and Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne.
Reilly made his film debut in Brian De Palma’s Casualties of War in 1989 by Brian De Palma and played roles in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line,...
US actor John C. Reilly will preside over the jury for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, which has added Salem by Cesar award-winning French director Jean-Bernard Marlin to its line-up.
Alongside Reilly on the five-person jury are French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actress Paula Beer, French-Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou and Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne.
Reilly made his film debut in Brian De Palma’s Casualties of War in 1989 by Brian De Palma and played roles in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
John C. Reilly will now help pick which film will have its own winning time at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
The “Winning Time” star and “Chicago” Oscar nominee has officially been selected as the president of the Un Certain Regard jury for the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Reilly’s previous films ranging from Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin” to Roman Polanski’s “Carnage” and Yórgos Lánthimos’ “The Lobster” have formerly debuted at the festival. Reilly most recently appeared briefly in the Cannes Competition-selected “Stars at Noon” helmed by Claire Denis.
“I experienced so many unforgettable moments at the Cannes Film Festival, from my unexpected first visit with Paul Thomas Anderson to my 50th birthday, celebrated on the stage at the Palais!” Reilly said in a press statement. “It is therefore an incredible honor for me to be chosen as President of the Un Certain Regard Jury.
The “Winning Time” star and “Chicago” Oscar nominee has officially been selected as the president of the Un Certain Regard jury for the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Reilly’s previous films ranging from Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin” to Roman Polanski’s “Carnage” and Yórgos Lánthimos’ “The Lobster” have formerly debuted at the festival. Reilly most recently appeared briefly in the Cannes Competition-selected “Stars at Noon” helmed by Claire Denis.
“I experienced so many unforgettable moments at the Cannes Film Festival, from my unexpected first visit with Paul Thomas Anderson to my 50th birthday, celebrated on the stage at the Palais!” Reilly said in a press statement. “It is therefore an incredible honor for me to be chosen as President of the Un Certain Regard Jury.
- 5/2/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
We had some formidable directorial debuts stretching across the Croisette this past May. At the Critics’ Week, we had Charlotte Wells’ gem Aftersun, in the Un Certain Regard section we had the film within a film drama Les Pires by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret claims the section’s highest prize, and in Directors’ Fortnight sidebar, we had the actress turned director Manuela Martelli confidently look into Chile’s murky past with a debut that oozes in quality. The extremely accomplished Chile ’76 (the festival title was simply 1976) adds Maretelli’s name to the new wave of voices of Chilean cinema that includes the likes of Francisca Alegría, Fernando Guzzoni and Maite Alberdi.…...
- 5/1/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
With the likes of Return to Seoul, Godland, Corsage, War Pony and The Worst Ones, last year’s Un Certain Regard section was a vintage edition. This year’s batch of seventeen international titles include some highly anticipated items already on our radar. in our opinion, Thierry Frémaux will likely bump up the number by two or three more offerings. Among the trio of eyebrow-raisers directorial debuts we find Molly Manning Walker (How to Have Sex), Felipe Galvez (Los Colonos) & Delphine Deloget (Rien a Perdre) — we predicted that all three filmmakers would find themselves in some section of the festival.…...
- 4/13/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The much-maligned Richard III finally gets the royal treatment in Stephen Frears’ The Lost King as amateur historian Philippa Langley unearths the monarch’s five-century-old remains in a parking lot in Leicester, England, in 2012. Two books and a documentary later, IFC Films presents the feature film version in 750+ theaters.
“It took eight years from starting the search to cutting the tarmac. To see it telescoped into a hundred or so minutes made it really powerful for me,” Langley, who’s played in the film by Sally Hawkins, told Deadline.
Related Story Jane Fonda-Lily Tomlin Pic ‘Moving On’ Sees $800K Opening – Specialty Box Office Related Story Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin Reunite In 'Moving On' – Specialty Preview Related Story 'The Magic Flute', With A 'Harry Potter' Feel And YA Cred, Hopes To Hit A High Note – Specialty Preview
Richard III (1461-1483) is one of Shakespeare’s most malevolent villains,...
“It took eight years from starting the search to cutting the tarmac. To see it telescoped into a hundred or so minutes made it really powerful for me,” Langley, who’s played in the film by Sally Hawkins, told Deadline.
Related Story Jane Fonda-Lily Tomlin Pic ‘Moving On’ Sees $800K Opening – Specialty Box Office Related Story Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin Reunite In 'Moving On' – Specialty Preview Related Story 'The Magic Flute', With A 'Harry Potter' Feel And YA Cred, Hopes To Hit A High Note – Specialty Preview
Richard III (1461-1483) is one of Shakespeare’s most malevolent villains,...
- 3/24/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Winner of the Un Certain Regard at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s The Worst Ones arrives in the U.S. with a certain amount of clout. A knotty meta-narrative about the ethics of filmmaking, it takes its title from the non-professional actors who are cast in an independent film shot in the working-class town of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Tracking the production of the film-within-a-film, Akoka and Gueret spotlight the ambiguities and exploitation that propel one’s search for realism in art.
That someone is the film’s director, Gabriel (Johan Heldenbergh), who is belatedly making his debut with Pissing in the North Wind, a seeming social-realist depiction of teenagers coping with tragedy and, of course, teen pregnancy. Perhaps invoking Truffaut and the Dardenne brothers, Gabriel’s insistence on casting non-professionals highlights The Worst Ones‘ most obvious satirical target: openly questioning if Gabriel is exploiting these...
That someone is the film’s director, Gabriel (Johan Heldenbergh), who is belatedly making his debut with Pissing in the North Wind, a seeming social-realist depiction of teenagers coping with tragedy and, of course, teen pregnancy. Perhaps invoking Truffaut and the Dardenne brothers, Gabriel’s insistence on casting non-professionals highlights The Worst Ones‘ most obvious satirical target: openly questioning if Gabriel is exploiting these...
- 3/24/2023
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Film Stage
Last year’s Un Certain Regard was a vintage year. A trio of films in Return to Seoul, Corsage and Godland could have easily been selected in competition for the Palme. The section gave us the Camera d’Or winner in Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s War Pony. There were small gems in Saim Sadiq’s Joyland and Alexandru Belc’s Metronom while the big winner (Les Pires) with plenty of heart launched the film careers for Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret. The quality level could be just as solid this year. With the Cannes Premiere section hogging screening times at the Debussy, we don’t see an increase from a 20 film line-up.…...
- 3/23/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The 46th César Awards, France’s top film honors, have been handed out in Paris, with Dominik Moll’s crime thriller The Night of the 12th winning the best picture trophy.
Moll’s The Night of the 12th, which premiered in Cannes last year, scored 10 César noms coming into the awards show, just behind Louis Garrel’s The Innocent, which picked up 11 nominations. Moll also won for best director, and Bouli Lanners earned the best supporting actor trophy for his performance in The Night of the 12th.
Cédric Klapisch’s Rise, about a ballet dancer (Marion Barbeau) who, after an injury, seeks a new future in contemporary dance, was up for 9 Césars, as was Albert Serra’s Pacifiction, a thriller featuring Benoît Magimel as a morally-challenged Haut-Commissaire on an island in French Polynesia.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s dramedy Forever Young, Cedric Jimenez’s terrorism drama November, Eric Gravel’s family...
Moll’s The Night of the 12th, which premiered in Cannes last year, scored 10 César noms coming into the awards show, just behind Louis Garrel’s The Innocent, which picked up 11 nominations. Moll also won for best director, and Bouli Lanners earned the best supporting actor trophy for his performance in The Night of the 12th.
Cédric Klapisch’s Rise, about a ballet dancer (Marion Barbeau) who, after an injury, seeks a new future in contemporary dance, was up for 9 Césars, as was Albert Serra’s Pacifiction, a thriller featuring Benoît Magimel as a morally-challenged Haut-Commissaire on an island in French Polynesia.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s dramedy Forever Young, Cedric Jimenez’s terrorism drama November, Eric Gravel’s family...
- 2/24/2023
- by Scott Roxborough and Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"You can be angry, but you should learn to control it." Kino Lorber has revealed an official US trailer for a French indie comedy titled The Worst Ones, a meta story about kids from Northern France being put into a feature film. This premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival last year in the Un Certain Regard section, and it also played at the Toronto, Hamburg, London, and Newport Beach Film Festivals last fall. Quite a few positive reviews out so far. A group of teenagers from the same neighborhood are selected to act in a feature film during the summer. A film shoot will take place at the cité Picasso, in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer, in the north of France. During the casting, four teenagers, Lily, Ryan, Maylis and Jessy, are chosen to star. Everyone in the neighborhood is surprised: why only take the "worst ones"? This looks much better...
- 2/6/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center have unveiled the lineup for the 28th edition of Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, an annual celebration of contemporary French filmmaking. The event will take place March 2–12.
It kicks off with a screening of Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris,” which stars Virginie Efira as a translator named Mia, who survived a mass shooting in a Paris restaurant and is unable to resume life as usual. In an effort to regain a sense of normalcy, Mia returns repeatedly to the site of the shooting, forming bonds with her fellow survivors. Efira is best known for her star turn in Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta.”
“It is a such a pleasure to open this year’s edition with the French critical and box-office hit ‘Revoir Paris’ in the presence of director Alice Winocour and actress Virginie Efira, who just received our French Cinema Award in Paris,” said Daniela Elstner,...
It kicks off with a screening of Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris,” which stars Virginie Efira as a translator named Mia, who survived a mass shooting in a Paris restaurant and is unable to resume life as usual. In an effort to regain a sense of normalcy, Mia returns repeatedly to the site of the shooting, forming bonds with her fellow survivors. Efira is best known for her star turn in Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta.”
“It is a such a pleasure to open this year’s edition with the French critical and box-office hit ‘Revoir Paris’ in the presence of director Alice Winocour and actress Virginie Efira, who just received our French Cinema Award in Paris,” said Daniela Elstner,...
- 1/26/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
’Rise’ and ’Pacifiction’ are also strong contenders.
Louis Garrel’s crime-infused romantic comedy The Innocent and Dominik Moll’s investigative drama The Night Of The 12th are the frontrunners for France’s 48th annual Cesar Awards with 11 and 10 nominations respectively.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Cédric Klapisch’s dance drama Rise and Albert Serra’s political thriller Pacifiction follow with nine nominations each.
The titles are all selected in the best film category alongside Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi’s Forever Young.
Despite a strong showing from French female directors at both the box office and festivals, the best director category is all-male this year.
Louis Garrel’s crime-infused romantic comedy The Innocent and Dominik Moll’s investigative drama The Night Of The 12th are the frontrunners for France’s 48th annual Cesar Awards with 11 and 10 nominations respectively.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Cédric Klapisch’s dance drama Rise and Albert Serra’s political thriller Pacifiction follow with nine nominations each.
The titles are all selected in the best film category alongside Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi’s Forever Young.
Despite a strong showing from French female directors at both the box office and festivals, the best director category is all-male this year.
- 1/25/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Louis Garrel’s “The Innocent” and Dominik Moll’s thriller “The Night of the 12th” are leading the race at the 48th Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars.
Nominated for 11 Cesar nominations, “The Innocent” is a heist romantic comedy starring Garrel, Roschdy Zem and Noemie Merlant, who previously starred in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and most recently in “Tár.” Produced by Anne-Dominique Toussaint at Les Films des Tournelles, the crowdpleaser world premiered out of competition at Cannes for the 75th anniversary of the festival.
“The Night of the 12th,” meanwhile, is in the running for 10 Cesar awards. The brooding topical procedural, which also opened as part of Cannes’ Premiere section, stars Bastien Bouillon and Bouli Lanners as two cops trying to solve a gruesome murder. The movie, produced by Haut et Court (“The Class”), delves into issues of gender and violence.
Other top Cesar contenders include Cedric Klapisch’s dance-filled “Rise,...
Nominated for 11 Cesar nominations, “The Innocent” is a heist romantic comedy starring Garrel, Roschdy Zem and Noemie Merlant, who previously starred in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and most recently in “Tár.” Produced by Anne-Dominique Toussaint at Les Films des Tournelles, the crowdpleaser world premiered out of competition at Cannes for the 75th anniversary of the festival.
“The Night of the 12th,” meanwhile, is in the running for 10 Cesar awards. The brooding topical procedural, which also opened as part of Cannes’ Premiere section, stars Bastien Bouillon and Bouli Lanners as two cops trying to solve a gruesome murder. The movie, produced by Haut et Court (“The Class”), delves into issues of gender and violence.
Other top Cesar contenders include Cedric Klapisch’s dance-filled “Rise,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
When France announced its shortlist of five films it will consider for its international Oscar submission this week, it was the start of a new chapter in the country’s efforts to win the prize. With the backlash still simmering from last year, when the subversive Palme d’Or winner “Titane” got the slot over emotional crowdpleaser “Happening,” the country has revised its approach in an attempt to support films more likely to secure the nomination.
This year’s selection has no obligatory entry from the official Cannes competition, which reflects the decision to remove festival head Thierry Fremaux from his influential spot on the committee after more than a decade of wielding influence there. Additionally, the one possible entry from a veteran French auteur was snubbed as Claire Denis’ romantic drama “Both Sides of the Blade,” which won Best Director at the Berlinale, did not make the cut.
Instead,...
This year’s selection has no obligatory entry from the official Cannes competition, which reflects the decision to remove festival head Thierry Fremaux from his influential spot on the committee after more than a decade of wielding influence there. Additionally, the one possible entry from a veteran French auteur was snubbed as Claire Denis’ romantic drama “Both Sides of the Blade,” which won Best Director at the Berlinale, did not make the cut.
Instead,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
France on Thursday named the shortlist of five films in contention to be the country’s submission for the 2023 Oscars in the best international feature category.
France’s national cinema body, the Cnc, picked Alice Diop’s Saint Omer, One Fine Morning by Mia Hansen-Løve, the Éric Gravel-directed Full Time, Alice Winocour’s Paris Memories, and The Worst Ones, by directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret.
A commission will meet on Sept. 23 with the producers, international sales agents and, where applicable, the U.S. distributor of the five shortlisted films to decide which title has the best chances of Oscar glory. After the meetings, the commission will make its final Oscar selection.
France completely overhauled its selection process this year after an exceptionally long Oscar drought. Of the last 10 French international Oscar submissions, only four made the final shortlist, and just two...
France on Thursday named the shortlist of five films in contention to be the country’s submission for the 2023 Oscars in the best international feature category.
France’s national cinema body, the Cnc, picked Alice Diop’s Saint Omer, One Fine Morning by Mia Hansen-Løve, the Éric Gravel-directed Full Time, Alice Winocour’s Paris Memories, and The Worst Ones, by directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret.
A commission will meet on Sept. 23 with the producers, international sales agents and, where applicable, the U.S. distributor of the five shortlisted films to decide which title has the best chances of Oscar glory. After the meetings, the commission will make its final Oscar selection.
France completely overhauled its selection process this year after an exceptionally long Oscar drought. Of the last 10 French international Oscar submissions, only four made the final shortlist, and just two...
- 9/15/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
France’s new Oscar committee has pre-selected five films to represent the country in the international feature film race.
The five films are Alice Diop’s “Saint-Omer,” which just won Venice’s Silver Lion and Lion of the Future; Eric Gravel’s drama “Full Time” starring “Call My Agent!” star Laure Calamy; Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s “The Worst Ones,” about the moral dilemma of shooting of a film with young non-professionals in a working-class town; Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris” starring Virginie Efira as a survivor of the Paris attacks in 2015; and Mia Hansen-Love’s “One Fine Morning” starring Lea Seydoux as a single mother who embarks on a romance with an emotionally unavailable man.
This year’s committee includes international sales agents Hengameh Panahi, Grégoire Melin, producers Philippe Rousselet (“Coda”), Didar Domehri (“Girls of the Sun”), and directors Jacques Audiard (“A Prophet”) and Michel Gondry (“L’ecûme des jours...
The five films are Alice Diop’s “Saint-Omer,” which just won Venice’s Silver Lion and Lion of the Future; Eric Gravel’s drama “Full Time” starring “Call My Agent!” star Laure Calamy; Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s “The Worst Ones,” about the moral dilemma of shooting of a film with young non-professionals in a working-class town; Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris” starring Virginie Efira as a survivor of the Paris attacks in 2015; and Mia Hansen-Love’s “One Fine Morning” starring Lea Seydoux as a single mother who embarks on a romance with an emotionally unavailable man.
This year’s committee includes international sales agents Hengameh Panahi, Grégoire Melin, producers Philippe Rousselet (“Coda”), Didar Domehri (“Girls of the Sun”), and directors Jacques Audiard (“A Prophet”) and Michel Gondry (“L’ecûme des jours...
- 9/15/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The shortlist is the product of France’s new-look Oscar committee.
Alice Diop’s Saint Omer and Mia Hansen-Love’s One Fine Morning are among five films on the shortlist for France’s submission to the 2023 best international feature Oscar.
The shortlist, which was chosen today by a new-look French Oscar commission, also includes Eric Gravel’s Full Time, Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s The Worst Ones, and Alice Winocour’s terrorist attack drama Paris Memories.
The committee will meet the producers, sales representatives and – where applicable - US distributor of each film on September 23, to make the...
Alice Diop’s Saint Omer and Mia Hansen-Love’s One Fine Morning are among five films on the shortlist for France’s submission to the 2023 best international feature Oscar.
The shortlist, which was chosen today by a new-look French Oscar commission, also includes Eric Gravel’s Full Time, Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s The Worst Ones, and Alice Winocour’s terrorist attack drama Paris Memories.
The committee will meet the producers, sales representatives and – where applicable - US distributor of each film on September 23, to make the...
- 9/15/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
France has unveiled the five pre-selected feature films in the running to be the country’s Oscar submission.
They are:
Full Time by Eric Gravel (int’l sales. B For Film) The Worst Ones by Lise Asoka and Romane Gueret Paris Memories by Alice Winocour Saint-Omer By Alice Diop One Fine Morning by Mia Hansen-Love
This year’s selection committee, overseen by the National Cinema Centre (Cnc), comprises international sales agents Hengameh Panahi, Grégoire Melin, producers Philippe Rousselet, Didar Domehri, directors Jacques Audiard and Michel Gondry and veteran Gaumont executive Ariane Toscan du Plantier.
It marks the first selection round since the overhaul of France’s selection committee over the summer to end the automatic involvement of the heads of the Cannes Film Festival, export agency Unifrance and the César Academy.
They are:
Full Time by Eric Gravel (int’l sales. B For Film) The Worst Ones by Lise Asoka and Romane Gueret Paris Memories by Alice Winocour Saint-Omer By Alice Diop One Fine Morning by Mia Hansen-Love
This year’s selection committee, overseen by the National Cinema Centre (Cnc), comprises international sales agents Hengameh Panahi, Grégoire Melin, producers Philippe Rousselet, Didar Domehri, directors Jacques Audiard and Michel Gondry and veteran Gaumont executive Ariane Toscan du Plantier.
It marks the first selection round since the overhaul of France’s selection committee over the summer to end the automatic involvement of the heads of the Cannes Film Festival, export agency Unifrance and the César Academy.
- 9/15/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The woman offscreen at the start of Mathieu Amalric’s “Hold Me Tight” is examining a matrix of face-down Polaroids, turning them over and getting frustrated at what she’s not finding. Or perhaps not remembering?
Her name is Clarisse (Vicky Krieps), and she’s next shown quietly gathering some things in the pinched light of a bluish-orange dawn and slipping out of a house that still holds a sleeping husband, son and daughter. Her actions feel purposeful, but also anguished, maybe even desperate.
The act of leaving — and the prospect of leaving behind — is at the heart of Amalric’s emotional mystery which, as its fragments and enigmas unfold, isn’t necessarily a journey for viewers to solve but rather a state of mind to experience and understand: the bewitchingly poignant story of a woman’s fertile, possibly perilous, coping mechanism.
Also Read:
‘The Worst Ones,’ Vicky Krieps Win...
Her name is Clarisse (Vicky Krieps), and she’s next shown quietly gathering some things in the pinched light of a bluish-orange dawn and slipping out of a house that still holds a sleeping husband, son and daughter. Her actions feel purposeful, but also anguished, maybe even desperate.
The act of leaving — and the prospect of leaving behind — is at the heart of Amalric’s emotional mystery which, as its fragments and enigmas unfold, isn’t necessarily a journey for viewers to solve but rather a state of mind to experience and understand: the bewitchingly poignant story of a woman’s fertile, possibly perilous, coping mechanism.
Also Read:
‘The Worst Ones,’ Vicky Krieps Win...
- 9/8/2022
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
After front-loading the section with Canadiana last week, we now know the entire make-up of the Contemporary World Cinema Program and there are plenty of worthy film festival titles to look out for including the world premiere grabs for Ulrich Seidl‘s Sparta and Christophe Honoré‘s Winter Boy (Le Lycéen). TIFF lands the North American Premiere screenings for Cannes titles in Aftersun (Charlotte Wells), Godland (Hlynur Pálmason), R.M.N. (Cristian Mungiu) and The Worst Ones. As we know, Close will be headed to Telluride instead.
Venice competition titles Love Life and Beyond the Wall join the program – and we got a slew of items from the Orizzonti section (The Happiest Man in the World) and Venice Days (Stonewalling).…...
Venice competition titles Love Life and Beyond the Wall join the program – and we got a slew of items from the Orizzonti section (The Happiest Man in the World) and Venice Days (Stonewalling).…...
- 8/17/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Kino Lorber has acquired the French-language Cannes award winner “The Worst Ones” for a U.S. and Canada theatrical release following its North American premiere at the Toronto film festival in September.
The French drama marks the feature debut of Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, the directing duo behind the 2016 short film “Chasse Royale.” It premired earlier this year at Cannes, where it took top honors in the Un Certain Regard category.
“The Worst Ones” follows the production of a feature film whose director seeks to cast actors from a housing project in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France. Four working class teenagers, considered “the worst ones” by the locals,” are chosen to star in the project. Throughout the process of auditioning, rehearsing and shooting, “jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise, with thought-provoking and at times darkly funny results,” the official description puts reads.
Also...
The French drama marks the feature debut of Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, the directing duo behind the 2016 short film “Chasse Royale.” It premired earlier this year at Cannes, where it took top honors in the Un Certain Regard category.
“The Worst Ones” follows the production of a feature film whose director seeks to cast actors from a housing project in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France. Four working class teenagers, considered “the worst ones” by the locals,” are chosen to star in the project. Throughout the process of auditioning, rehearsing and shooting, “jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise, with thought-provoking and at times darkly funny results,” the official description puts reads.
Also...
- 8/17/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Pyramide Films handles sales.
Kino Lorber has acquired all US and anglophone Canadian rights to Cannes Un Certain Regard winner and upcoming TIFF selection The Worst Ones.
‘The Worst Ones’: Cannes Review
Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret make their feature directorial debuts on the drama about the director of a film production in northern France who ruffles feathers over the casting of four local working class teenagers.
Mallory Wanecque, Timéo Mahaut, Johan Heldenbergh, Loic Pech, Mélina Vanderplancke, Esther Archambault, and Matthias Jacquin star. Akoka, Gueret, and Eleonore Gurrey co-wrote the feature and Marine Alaric and Frédéric Jouve produced for Les Films Velvet.
Kino Lorber has acquired all US and anglophone Canadian rights to Cannes Un Certain Regard winner and upcoming TIFF selection The Worst Ones.
‘The Worst Ones’: Cannes Review
Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret make their feature directorial debuts on the drama about the director of a film production in northern France who ruffles feathers over the casting of four local working class teenagers.
Mallory Wanecque, Timéo Mahaut, Johan Heldenbergh, Loic Pech, Mélina Vanderplancke, Esther Archambault, and Matthias Jacquin star. Akoka, Gueret, and Eleonore Gurrey co-wrote the feature and Marine Alaric and Frédéric Jouve produced for Les Films Velvet.
- 8/17/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Kino Lorber has acquired all rights in U.S. and anglophone Canada to Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s drama The Worst Ones, which was awarded the top prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section and will make its North American premiere at TIFF.
Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, the feature captures a film within a film as it follows the production of a movie whose director turns to the local housing project for casting. Eager to capture performances of gritty authenticity, the director selects four working class teenagers to act in the film to the surprise and consternation of the local community, who question the director’s choice of “the worst ones”. As the director and crew audition, rehearse, film, and interact with their hand-picked cast, jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise.
Written by Akoka, Gueret, and Eleonore Gurrey, pic...
Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, the feature captures a film within a film as it follows the production of a movie whose director turns to the local housing project for casting. Eager to capture performances of gritty authenticity, the director selects four working class teenagers to act in the film to the surprise and consternation of the local community, who question the director’s choice of “the worst ones”. As the director and crew audition, rehearse, film, and interact with their hand-picked cast, jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise.
Written by Akoka, Gueret, and Eleonore Gurrey, pic...
- 8/17/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Hans-Christian Schmid’s ’We Are Next of Kin’ to open German festival.
Filmfest Hamburg has lined up world premieres of films by Fatih Akin, Hans-Christian Schmid and Alrun Goette for its 30th anniversary edition, which runs from September 29 to October 8.
Golden Bear-winner Akin’s biopic of the German rapper and label boss Xatar, Rheingold, starring this year’s European Shooting Star Emilio Sakraya, will have its first screening on the director’s home turf in Hamburg.
Schmid’s adaptation of Johann Scheerer’s autobiographical novel We Are Next Of Kin, which chronicles the kidnapping of Scheerer’s literary scholar and...
Filmfest Hamburg has lined up world premieres of films by Fatih Akin, Hans-Christian Schmid and Alrun Goette for its 30th anniversary edition, which runs from September 29 to October 8.
Golden Bear-winner Akin’s biopic of the German rapper and label boss Xatar, Rheingold, starring this year’s European Shooting Star Emilio Sakraya, will have its first screening on the director’s home turf in Hamburg.
Schmid’s adaptation of Johann Scheerer’s autobiographical novel We Are Next Of Kin, which chronicles the kidnapping of Scheerer’s literary scholar and...
- 8/11/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Triangle of SadnessCOMPETITIONPalme d’Or: Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund) (Read our review)Grand Prix ex aequo: Close (Lukas Dhont)Grand Prix ex aequo: Stars at Noon (Claire Denis) (Read our review)Jury Prize ex aequo: The Eight Mountains (Charlotte Vandermeersch, Felix Van Groeningen)Jury Prize ex aequo: Eo (Jerzy Skolimowski) (Read our review)75th Anniversary Prize: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Tori and Lokita) (Read our review)Best Director: Park Chan-wook (Decision to Leave) (Read our review)Best Actor: Song Kang-ho (Broker)Best Actress: Zahra Amir-Ebrahimi (Holy Spider)Best Screenplay: Tarik Saleh (Boy From Heaven)The Worst OnesUN Certain REGARDGrand Prize: The Worst Ones (Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret)Ensemble Prize: Jury Prize: Joyland (Saim Sadiq)Jury Special Mention: Best Director: Alexandru Belc (Metronome)Best Performance: Vicky Krieps (Corsage) and Adam Bessa (Harka) (Read our review)Screenplay: Mediterranean Fever (Maha Haj)Coup de Coeur Award: Rodeo (Lola Quivoron)The MountainDIRECTORS' FORTNIGHTEuropa...
- 5/29/2022
- MUBI
Ruben Östlund won his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, for “Triangle of Sadness,” a satire of influencer culture and beauty’s ability to open doors that inspired uproarious laughter — and disgust. The Swedish director, who previously won the Palme for art-world sendup “The Square,” urged the audience to let out “a primal scream of happiness” following his acceptance of the award, which officially closed out the nearly two-week long event in Cannes, the 75th edition of the festival.
See the full winners list below.
Among the more eye-catching winners for cinephiles, Claire Denis won her first award from Cannes, with only the second film she’d ever had in Competition: “Stars at Noon” starring Margaret Qualley, who she said during her speech she’d discovered at Cannes when watching Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” three years ago. She shared the Grand Prix with “Close” by Lukas Dhont.
See the full winners list below.
Among the more eye-catching winners for cinephiles, Claire Denis won her first award from Cannes, with only the second film she’d ever had in Competition: “Stars at Noon” starring Margaret Qualley, who she said during her speech she’d discovered at Cannes when watching Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” three years ago. She shared the Grand Prix with “Close” by Lukas Dhont.
- 5/28/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Round of applause for the winners and the jury at the closing ceremony of Un Certain Regard in Cannes Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival With speculation reaching fever pitch in Cannes today ahead of tonight’s big awards ceremony including the revelation of the Palme d’Or winner, several of the festival’s sidebar selections have announced the winners.
In Un Certain Regard the top accolade has been awarded to The Worst Ones, a debut feature from female directing duo Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret. It follows a film crew seeking non-professional actors for a shoot in a working class French town. In a different register Vicky Krieps shared the best performance prize for her acting in Marie Kreutzer’s costume drama Corsage about the legend of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. The co-winner was Adama Bessa for his impressive role in a Tunisia-set social drama Harka.
The jury prize...
In Un Certain Regard the top accolade has been awarded to The Worst Ones, a debut feature from female directing duo Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret. It follows a film crew seeking non-professional actors for a shoot in a working class French town. In a different register Vicky Krieps shared the best performance prize for her acting in Marie Kreutzer’s costume drama Corsage about the legend of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. The co-winner was Adama Bessa for his impressive role in a Tunisia-set social drama Harka.
The jury prize...
- 5/28/2022
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Other prize winners in the section include Joyland, Metronom and Mediterranean Fever.
The Worst Ones, from French directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, has won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Also awarded honours by the section’s jury were Joyland, Metronom and Mediterranean Fever.
The Worst Ones (Les Pires) is the debut feature from Akoka and Gueret, who also wrote the script with Elénore Gurrey. The story of a group of young people recruited for a film shoot, the film was produced by Frédéric Jouve and Marine Alaric for Les Films Velvet.
The Worst Ones, from French directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, has won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Also awarded honours by the section’s jury were Joyland, Metronom and Mediterranean Fever.
The Worst Ones (Les Pires) is the debut feature from Akoka and Gueret, who also wrote the script with Elénore Gurrey. The story of a group of young people recruited for a film shoot, the film was produced by Frédéric Jouve and Marine Alaric for Les Films Velvet.
- 5/27/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard sidebar handed out its prizes tonight with top honors going to Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s The Worst Ones (Les Pires). The Jury Prize was awarded to Saim Sadig’s Joyland, the first Pakistani movie ever in official selection at Cannes.
The Worst Ones is a drama about a film within a film that sees a crew hit a working class French town. Deadline’s review said it hit “with thought-provoking and sometimes darkly funny results.”
Joyland for its part, centers on a married man who falls for a trans woman. Deadline called it an “atmospheric” title that “explores a whole family, presenting a picture of a clan torn between modernity and tradition in contemporary Lahore.”
Meanwhile, as had been expected, Vicky Krieps took the Best Actor award for her performance in Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage. She shared the honor with Adam Bessa from Harka.
The Worst Ones is a drama about a film within a film that sees a crew hit a working class French town. Deadline’s review said it hit “with thought-provoking and sometimes darkly funny results.”
Joyland for its part, centers on a married man who falls for a trans woman. Deadline called it an “atmospheric” title that “explores a whole family, presenting a picture of a clan torn between modernity and tradition in contemporary Lahore.”
Meanwhile, as had been expected, Vicky Krieps took the Best Actor award for her performance in Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage. She shared the honor with Adam Bessa from Harka.
- 5/27/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Worst Ones” (“Les Pires”), a drama about four unruly French teenagers who are chosen to act in a film, has won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.
The film was chosen by a jury chaired by actress Valeria Golino and also including director Debra Granik, actors Joanna Kulig and Edgar Ramirez and actor-singer Benjamin Biolay. Acting prizes went to Vicky Krieps for “Corsage” and Adam Bessa for “Harka,” while the directing award went to Alexandru Belc for “Metronomes.”
Saim Sadiq’s “Joyland” won the Jury Prize, which made it runner-up to “The Worst Ones.”
The Un Certain Regard section, which is typically devoted to smaller, more daring films than those in the main competition, consisted of 20 movies this year. Other entries in the section included Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s “War Pony,” Davy Chou’s “Return to Seoul,” Maryam Touzani’s “The Blue Caftan,...
The film was chosen by a jury chaired by actress Valeria Golino and also including director Debra Granik, actors Joanna Kulig and Edgar Ramirez and actor-singer Benjamin Biolay. Acting prizes went to Vicky Krieps for “Corsage” and Adam Bessa for “Harka,” while the directing award went to Alexandru Belc for “Metronomes.”
Saim Sadiq’s “Joyland” won the Jury Prize, which made it runner-up to “The Worst Ones.”
The Un Certain Regard section, which is typically devoted to smaller, more daring films than those in the main competition, consisted of 20 movies this year. Other entries in the section included Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s “War Pony,” Davy Chou’s “Return to Seoul,” Maryam Touzani’s “The Blue Caftan,...
- 5/27/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
With the Cannes Film Festival wrapping up, the awards portion of the world’s most prestigious film festival is officially underway. While fans will have to wait until tomorrow to see the festival’s main jury award its top prizes, including the Palme d’Or, the winners in the Un Certain Regard category have been announced. Italian actress and director Valeria Golino oversaw the jury for Un Certain Regard, which runs parallel to the Main Competition and awards films with particularly unique styles or points of view. And even by the category’s bold standards, some of this year’s winners were likely surprising to the festival’s attendees.
“The Worst Ones,” Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s French movie about a film crew shooting in a working-class town, took the top prize, while “Joyland,” Saim Sadiq’s Pakistani transgender love story, won the Jury Prize. Alexandru Belc won Best Director for “Metronom,...
“The Worst Ones,” Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s French movie about a film crew shooting in a working-class town, took the top prize, while “Joyland,” Saim Sadiq’s Pakistani transgender love story, won the Jury Prize. Alexandru Belc won Best Director for “Metronom,...
- 5/27/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Predicting winners is always a fool’s errand in the Un Certain Regard section (the second-most prestigious competition of the Cannes Film Festival) and so it proved tonight, as the little-heralded French entry “The Worst Ones” (“Les Pires”), a debut feature from female directing duo Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, was handed the top prize by jury president Valeria Golino — one of four first films to be recognized at the ceremony.
A playful film-within-a-film about the challenges and perils of street casting — following a film crew seeking out local non-professional actors for a shoot in a working-class French town — “The Worst Ones” surged past a number of buzzier critical favorites and hot distribution prospects to claim the award.
It’s the second consecutive female-directed feature to be named best in show: last year’s Prix Un Certain Regard went to Russian director Kira Kovalenko’s gritty coming-of-age drama “Unclenching the Fists.
A playful film-within-a-film about the challenges and perils of street casting — following a film crew seeking out local non-professional actors for a shoot in a working-class French town — “The Worst Ones” surged past a number of buzzier critical favorites and hot distribution prospects to claim the award.
It’s the second consecutive female-directed feature to be named best in show: last year’s Prix Un Certain Regard went to Russian director Kira Kovalenko’s gritty coming-of-age drama “Unclenching the Fists.
- 5/27/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The challenges of street casting are explored in The Worst Ones (Les Pires), an Un Certain Regard drama about a film within a film. Directed by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, it sees a film crew hit a working class French town, with thought-provoking and sometimes darkly funny results.
Flemish director Gabriel (Johan Heldenbergh) is casting kids in Picasso, in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer. His feature is about a pregnant teen and her younger brother, and he wants authentic local residents. The neighbors are surprised that he’s only casting “les pires” — what they consider to be the worst ones, or the hoodlums. But there’s raw talent in Lily (Mallory Wanecque) and hot-headed little Ryan (Timéo Mahaut).
Lily is excited to be meeting folks from a different walk of life, and young men who treat her nicely. Ryan is initially reluctant to channel his own feelings, clearly troubled by...
Flemish director Gabriel (Johan Heldenbergh) is casting kids in Picasso, in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer. His feature is about a pregnant teen and her younger brother, and he wants authentic local residents. The neighbors are surprised that he’s only casting “les pires” — what they consider to be the worst ones, or the hoodlums. But there’s raw talent in Lily (Mallory Wanecque) and hot-headed little Ryan (Timéo Mahaut).
Lily is excited to be meeting folks from a different walk of life, and young men who treat her nicely. Ryan is initially reluctant to channel his own feelings, clearly troubled by...
- 5/23/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
Casting films is an unlikely path to writing and directing them, but Lise Akoka and Romane Guéret didn’t only succeed on that journey, they made the experience the basis of their first feature, “Les Pires (The Worst Ones),” earning a berth in Un Certain Regard.
The French filmmakers met on the set of Rudi Rosenberg’s 2015 teen comedy “Le Nouveau (The New Kid).” Akoka worked as a casting director and acting coach, Guéret was a casting trainee, and the two became fast friends. “We were in the north of France, in those old mining territories, and found these two amazing children,” Akoka recalls through a translator. “We fell in love with them, along with their school and surroundings. But in the end, the director didn’t, and they didn’t work on the film. So we decided that we had to write a short film to feature them.” That was 2016’s “Chasse Royale,...
The French filmmakers met on the set of Rudi Rosenberg’s 2015 teen comedy “Le Nouveau (The New Kid).” Akoka worked as a casting director and acting coach, Guéret was a casting trainee, and the two became fast friends. “We were in the north of France, in those old mining territories, and found these two amazing children,” Akoka recalls through a translator. “We fell in love with them, along with their school and surroundings. But in the end, the director didn’t, and they didn’t work on the film. So we decided that we had to write a short film to feature them.” That was 2016’s “Chasse Royale,...
- 5/23/2022
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
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