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Paris production house Agat Films – Ex Nihilo, which has six films in Cannes, is now in various stages of production on six more titles including Robert Guedigian’s drama Stealing Angel, starring Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Paul Darroussin that is in post. Playtime is handling sales.

Agat Films- Ex Nihilo are separate entities operating under the same banner. “We are a house of auteur cinema,” said producer Nicolas Blanc. “We are at the service of auteurs – we like what they think, what they say and how they say it.”

International titles in the works include Thierry Machado’s Inuit -language Yura,...

Series is a spin-off from auteur’s film trilogy of ’Pot Luck’, ’Russian Dolls’ and ’Chinese Puzzle’.

“It would have been impossible to imagine 20 years ago,” says acclaimed French writer-director Cedric Klapisch of showrunning a TV series based on his feature trilogy that began with Pot Luck in 2002, and was followed by Russian Dolls in 2005 and Chinese Puzzle in 2013.

“When I made Pot Luck I never thought I’d make a sequel,” he says. “I never imagined it would become the work of a lifetime.”

Greek Salad is an eight-episode spin-off produced by Klapisch and Bruno Levy’s Ce Qui Me Meut for Amazon France.

Series is a spin-off from auteur’s film trilogy of ’Pot Luck’, ’Russian Dolls’ and ’Chinese Puzzle.’

”It would have been impossible to imagine 20 years ago,” says acclaimed French writer-director Cedric Klapisch of showrunning a TV series based on his feature trilogy that began with Pot Luck in 2002, and was followed by Russian Dolls in 2005 and Chinese Puzzle in 2013.

“When I made Pot Luck I never thought I’d make a sequel,” he says. “I never imagined it would become the work of a lifetime.”

Greek Salad is an eight-episode spin-off produced by Klapisch and Bruno Levy’s Ce Qui Me Meut for Amazon France.

It has been over 20 years since Cédric Klapisch delighted audiences with his 2002 comedy “Pot Luck” about a group of twentysomethings sharing a flat in Barcelona.

Featuring the likes of Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Cécile de France and “Yellowstone” star Kelly Reilly, the film – also known as “The Spanish Apartment” – has spawned two sequels: “Russian Dolls” and “Chinese Puzzle.”

Now, French director is putting the old team back together in the Amazon Prime Video series “Greek Salad,” which opens Series Mania on March 17. But there is a twist.

“People often asked me if I would make another film about these characters. They are my family, but I kept saying ‘no,’” he says.

“When Amazon approached me about a series, I thought it would be interesting if I would talk about their children instead. Suddenly, it wasn’t as if I was making ‘Indiana Jones 4’ or ‘Fast & Furious Xii’. I was...

Paris-based production banner Cinetévé is powering up several international-driven premium series across different genres, including the contemporary Afghanistan-set “Kabul,” procedural “Birdwatcher,” mystery thriller “L’ile prisonnière,” feminist dramedy “Split” and a French adaptation of “On the Spectrum.”

“Kabul,” co-developed by Cinétévé’s Thomas Saignes, Fabienne Servan Schreiber, Matthias Weber and Thibault Gast at 2425 Films, is a six-part thriller set between the Taliban’s sweep to power on Aug. 14 and the closure of borders two weeks later. The series is being penned by Olivier Demangel, whose credits include Cedric Jimenez’s upcoming movie “November,” Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” and Thomas Finkielkraut’s “Les guerriers.”

Saignes, who joined Cinetévé in late 2017 as a driving force behind the company’s push into international series, stated that “Kabul” will revolve around the refugee crisis that was prompted by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, describing how locals and expats embarked on a race against...

Amazon Prime Video France today published details of its upcoming slate of productions, including four new originals:

Greek Salad is a contemporary sequel to the movie trilogy L’Auberge Espagnole (Pot Luck), 20 years after the originals. It follows the lives of Tom and Mia (the children of Xavier and Wendy from L’Auberge Espagnole) as they embark on a new adventure in Athens. The eight episode series is created by Cédric Klapisch, with Lola Doillon and Antoine Garceau (Call my Agent). The show will be co-produced by Bruno Levy for Ce Qui Me Meut and will launch exclusively on Prime Video in 2022.

Flashback is the second Amazon original movie produced in France. This one is a time travel comedy starring comedian Caroline Vigneaux, with Sophia Aram, Suzanne Clément, Lison Daniel, Gad Elmaleh, Lannick Gautry, Emy Ltr, Florent Peyre and Sylvie Testud. It is produced by Alain Goldman for Legende Films and...

New slate includes projects spearheaded by filmmaker Cédric Klapisch and Ballsy Girl actress Melha Bedia.

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled a slate of French original productions, including Cédric Klapisch’s drama series Greek Salad, a spin-off of his 2002 hit feature Pot Luck (L’Auberge Espagnole), about a group of students from across Europe living in a flat in Barcelona together.

The new series follows the lives of the children of two of the original characters as they embark on a new adventure in Athens.

Kaplisch has created the eight-episode drama with Lola Doillon and Antoine Garceau, who both took credits (like...

New slate includes projects spearhead by filmmaker Cédric Klapisch and Ballsy Girl actress Melha Bedia.

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled a new slate of French original productions, including Cédric Klapisch’s drama Greek Salad, a spin-off of his 2002 hit feature Pot Luck (L’Auberge Espagnole), about a group of students from across Europe living in a flat in Barcelona together.

The new series follows the lives of the children of two of the original characters as they embark on a new adventure in Athens.

Kaplisch has created the eight-episode drama with Lola Doillon and Antoine Garceau, who both took credits (like...

Amazon Prime Video France has unveiled a slate of originals, including Cedric Klapisch’s “Greek Salad” — a series sequel to the “L’Auberge Espanole” trilogy — Melanie Laurent’s “Le Bal des Folles,” as well as live sports such as the tennis tournament Roland Garros, and adaptations of popular unscripted formats such as “Lol” and “Celebrity Hunted.” All titles will roll out on the streaming service later this year.

The programs were presented during a virtual press conference on Monday hosted by Georgia Brown, director of European Originals; Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios; Thomas Dubois, head of French Amazon Originals at Amazon Studios, Isabelle Bertrand, head of content for Amazon Prime Video France; and Alex Green, managing director of sport at Amazon Prime Video.

“Greek Salad” will be set in Athens, Greece, and follow the children of Xavier and Wendy, who were played by Romain Duris and Kelly Reilly, respectively,...

The Urban Chestnut Beer poured freely (because it was free) at the Urban Chestnut Microbrewery in the Grove neighborhood inSt. Louis last night. It was the closing-night party for the 26th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival where the slate of audience-choice and juried-competition winners were announced to an attentive crowd. Sliff presented four major filmmaking awards during the course of the 2017 festival: Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Award to Dan Mirvish; Women in Film Award to Pam Grier; Lifetime Achievement Awards to Sam Pollard; and the Contemporary Cinema Award to Marco Williams.

Tribeca Film Institute’s If/Then Short Documentary Pitch Competition

Tribeca Film Institute, in partnership with Sliff, sought short documentary projects by filmmakers living and working in the Midwest for its new If/Then Short Documentary Program, made possible with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Five projects were invited to enter...

At the annual New York International Children’s Film Festival, young movie viewers are the target audience, but that doesn’t mean that the festival’s programming leans toward the fluffy and light. Instead, the program delivers films that tackle big questions, often with timely messages, in hopes of both entertaining and educating their youngest ticket-holders.

If the definition of a “kids movie” is too narrow — and so often, movies that appeal to younger viewers, center on stories about kids or just so happen to be told using animation are bucketed into somehow only being for the non-adult set — festivals like Nyicff aim to change that in a major way. This year is no different.

Read More: ‘My Life as a Zucchini’ Exclusive Photos: Charming Stop-Motion Oscar Contender Is All About the Details

Here are five takeaways from this year’s lineup that prove movies for kids don’t need to be simple.

Berlin’s Komplizen Film won prizes for Radu Jude’s Scarred Hearts and Emin Alper’s forthcoming Sisters - Kiz Kardesler.

Komplizen Film, the producer of Maren Ade’s tragicomedy Toni Erdmann, scored a double success during last week’s Filmfest Hamburg (Sept 29 - Oct 8), which had opened with Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut American Pastoral.

The Berlin/Munich production company was awarded the Hamburg Producers’ Award for European Cinema Co-Productions for Radu Jude’s adaptation of Max Blecher’s autobiographical novel, Scarred Hearts, which had premiered in Locarno in August where it won the Special Jury Prize.

Komplizen Film had served as the German co-producer for Ada Solomon’s Hi Film Productions on the production of Scarred Hearts, after the Romanian producer served as a production partner on Ade’s Toni Erdmann.

In addition, producers Jonas Dornbach and Janine Jackowski were awarded development support with their Turkish colleague Nadir Öperli of Liman Film for Emin Alper’s next...

The Franco-American Cultural Fund, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has announced the program for the 20th Colcoa French Film Festival that will run April 18-26 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The festival will showcase a record 70 films and television series - among them 64 in competition for Colcoa Awards - including four World Premieres, seven International Premieres, 19 North American or U.S. Premieres, 17 West Coast Premieres - and 21 new shorts. Colcoa, is now the world's largest event dedicated to French films and television.

"This 20th anniversary deserves a spectacular, strong program that reflects the diversity of French production, as well as the creativity and dynamism of French filmmakers and producers," stated François Truffart, Colcoa Executive Producer and Artistic Director. "More than ever, we are about to involve audiences in a journey that will stir them, make them laugh, cry, tickle their curiosity, and help them remain optimistic, while recognizing the urgent world zeitgeist."

 "20 years is an achievement for any film festival in Hollywood. This would not have been possible without the commitment of the Franco-American Cultural Fund - a unique partnership of the DGA, the Mpa, la Sacem and the WGA West - creator of the festival in 1996 and supporter of its subsequent development. We also salute French sales companies, official supporters, sponsors, and U.S. distributors, whose loyalty and trust have given the festival its continuing excellence," he added.

Colcoa will open Monday, April 18th with the North American Premiere of "Monsieur Chocolat," a biopic about the first French black clown, co-written by Cyril Gely, Olivier Gorce, Gérard Noiriel, Roschdy Zem, directed by Roschdy Zem, and starring Omar Sy and James Thiérrée. The film will be presented in association with Gaumont, which celebrates its 120th anniversary.

The festival will close its competition on Monday, April 25th with the World Premiere of "Up For Love," the new romantic comedy written and directed by Laurent Tirard, starring Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin and Virginie Efira. "Call My Agent" (Season 1), the most popular French TV series of the year, about a talent agency with actors playing their own roles, will close the Colcoa TV Competition.

Two other TV series, shown for the first time in North America, will be part of the program, presented in association with TV France International and Titrafilm: "The Disappearance," a drama co-written by Marie Deshaires and Catherine Touzet and directed by Charlotte Brändström; and "The Secret of Elise," a supernatural drama written by lsa Marpeau, Marie Vinoy, Marie Deshaires, and Catherine Touzet and directed by Alexandre Laurent, Samir Boitard, Mathieu Simonet, and Mehdi Meskar. The first two episodes of each series will be shown to the Colcoa audience.

To complete the competition, five TV movies will premiere at Colcoa: the North American Premiere of "Borderline," a thriller co-written and directed by Olivier Marchal, the International Premiere of "Carpets and Chaos," a comedy co-written and directed by Nader Takmil Homayoun, the International Premiere of "Stolen Babies," a drama written by Julie Jézéquel and directed by Golden Globe winner Alain Berliner; the International Premiere of "The Wall-Crosser," a fantasy written and directed by Dante Desarthes, based on Marcel Aymé's book; and the North American Premiere of "Woman Under the Influence," a drama written and directed by Claude-Michel Rome. 

The feature film selection (40 features and documentaries and 21 shorts), will feature exclusive presentations. "Fanny's Journey," an epic drama written and directed by Lola Doillon, starring Cecile de France, is also a World Premiere. The U.S. Premiere of the thriller "Made in France," written and directed by Nicolas Boukhrief, is a film which did not have theatrical release in France because of sensitivity following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.  Colcoa also will present the U.S. Premiere of Robert Guédiguian's provocative film about the Armenian genocide, "Don't Tell Me the Boy Was Mad." The U.S. Premiere of Oscar ® winner Claude Lelouch's new film "Un plus Une," starring Jean Dujardin and Elsa Zylberstein, will screen, in addition to another U.S. Premiere of "All Gone South," the comedy sequel co-written and co-directed by Nicolas Benamou and Philippe Lacheau, two years after the success of Babysitting at Colcoa in 2014.

Several established writers/directors return and other known artists have been selected: Academy Award nominee Christian Carion ("Come What May"- with Cohen Media Group), Anne Fontaine ("The Innocents" - with Music Box Films), Vincent Garencq ("Kalinka"), Academy Award nominee Jean-Paul Rappeneau ("Families"), Christian Vincent ("Courted"), Maïwenn ("My King" - with Film Movement)

Every year, the Colcoa program is dedicated to a new generation of talent, many of whose films are included in Colcoa's French NeWave 2.0 Series: Samuel Collardey ("Land Legs"), Clément Cogitor ("Neither Heaven Nor Earth" - with Film Movement), Philippe Faucon - the writer/director of the 2016 César Best film winner ("Fatima" - with Kino Lorber), Emmanuel Finkiel ("A Decent Man"), Eva Husson ("Bang Gang" - with Samuel Goldwyn), Laurent Larivière ("I am a Soldier"), and Orelsan and Christophe Offenstein ("Uncompleted Song").

The After 10 Series at Colcoa invites audiences to explore new frontiers with an exclusive program, including the French-Belgian co-production from writer/director Bouli Lanners ("The First, the Last"), the new dark comedy from Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern, starring Gérard Depardieu ("Saint Amour"), and Frédéric Schoendoerffer ("Past Convoy").

Two anticipated films about women in Muslim countries will be part of theWord Cinema Produced by France Series: the Franco-Moroccan co-production, "Much Loved," written and directed by Nabil Ayouch, premiered at the Director's Fortnight in 2015, and remains banned in Morocco; and, "As I Open My Eyes," a Franco-Tunisian film from female writer/director Leyla Bouzid (with Kino Lorber). The Argentine film, "Eva Doesn't Sleep," written and directed by Pablo Agüero will complete the series.

Two documentaries focusing on significant environmental issues will premiere at Colcoa: the closing film of the last Cannes Film Festival, "Ice and the Sky" (with Music Box Films) from Academy Award winner Luc Jacquet (March of the Penguins), and a special presentation following the United Nations screening of the 2016 Cesar winner for Best Documentary, "Tomorrow," written and directed by Cédric Dion and Mélanie Laurent. "The Frankenstein Complex," a tribute to the creators of big screen creatures, written and directed by Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet, will complete this high profile documentary series.

All other Colcoa series are back in 2016: the Colcoa Classics Series with an exclusive program of digitally restored premieres (see February 19th press release); the Happy Hour Talks PanelSeriesin association withVariety (April 19-25); the Short Film Competition (Sunday, April 24 -  March press release); the Focus on a Filmmaker, this year with writer/director Jean-Paul Rappeneau (Thursday, April 21); and the Focus on a Producer will be with Dominique Besnehard (Saturday, April 23).

Animation, an important part of the French film industry, will be shown at Colcoa with the premiere of Rémi Chayé's new film: "Long Way North" (with Shout Factory).

 As is Colcoa tradition, comedieswill join the program almost every day, including the romantic comedy "Love at First Child," co-written and directed by Anne Giaffieri, starring Patrick Bruel and Isabelle Carré, Benoît's Graffin's "Hopefully," with Sandrine Kiberlain and Edouard Baer, Jean-Francois Richet's "One Wild Moment," starring Francois Cluzet and Vincent Cassel, and the new French hit "One Man and His Cow," written and directed by Mohamed Hamidi.

This last film will also be shown to the 3,000 students and teachers who will attend the now five High School Screenings (April 19-25) as part of the Colcoa Educational Program presented in association with Elma (European Languages and Movies in America). Two master classes for college and university students will complete the program.

For the ninth year, Lafca will partner with Colcoa Cinema for the Critics' Awards. The complete recipients list of the 2015 Awards - including the U.S. distributor winner of the Colcoa Coming Soon Award, presented in association with Kpcc, will be announced on Wednesday, April 27. Colcoa Awards are presented in association with Titrafilm, TV5 Monde USA, and Air Tahiti Nui.

The Franco-American Cultural Fund on Tuesday announced the line-up for the 20th anniversary edition of the French film festival set to run in Hollywood from April 18-26.

The North American premiere of Roschdy Zem’s Monsieur Chocolat (pictured) presented in association with Gaumont will open the festival, and the world premiere of Laurent Tirard’s rom-com Up For Love starring Jean Dujardin and Virginie Efira will close the event. Season 1 of Call My Agent will close the TV competition.

Overall Colcoa will screen a record 70 films and TV series. The programme includes four world, seven international and 19 North American or Us premieres.

Closing the festival is the

The feature film competition includes the world premiere of Fanny’s Journey by Lola Doillon starring Cecile de France, the Us premiere of Robert Guédiguian’s Armenian genocide drama Don’t Tell Me The Boy Was Mad, and the Us premiere of Nicolas Boukhrief’s thriller Made In France, which...

The Franco-American Cultural Fund on Tuesday announced the line-up for the 20th anniversary edition of the French film festival set to run in Hollywood from April 18-26.

The North American premiere of Roschdy Zem’s Monsieur Chocolat (pictured) presented in association with Gaumont will open the festival, and the world premiere of Laurent Tirard’s rom-com Up For Love starring Jean Dujardin and Virginie Efira will close the event. Season 1 of Call My Agent will close the TV competition.

Overall Colcoa will screen a record 70 films and TV series. The programme includes four world, seven international and 19 North American or Us premieres.

The feature film competition includes the world premiere of Fanny’s Journey by Lola Doillon starring Cecile de France, the Us premiere of Robert Guédiguian’s Armenian genocide drama Don’t Tell Me The Boy Was Mad, and the Us premiere of Nicolas Boukhrief’s thriller Made In France, which did not...

Le voyage de Fanny

Director: Lola Doillon

Writer: Lola Doillon

Director Lola Doillon comes from French cinematic royalty, the daughter of director Jacques Doillon and editor Noelle Boisson is half-sister to model/actress Lou Doillon and married to director Cedric Klapisch. She’s about to unveil her third feature le voyage de Fanny (The Voyage of Fanny) in 2016, which concerns the exodus of a group of Jewish children from France to Switzerland as they attempt to evade the Nazis. Excitingly, Doillon has cast Belgian actress Cecile De France in the adult lead role.

Cast: Cecile De France, Marina Vlady, Jeanne Abraham

Production Co./Producers: Bee Films, Origami Films, Scope Pictures

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. Tbd (domestic) Diaphana Films (international).

Release Date: Doillon nabbed Kristin Scott Thomas for her 2010 sophomore film In Your Hands, which went to the BFI London Film Festival to premiere. Her pedigree paired with De France...

Inspired by the two-decade agenting career of Dominique Besnehard at France’s biggest talent house Artmedia, the six-part comedy 10% will shoot this summer for national broadcaster France 2. Besnehard is a former casting director and prolific actor who went on to be arguably the best-known agent in the local business. At one time or another, he represented such talent as Isabelle Adjani, Juliette Binoche, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Eva Green, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael Vartan, Alain Chabat, Rupert Everett, Eric Cantona, Jean-Louis Trintignant, François Ozon and Claire Denis. I’m told the series is currently casting for three principal roles and promises a big-name guest star inserted each week to play themselves. While I’m not convinced this is a series that could travel — it’ll depend on the execution and how inside baseball the comedy is — it could be an interesting look at the cultural differences in the French agency business compared to...

Cinéast(e)s and Action! French & American Women Filmmakers with Deborah Kampmeier, Rebecca Zlotowski, Axelle Ropert, Stacie Passon, Julie Gayet, Isabelle Giordano, Ry Russo-Young, Katell Quillévéré and Justine Triet at the French Institute Alliance Française in New York Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze On International Women’s Day at the French Institute Alliance Française in New York, "not a filmmaker" Julie Gayet presented Cinéast(e)s: Women Filmmakers she made with Mathieu Busson. Directors interviewed include Agnès Varda, Mia Hansen-Løve, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Josiane Balasko, Julie Delpy, Lola Doillon, Sophie Letourneur, Lisa Azuelos, Rebecca Zlotowski, and Katell Quillévéré.

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York filmmakers participating in the panel discussion moderated by Isabelle Giordano, executive director of uniFrance films, were Justine Triet, Axelle Ropert, Rebecca Zlotowski, Katell Quillévéré along with Us directors, Stacie Passon, Deborah Kampmeier, and Ry Russo-Young.

President of the French Institute Alliance Française Marie-Monique Steckel welcomed the participants.

The Dark Knight Rises; The Bourne Legacy; New Year's Eve; In Your Hands

Having proved definitively with Inception that blockbuster movies don't have to be dumb to be successful (despite industry claims to the contrary), Christopher Nolan returns to complete his Batman trilogy in typically bar-raising fashion. That The Dark Knight Rises (2012, Warner, 12) should offer an exhilarating conclusion to this monolithic screen reinvention of Bob Kane's comic-book antihero is no surprise. Nolan's knight has always been cut from more shadowy cloth than any of his franchised affiliates, with the spectre of Frank Miller's Nietzschean crusader casting a long shadow over the handsomely ambiguous proceedings.

In many ways Nolan has given us what Tim Burton first promised in the 80s – a vision of Batman as a tortured soul in purgatory, struggling to escape his childhood demons, outcast by the people whom he is perversely sworn to protect. Here the metaphor becomes a literal reality,...

★★☆☆☆ Over the past decade or so, multilingual stage and screen star Kristin Scott Thomas has carved a palatable little niche for herself; appearing in intense French dramas such as 2008's I've Loved You So Long. This has seen the actress, who has been a resident in Paris since her teens, acquiring the kind of interesting parts that she has perhaps not been offered so much in the UK. Her most recent starring role is in the second feature from director Lola Doillon, In Your Hands (Contre Toi, 2010), which sets out to look at the strange world of Stockholm Syndrome with its star hostage to Pio Marmaï's vengeful kidnapper.

Read more »...

Kristin Scott Thomas returned to cinemas earlier this year in Lola Doillon's In Your Hands (2011), a taught chamber piece set in the Parisian suburbs. An intense, claustrophobic thriller, Doillon's film is an astute and complex examination of the fluid, mutually treacherous relationship between victim and aggressor, captive and jailer. To celebrate its home entertainment release, we've kindly been provided with Three Blu-ray copies of the film to give away to our loyal readers, courtesy of UK world cinema distributors Artificial Eye. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook and Twitter fans, so if you haven't already, 'Like' us at facebook.com/CineVueUK or follow us @CineVue before answering the question below.

Read more »...

In Your Hands (aka Contre toi) is a subtle psychological thriller, the second full-length feature by the French writer-director Lola Doillon, but the first to be shown here. A claustrophobic virtual two-hander, it stars Kristin Scott Thomas as confident, childless divorcee Anna Cooper, a surgeon working in the obstetrics and gynaecology department of a prison hospital, and Pio Marmaï as Yann, a wild young man.

At the beginning Anna appears distraught but carefully controlled, running from a shabby suburban house to her smart Parisian apartment. The movie doesn't leave us long to wonder about her conduct. She goes to the police to report her abduction, and in a tensely developed flashback we learn that she has been held in a cellar by Yann, the vengeful husband of a patient who died during a Caesarean operation carried out by Anna. In this first part there's an emotional ebb and flow, the...

The Dark Knight Rises (12A)

(Christopher Nolan, 2012, Us/UK) Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine. 164 mins

As big and dark and serious as The Avengers was big and light and fun, the climax to Nolan's Batman trilogy ticks most of the boxes it was demanded to – which is quite an achievement. There's an Occupy-style theme to baddy Bane's Gotham City lockdown, which forces Bruce Wayne to consider his 1% financial status and Batman to revive his punching and growling skills (prompted by Hathaway's slinky cat burglar). Some cheesy cliches (and questionable politics) are needed to tie it all together, but it's still the solid, epic finale you'd hoped for.

Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap (15)

(Ice-t, Andy Baybutt, 2012, UK/Us) 111 mins

The well-connected director calls on the biggest names in rap (Eminem, Q-Tip, Melle Mel, Snoop Dogg, etc), asks them a...

★★☆☆☆ Kristen Scott Thomas is fast becoming the go-to actor of choice for central roles in French/multi-national film productions entrenched in intrigue, lust and moral degradation. Sadly, as with several of her last outings (with 2011's The Woman in the Fifth and 2012's Bel Ami easily the worst two offenders), Scott Thomas often appears to be far above the material she is asked to work with. The same is sadly true of Lola Doillon's In Your Hands (Contre toi, 2010), given the ominous role of counter-programming against Batman behemoth The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Read more »...

I Am Number Four

Opens: February 18th 2011

Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron, Kevin Durand, Teresa Palmer

Director: D.J. Caruso

Summary: Nine infant aliens flee their home planet to hide out on Earth. The species that destroyed their planet however has followed them and sets out to hunt them down. As the infants grow into teenagers with special powers, three of them are killed. A fourth has fallen in love and now has something to stand up and fight for.

Analysis: In premise and look, this sounds like a big budget and more action-oriented reboot of late sci-fi teen drama "Roswell". Though based on a young adult novel series, it was another title in this category that was the impetus for this adaptation - Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series. Any novels with a focus on teen romance and an other worldly touch are presently being bought up right and...

Reviewed at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

The steamier side of sympathizing with your captor gets showcased in "In Your Hands," a guilty pleasure of a Gallic drama that's the second feature from writer/director Lola Doillon (the daughter of filmmaker Jacques Doillon). Kristin Scott Thomas, demonstrating once again her ability to act just as dexterously in French as in English, plays the brittle Anna Cooper, an aloof surgeon who lives for her work, and lives alone in Paris. At the film's outset, she's hurriedly making her way back to her chic apartment, looking distressed and starting at the smallest sounds. Home, she plugs her drained phone in order to check her voice mail. She was abducted and held prisoner for days, but none of the messages -- from her mother, from her boss at the hospital, from her married lover -- are concerned or urgent. No one noticed she...

This year's lineup has been revealed, and there are even fewer surprises than usual. Does it matter to you? And how should that affect our coverage?

If bookies took bets on the lineup at film festivals, whoops and cheers would be shaking the Guardian HQ this lunchtime. As they don't, the noise is more muted: a smile, a shrug – even a meh.

The programme for this year's London film festival is precisely as predicted: a comprehensive mop-up of the best of the premieres in the five big festivals that will have already happened this year (Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, Venice, Toronto). We've listed our highlights below, and there's loads of titles to tempt the cineaste who lives within spitting distance of London. The way that this year's festivals have panned out – a fairly low-key Cannes, followed by stellar lineups at Venice and, especially, Toronto (which kicks off next week) – helps, too.

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

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

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

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

Click here to view the full calendar

The 54Th BFI London Film Festival Programme Launch

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

I love getting IndieWire’s Cannes Wish List. IndieWire's commentary on each film is interesting in and of itself. I find myself remarking "I didn't know that!" at every other entry. My former Tipped for Cannes Report (when FilmFinders was my company) was one of my most popular reports because film buyers and programmers could immediately hone in on their targets. So, in keeping with tradition, I pulled together the list Screen International (Si) and blogger ion (he did a lot of research for this!) published in February just after the Berlinale and am now going to compare it with Iw’s. My links for the title are to IMDbPro and for the contact either to the seller (Isa=International Sales Agent) or the producer.

After this, I will track which of these land in Cannes, which in Toronto, Venice, etc.; which get acquired by whom (to be gathered together...

It's fun tracking down Cannes titles. Ion Cinema has a bead on the Director's Fortnight line-up, including filmmakers Denis Villeneuve, Tran Anh Hung, Gilles Marchand, Lodge Kerrigan, Pernilla August, Marian Crisan, Gregg Araki, Lola Doillon, Agnes Kocsis and Julie Bertucelli. Ion also predicts for the official selection, Brazilian and Cannes vet Andrucha Waddington's Lope, "a chronicle of the life of Lope de Vega" with Sonia Braga and Alberto Ammann in the title role, and Gael García Bernal in Icíar Bollaín's Even the Rain, from Spain. Meanwhile the French-language Cine Europa lists two Cannes-bound Korean films, Poetry, from Lee Chang-dong and The Housemaid from Im Sang-soo, and from Japan, Takeshi Kitano's Outrage, from Argentina, Carancho, from Pablo Trapero, and Ciencias Morales, from Diego Lerman, as well as ...

New logo. New website. New artistic director. Olivier Pere exited to become the head honcho at Locarno, so the Director's Fortnight, also known as La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, will be Frederic Boyer's baby this year. The mandate will remain the same, but will the tastes differ? Pere's legacy includes some of my favorites over the past decade such as Corneliu Porumboiu's 12:08 East of Bucharest... - New logo. New website. New artistic director. Olivier Pere exited to become the head honcho at Locarno, so the Director's Fortnight, also known as La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, will be Frederic Boyer's baby this year. The mandate will remain the same, but will the tastes differ? Pere's legacy includes some of my favorites over the past decade such as Corneliu Porumboiu's 12:08 East of Bucharest, Anton Corbijn's Control, Ramin Bahrani's Chop Shop, Pablo Larraín's Tony Manero,...

Until women reach a 50-50 parity with men directors, my mission continues to count the women directors in upcoming and recent film festivals (and an occasional informal glance at what’s selling in the markets). Women’s films in Berlin reflect women’s place in the world both in content and in the numbers of women represented as directors, producers, writers, etc. John Cooper of Sundance stresses the increasing and possibly 50-50 parity of women producers, but I am looking at the directors. As March is Women’s History Month (and all the other months are Men’s History Month according to Gloria Steinem’s L.A. Times Article of March 4, 2010) this blog is in honor of all women everywhere.

Congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow for winning the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. La Times puts into perspective the fact that the Best Director Oscar went to Kathryn Bigelow...

• Like the father and daughter filmmaking families the Coppolas and the Makhmalbafs, we can now add France's Doillons as such a pair. Lola Doillon will be following up her feature coming of age debut Just About Love? (2007) with Sous Ton Emprise. Kristen Scott Thomas is toplining a kidnap-themed drama with a titles that translates as "Under Your Spell" or "Under Your Grip". Currently filming, the six-week shoot will take place until the first week of September in Angoulême and the city of lights and centres on a psychological theme that Patty Heart could perhaps relate to this. This tells the story of an abduction of a renowned surgeon by a man who holds her responsible for his wife’s death. A psychological battle begins between the kidnapper and his victim, but during the captivity, their relationship gradually develops into mutual affection (aided by the Stockholm syndrome). What will remain

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• Lots of first time filmmakers make up this year's Un Certain Regard. Here is the complete list. (Still below: Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely)Bross Malos HABITOSValeria Bruni-tedeschi Le RÊVE De La Nuit D’Avant (Bad Habits)Carmen Castillo Calle Santa Fe (Santa Fe Sreet)Chung Lee Isaac Munyurangabo (Liberation Day)Lola Doillon Et Toi T’Es Sur Qui ?Enrique Fernandez & César Charlone El BAÑO Del Papa (And Along Come Tourists)Eran Kolirin Bikur HATIZMORETHarmony Korine Mister LONELYKadri KÕUSAAR Magnusli Yang Mang Shan (Blind Mountain)Daniele Luchetti Mio Fratello È Figlio Unico (My Brother Is An Only Child)Cristian Nemescu California Dreamin' (Nesfarsit) California Dreamin' (Endless)Jaime Rosales La Soledad (Fragments Of Loneliness) Barbet Schroeder L’Avocat De La TERREURCéline Sciamma Les PIEUVRESRobert Thalheim Am Ende Kommen TOURISTENEkachai Uekrongtham Kuaile Gongchang...

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