News

Canadian director Matthew Rankin’s Persian and French-language drama Universal Language has won the inaugural Audience Award of Directors’ Fortnight.

This is the first official prize launched by Directors’ Fortnight which does not have a jury. The €7,500 cash award, is also the first audience award to be launched in Cannes, across the Official Selection and the parallel sections.

It is being sponsored by the Chantal Akerman Foundation, which preserves the legacy of the director who retained strong ties with Directors’ Fortnight throughout her career, after screening breakthrough film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce – 1080 Brussel in the section in 1975.

Described as taking place “somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg”, Universal Language intertwines multiple characters.

Gradeschoolers Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to claim it, while Massoud leads a group of befuddled tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg and Matthew quits...

Drama series set in the worlds of Eurovision and the Vatican are among the selected projects for Series Mania’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions next month.

Among the 16 titles are European six-parter Eurovision Murder Mystery, which is from France’s Apc Stories and Germany’s Friday Film. Plot details were thin, but synopsis reads: “When you have 72 hours to solve a murder, save Eurovision and the fate of Europe. Fabienne Hurst and Bertrand Soulier are writing.

Vatican, from Italy’s Fabula Pictures, follows a father investigating the suspicious death of his only son. he discovers his child was involved in a prostitution ring inside the church used by unscrupulous bishops to control the Vatican policy. Flavio Bernard, Ciro Di Maso and Marcello Olivieri are attached to write.

Fifteen of the 16 Series Mania titles were previously unannounced for the event, which takes place on March 19 as part of the Series Mania Forum.

“A True Novel,” directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, manga-inspired “Issak,” written by Itaru Mizuno (“Double Booking”) and “4 Blocks” Richard Kropf, look like potential highlights at this year’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, the centerpiece at Series Mania’s Forum, as its projects expand ever more their geographic compass, here welcoming their first titles co-produced by Japan.

They are joined by titles from around the world such as Argentinean Daniel Burman’s “Witness 36,” which won the Series Mania Award at the Berlinale Series Market on Tuesday, and a slice of Vatican noir and which reunites the team of “De Grace,”and

The Forum runs March 19-21 during Series Mania, Europe’s biggest dedicated TV festival, which will unspool this year over March 15-22 in Lille, Northern France.

News of the Co-Pro lineup comes as the Forum is tracking for yet another all-time record attendance. After last year’s historical high of 3,800 delegates,...

Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral’s Srab Films has a slate of social justice titles.

Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral’s Paris-based Srab Films, which is heading to Toronto next month with Ladj Ly’s Les Indésirables, has unveiled a slew of projects including the next features from Ly and Alice Diop, whose Saint Omer the company produced last year.

Ly is in the writing stages of the third of what will be a trilogy of titles set against the same backdrop of his native Montfermeil neighbourhood following Les Misérables (also produced by Srab) and Les Indésirables.

“After Les Misérables,...

Magnetic Beats director Vincent Maël Cardona with Ed Bahlman (Joy Division - An Ideal For Living EP) and Anne-Katrin Titze: “When I hear the voice of Ian Curtis, still now, I hear the No Future thing.”

Vincent Maël Cardona’s Cannes Film Festival and César Award-winning Magnetic Beats, stars Thimothée Robart (Most Promising Actor Lumière Award-winner) with a first-rate supporting ensemble, including Marie Colomb, Joseph Olivennes, Antoine Pelletier, Philippe Frécon, Brian Powell, Olga Créancier-Werckmeister, Mathilde Bisson, and the director himself.

Philippe Bichon (Thimothée Robart), sound engineer for Radio Warsaw

Remembering Ian Curtis (with Joy Division’s Decades and Warsaw); David Bowie and Brian Eno’s Warszawa; Jon King in Gang of Four (Damaged Goods) and Camera Silens (Réalité); The Undertones (Teenage Kicks), Robert Görl (Dit Mir), a nod to John Peel and Bob Marley; noting The Pop Group and The Slits; Edith Nylon (seen in Philippe Puicouyoul’s La Brune Et Moi), and more,...

Lille, France — Headed by a commanding performance from Navid Mohammadzadeh, superbly shot and packing arguably the best opening scene of any series in Series Mania main competition, Navid Javidi’s “The Actor” won the Grand Prize at Series Mania on Friday night.

The top Series Mania award for the “The Actor” also proves vindication for the Festival which this year has broadened its geographical reach in an effort to discover new narrative modes and styles. Consistently subordinating narrative to mood, “The Actor” certainly wins on that score.

Main scribe John Kåre Raake (“The Quake”) and co-scribe Linn-Jeanethe Kyed (“Bø”) scooped best writing for “The Fortress,” a banner upcoming Viaplay title produced by Norway’s Maipo Film and sold by TrustNordisk, which delivers a telling political cautionary tale for our times, a chic isolationist parable thriller set in an alternative Norway which has built a wall to keep foreigners out. When a virus strikes,...

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,...

Lille’s Series Mania Forum is kicking off today with a packed schedule of talks, screenings and competitions.

Fighting it out in International Competition are the likes of Prime Video’s Toni Collette starrer The Power, Haven of Grace from Magnetic Beats director Vincent Maël Cardona, and Quoc Dang Tran’s Apple TV+ series Drops of God.

They compete against Greek series Milky Way, which opened the festival, Viaplay’s futuristic Russell Tovey drama The Fortress, Red Skies from Israel, The Actor from Iran and Fleeting Lies from Spain. Each will have its world premiere at the event.

The Power is a fantasy series set in a world where the physical balance of power between men and women switches when electric arcs emerge from the fingers of teenage girls all around the world. Debuting later this month, it comes from Sister, the UK producer behind Chernobyl and is based on Naomi Alderman’s sci-fi novel.

With an International Panorama spangled by gems – think Spain’s “Apagón,” Sweden’s “Blackwater,” and Canada’s “Disobey” and “Little Bird” – Series Mania also weighs in this year with one, if not the, strongest and most mouthwatering of international competitions in its history.

Including the opening and closing series, Amazon’s “Greek Salad” and Netflix’s “Transatlantic,” nearly all the global streamers have titles in the lineup, from Apple TV+’s “Drops of God” and Paramount+’s “Fleeting Lies.” The lineup also features some A-List international writing talents, such as the U.K.’s Jack Thorne and Israel’s Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen, whose “The Virtues” and “No Man’s Land” rank among the most memorable of recent Series Mania competition titles, and closing the festival, out of competition, “Unorthodox’s” Anna Wenger.”Fleeting Lies” also represents one of the first series from Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar’s El Deseo label in Madrid,...

Based in the northern French town of Lille since 2018, Series Mania has emerged as a key showcase for premium series and a spotlight for international creators — though, given the wider forces shaping the TV business, that spotlight has often shone on talent from the same three or four territories. And so, when programming the latest edition, the Series Mania brass looked to widen the field.

“This year, we will introduce our attendees to new narrative modes and visual possibilities,” says general director Laurence Herszberg. “Because we’ve discovered so many series from countries that haven’t often attended the major festivals, with creative outputs that are much lesser-known. We want to celebrate them as well.”

Running March 17–24, this edition boasts 55 series culled from 396 submissions encompassing more than 60 countries, with titles from Uruguay (“The Universe Conspires”), Benin (“Black Santiago Club”) and an Indo-Pakistani production (“Limboland”) all appearing at Series Mania for the very first time.

Running Jan. 13-Feb. 13, this year’s MyFrenchFilmFestival, an online fest organized by France’s film-tv promotional body Unifrance, will mark its 13th edition with an emphasis on debut features and dynamic new voices.

Showcasing star power, animated auteur fare and award-winning documentaries – all subtitled in 15 languages – the 12 features and 17 shorts of this year’s selection will reach home viewers via 70 partner platforms as well on MyFrenchFilmFestival.com, where all the shorts will be available to screen free of charge.

In an effort to cast as wide a net as possible, this year’s competition will feature projects that run the gamut from Alice Diop’s breakthrough documentary “We” – which finds connections in the lives of immigrants, lovesick teens and retirees all connected by a commuter rail line north of Paris – to Jean-Christophe Meurisse’s satirical sketch comedy “Bloody Oranges,” which shreds polite society with anarchic glee.

In between are everything...

France’s Asacha Media Group has acquired compatriot Srab Films, the firm behind Ladj Ly’s Oscar-nominated Les Misérables.

The expanding media group says the deal will accelerate its development as “an independent European production studio dedicated to scripted content.” The company already owns the likes of Red Planet Pictures, along with a number of unscripted companies.

Paris-based production company Srab was founded in 2015 by Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral. It works closely with emerging French talent such as Nadège Loiseau, Vincent Cardona and Franco Lolli and notably produced Ladj Ly’s Les Misérables, the Amazon Studios acquisition that was awarded with the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival 2019 and four Césars, including Best Film, in 2020. It was also nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars in 2020.

It was also behind Kery James and Leïla Sy’s Banlieusards for Netflix and will be in...

Vincent Maël Cardona, whose 2021 pic “Magnetic Beats” won a prize at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight and a Cesar Award for best first film, is set to direct “De Grâce,” a sprawling crime thriller unfolding in the northern French port city of Le Havre.

The series is being co-produced and commissioned by Arte France, and is produced by Pierre-Emmanuel Fleurantin at Ego Productions, a Mediawan company. Belgium’s Savage Films is co-producing. Mediawan Rights is representing the show in international markets.

Set to start shooting on location in Le Havre on Aug. 8, “De Grâce” features a strong ensemble cast including Olivier Gourmet (“The Minister”), Margot Bancilhon (“Five”), Panayotis Pascot (“Mon chien stupide”), Pierre Lottin (“Notre-Dame on Fire”), Astrid Whettnall (“Baron noir”), Philippe Rebbot.(“L’amour flou”) and French rapper Gringe.

“De Grâce,” penned by Maxime Crupaux (“Cherif”) and Baptiste Fillon, tells the story of Pierre Leprieur (Gourmet), a native of Le Havre who...

The 19th edition of Skip City International D-Cinema Festival had been physically held in three years from July 16 to July 24 (and virtually from July 21 to July 27), and wrapped at the Closing Ceremony, Sunday July 24. Jury and Audience award winners were announced at the Ceremony.

Softie (France), directed by Samuel Theis, received the Grand Prize in the International Competition. Magnetic Beats, directed by Vincent Maël Cardona, won the Best Director and Utama, directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi, received Special Jury Prize. This year’s jury members were Shinobu Terajima, President of the Jury and the Berlinale Silver Bear winning actress, Daishi Matsunaga, the director of Hanalei Bay and Pieta in the Toilet, and Nam Dong-chul, Busan International Film Festival, Program Director. In addition, Her Way (France), directed by Cécile Ducrocq, was chosen for the Audience Award.

Skip City Award, which is selected from all Japanese films both in the International Competition and the Japanese Film Competition,...

The Skip City International D-Cinema Festival in outer Tokyo wrapped its 19th edition on Sunday with prizes going to “Softie, by French director Samuel Theis, and “Double Life,” by female Chinese director Enen Yo in the separate Japanese film competition.

The festival, long a launch pad for emerging Japanese and world filmmakers, held in-person screenings July 16-24, 2022, at venues in Kawaguchi, and an online segment July 21-27.

“Softie” received the Grand Prize in the international competition. “Magnetic Beats,” directed by Vincent Mael Cardona, won the best director, while “Utama,” directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi, received Special Jury Prize in the same section. In addition, “Her Way” directed by Cecile Ducrocq, was chosen for the Audience Award.

The Skip City Award, which is selected from all Japanese films both in the international competition and the Japanese film competition, was given to a Musashino Art University graduation film, “Journey,” directed by Kiriu Shogo.

After pulling off the near miraculous feat of mounting two in-person editions in the middle of a global pandemic, the organizing team of the Transilvania Film Festival had hoped for a return to normalcy this year – hopes that were quickly dashed when Russian troops invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The tone and tenor of this year’s event swiftly shifted gears, says TIFF founder Tudor Giurgiu, as festival leadership looked to strike a precarious balance. “The lives of many people have been turned upside-down. We need to be empathetic and pay attention to what’s happening over there and try to mirror through the festival program this tragedy which is happening in Ukraine,” Giurgiu tells Variety.

As TIFF kicks off its 21st edition, which runs June 17 – 26, the war in Ukraine will be reaching the conclusion of its fourth month, a period that has already dramatically upended life in its Eastern European neighbor.

Titles include Sundance Jury prize winner ‘Utama’

Transilvania International Film Festival has unveiled the 12 films that will screen in its official competition.

Each title competing for the Transilvania Trophy will receive its Romanian premiere at the 21st edition of the festival, which is set to take place in the city of Cluj-Napoca.

The line-up features Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama, a Bolivian drama about an indigenous couple trying to survive a drought, which took home the Jury prize at Sundance Film Festival early this year.

Other titles include the directorial debut by French filmmaker Vincent Maël Cardona - Magentic Beats.

Exclusive: Diana Silvers (Space Force) and Younès Boucif (Standing Up) have signed on to star alongside Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth in the Netflix film Lonely Planet, from writer-director Susannah Grant (Unbelievable), which is currently in production.

Lonely Planet is billed as a love story set in Morocco. Specifics with regard to its plot have thus far been kept under wraps. Grant is also producing alongside Sarah Timberman and 3dot Productions’ Liza Chasin, with VP Studio Film Kira Goldberg serving as creative lead on the project for Netflix.

The film continues the creative partnership between Netflix and 3dot, which has thus far produced the streamer’s recently-released thriller series, Anatomy of a Scandal, based on the book by Sarah Vaughan. 3dot entered into a multi-year, first-look film deal with Netflix in 2019, with adaptations of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestseller The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Diane Cardwell’s memoir Rockaway also in the works.

The 46th César Awards took place at L’Olympia Bruno Coquatrix in Paris on Friday, February 25. The ceremony, France’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, honored the best in French cinema from 2021. The star-studded event also featured plenty of American talent, with the likes of Adam Driver and Cate Blanchett attending the ceremony. The show was hosted by French broadcaster Antoine de Caunes, marking his 10th time as emcee.

The night’s big winners were “Annette” and “Lost Illusions.” The former, a musical from director Leos Carax starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard and featuring music by Sparks, is a rock opera about a married couple whose lives change when they have a child, which is portrayed by a marionette puppet. Carax took home the trophy for Best Director, with Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks winning Best Original Score. The film also performed well in the crafts categories, winning Best Sound,...

It’s all “Happening.”

France’s Lumière Awards proved a colossal evening for Audrey Diwan’s festival favorite “Happening,” which took home both best film and best actress wins on Jan. 17. The abortion drama previously won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was later acquired by IFC Films.

Set in 1963 France, “Happening” focuses on a promising young student (Anamaria Vartolome) who risks prison to terminate an unwanted pregnancy that threatens her academic future. Venice Film Festival jury president Bong Joon Ho deemed the Golden Lion win for the film an “unanimous decision” among voters.

“Happening” beat out Leos Carax’s “Annette,” Emmanuelle Bercot’s “Living,” Xavier Giannoli’s “Lost Illusions,” and Arthur Harari’s “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle” to win Best Film at the Lumière Awards, which are selected by France-based members of the foreign press.

Carax won best director for musical drama “Annette,” starring Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver.

Audrey Diwan’s “Happening” won best film and actress for Anamaria Vartolome at France’s Lumière Awards on Monday evening.

“Happening,” which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was acquired by IFC Films, beat out Leos Carax’s “Annette,” Emmanuelle Bercot’s “Living,” Xavier Giannoli’s “Lost Illusions” and Arthur Harari’s “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle.”

Julia Ducournau’s Cannes’ Palme d’Or winning “Titane” was surprisingly snubbed from the best film and director categories. The daring movie won the female newcomer prize which was picked up by Agathe Rousselle. The Lumiere Awards are meant to be selected by France-based members of the foreign press, as are the Golden Globes.

Carax, meanwhile, won best director with “Annette,” a musical drama with Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver. The movie also won best cinematography for Caroline Champetier and best music for Sparks. “Annette” previously earned Carax...

Venice Golden Lion winner Happening won best film and best actress prizes

Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening won best film at the 27th edition of France’s Lumière Awards on Monday evening, while its star Anamaria Vartolomei was awarded the best actress prize.

Adapted from French writer Annie Ernaux’s 2019 semi-autobiographical work, Happening recounts a gifted literature student’s struggle to get an abortion in 1964, 11 years before abortion was legalised in France in 1975.

It marks a first lead role for Vartolomei, whose previous credits include How To Be A Good Wife and The Royal Exchange. Vartolomei is...

The awards are voted on by 95 international correspondents from 36 countries.

Xavier Giannoli’s literary adaptation Lost Illusions leads the nominations of the 27th edition of France’s Lumière awards, followed by Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening and Arthur Harari’s Onoda, 10,000 Nights In The Jungle.

The awards, which are voted on by 95 international correspondents hailing from 36 countries this year, are France’s equivalent of the Golden Globes.

Giannoli’s adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s eponymous 19th-century novel, which premiered in competition in Venice this year, was nominated in five categories including best film, director, screenplay, actor...

Emmanuel Mouret’s “Love Affair(s),” Samir Guesmi’s “Ibrahim” and Elie Wajeman’s “Night Doctor” won top prizes at Colcoa, the French film and TV festival.

The festival, which marked its 25th edition, wrapped at the DGA on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles on Nov. 7. It was attended by 14,000 people.

The festival, programmed by Francois Truffart, is organized by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), The Writers Guild of America West (Wgaw) and France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (Sacem).

Colcoa shifted its spring dates to the fall in 2019 as the DGA was being renovated and is now ideally positioned at the start of the awards season in the U.S. The awards ceremony took place at the Sacem headquarters near Paris in the presence of many honorees, notably Guesmi and “Love Affair(s)” producer Frédéric Niedermayer,...

Colcoa Classics to stage Bertrand Tavernier tribute.

The North American Premiere of Emmanuel Carrère’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight opener Between Two Worlds starring Juliette Binoche will open the in-person 25th Colcoa French film and series festival on November 1.

The event runs until November 7 and will screen 55 films and series at the DGA Theatre in Hollywood with a Colcoa Classics tribute to Bertrand Tavernier.

The closing films are Xavier Giannoli’s recent Venice Film Festival Lost Illusions and Arthur Harari’s 2021 Cannes Un Certain Regard opener Onoda, 10,000 Nights In The Jungle.

The feature line-up includes Leyla Bouzid’s A Tale Of Love And Desire...

Emmanuel Carrère’s Ouistreham (Between Two Worlds) has been set as the opening film of the 25th Colcoa French Film and Series Festival. The anniversary edition of the City of Lights, City of Angels fest kicks off on November 1 with the Juliette Binoche-starrer that opened Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes last July before winning the Audience Award at San Sebastian. Cohen Media Group releases in the U.S. in 2022.

Colcoa is running as a live week-long event taking place at the DGA Theater Complex from November 1-7. This year’s edition is dedicated to late filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier and will pay homage to him in the Classics section. The full program will include 55 films and series, as well as 19 shorts. Thirty of the films will compete for the Colcoa Cinema Awards and the Colcoa High School Screenings program will also return, welcoming 3,000 high school students from across Southern California.

Two...

German co-productions are making a strong showing at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Leos Carax’s opening film, “Annette,” Wes Anderson’s star-studded “The French Dispatch” and Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi’s “The Story of My Wife.”

Fabian Gasmia’s Berlin-based Detailfilm is among the producers on “Annette,” which stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. The musical shot throughout the German state of North RhineWestphalia, including at the Ordensburg Vogelsang, a former Nazi military academy that doubles for a high-security U.S. prison in the film. The production received €500,000 from regional funder Filmstiftung Nrw in addition to support from the German-French Minitraité.

“The French Dispatch” marks Anderson’s third collaboration with co-producer Studio Babelsberg after “Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Isle of Dogs.” The competition entry also partially shot at the studio. Studio Babelsberg’s Christoph Fisser, Henning Molfenter and Charlie Woebcken, who secured funding for the production...

The lineup for the 2021 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) at Cannes has been announced. See also the full lineups of the Official Selection and Critics’ Week.Our MenFEATURE Films A Chiara (Jonas Carpignano): The story of 15-year-old Chiara whose close-knit family falls apart after her father abandons them in Calabria. Chiara starts to investigate to understand why her father disappeared and as she gets closer to the truth, she is forced to decide what kind of future she wants for herself.Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard): Both lonely for different reasons, Ali and Ava meet through their shared affection for Sofia—the child of Ali’s Slovakian tenants, whom Ava teaches. Over a lunar month, sparks fly and a deep connection begins to grow.Between Two Worlds (Emmanuel Carrère)The Braves (Anaïs Volpé)A Brighter Tomorrow (Yassine Qnia)Clara Sola (Nathalie Álvarez Mesen)The Employer and the Employee (Manuel...

A full picture of the Cannes Film Festival is now coming into focus with the unveiling of the Directors’ Fortnight lineup. Following the Official Selection and the Critics’ Week lineups, this sidebar features Joanna Hogg’s highly-anticipated sequel The Souvenir Part II, as well as new films by Miguel Gomes, Jonas Carpignano, Clio Barnard, Pietro Marcello, Alice Rohrwacher, Matías Piñeiro, and more.

See below.

Features

A Chiara (Jonas Carpignano)

Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard)

Between Two Worlds (Emmanuel Carrère)

The Braves (Anaïs Volpé)

A Brighter Tomorrow (Yassine Qnia)

Clara Sola (Nathalie Álvarez Mesen)

The Employer and the Employee (Manuel Nieto)

Europa (Haider Rashid)

Futura

Întregalde (Radu Muntean)

The Hill where Lionesses Roar (Luàna Bajrami)

Hit the Road (Panah Panahi)

Magnetic Beats (Vincent Cardona)

Medusa (Anita Rocha da Silveira)

Murina (Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović)

Neptune Frost

A Night of Knowing Nothing (Payal Kapadia)

Our Men (Rachel Lang)

Returning to Reims (Fragments) (Jean-Gabriel Périot...

Marylise Dumont’s “Black Dog,” Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen’s “Ashes and Snow” and “Each of Us” are among the 20 projects which will be pitched at the 10th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival’s Co-Production Village.

The Co-Production Village will run alongside the festival which will be presided by Ruben Ostlund, the Swedish helmer of Palme d’Or-winning and Oscar-nominated “The Square,” and will open on Dec. 15 with Louis Garrel’s “A Faithful Man.” The movie will compete along with nine films selected by Frederic Boyer, the artistic director of both Les Arcs and Tribeca festivals.

Besides Ostlund, a flurry of high-profile European filmmakers, industry figures and talent are expected to attend the festival, notably Laetitia Casta (“A Faitful Man”), Alex Lutz (“Guy”), Lukas Dhont (“Girl”), Charlotte Le Bon (“The Promise”), Jeremie Renier (“Double Lover”), Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (“Les estivants”), Romain Duris (“Heartbreaker”), Camille Cottin (“Call My Agent!), and Thomas Vinterberg...

20 films selected for Co-Production Village, including 11 first features.

The Les Arcs Film Festival, celebrating its 10th year in 2018, has unveiled its selection of co-production projects for this year’s Industry Village.

Running December 15-18, the event is a financing platform for feature films in development across Europe.

This year, 20 projects have been selected, including a new film from Carla Simon, whose Summer 93 won best first feature at this year’s Berlinale. Her new project Each Of Us is being co-directed with Anne Zohra Berrached and Meritxell Colell and produced by Spain’s Alhena Production.

Also at the event is Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen...

The 15th City of Lights, City of Angels, a festival with both a handy acronym, Col•Coa, and a winning subtitle, "A Week of French Film Premieres in Hollywood," has opened with Philippe Le Guay's Service Entrance and closes on Sunday with Dany Boon's Nothing to Declare. In all, 34 features and 26 shorts will be screened, and we're teaming up with the festival to present five of those shorts for free. All five have been made by students of La fémis in Paris (whose alumni, by the way, include Laurent Cantet, Costa-Gavras, Claire Denis, Louis Malle, Arnaud Desplechin, Claude Miller, François Ozon and Alain Resnais). You can view our offering here.

In Brice Pancot's À cor et à cir (image above), a woman who's just turned her car over is discovered by a man and his son; see the teaser here. In Marion Desseigne-Ravel's Uniform (Les Murs...

There was enormous surprise Sunday evening at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival where the Palme d’Or was awarded to Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s captivating Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. This film was co-produced by the UK, France, Germany and Spain. At 39, the director confirms his original talent previously lauded at Cannes with the Un Certain Regard Prize in 2002 for Blissfully Yours and the Jury Prize in 2004 for Tropical Malady.

With triple success for France and honours for Italy and Spain, Europe is also well-represented in a prize list that was apparently the subject of intense discussions. The Grand Prize went to Of Gods and Men by French director Xavier Beauvois , while his compatriot Juliette Binoche scooped Best Actress for Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy. Mathieu Amalric completes the French haul with Best Director for On Tour (co-produced with Germany).

Best Actor was shared by Spain...

The Palme d’Or isn’t given out until Sunday but awards are starting to come in from Cannes. The Un Certain Regard award, created in 1998, was chaired this year by director Clair Denis and this year’s winner is Hahaha by Hong Sangsoo. The film beat out such competition as the Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams film Blue Valentine and the new film by Jean-Luc Godard. The biggest surprise, however, came from the International Federation of Film Critics who awarded theirFIPRESCI prize to Tournee (“On Tour”) by Mathieu Amalric, a film that opened the first day of Cannes and was largely derided in most quarters as inconsequential fluff.

Un Certain Regard: Hahaha by Hong Sangsoo

Cinefoundation Awards:

1st Prize: Taulukauppiatt (“The Painting Sellers”) by Juho Kuosmanen

2nd Prize: Coucou-Les-Nuages (“Anywhere Out of the World”) by Vincent Cardona

3rd Prize (tie): Hinkerort Zorasune (“The Fifth Column”) by Vatche Boulghourjian...

Finnish filmmaker Juho Kuosmanen’s Taulukauppiaat / The Painting Sellers (above) topped the Cinéfondation Awards at the 2010 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The Painting Sellers follows a trio of salespeople on the road and out of luck even though it’s Christmastime. Worse yet, they have to come to terms with their budding friendship. Runners-up were Vincent Cardona’s Coucou-les-nuages / Anywhere Out of the World, followed by Vatche Boulghourjian’s The Fifth Column tied with Dane Komljem’s I Already Am Everything I Want to Have. Cinéfondation was created in 1998 "to inspire and support the next generation of international filmmakers." Photo: Cannes Film Festival...