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The nineties was the heyday of the mid-level action hero. Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal churned out a whole series of increasingly profitable action programmers in the early part of the decade. Seagal’s movies were wildly profitable for Warner Bros, while Van Damme had a home at Universal Pictures. Every studio wanted its own Jcvd or Seagal, with Paramount trying to launch Jeff Speakman with The Perfect Weapon (which has a devoted fan in our own writer Ej Tangonan) and Fox even trying with football player Howie Long in Firestorm. One studio that badly wanted their own action guy was New Line Cinema, but before they found their niche in the genre with Rumble in the Bronx and Mortal Kombat, they tried to launch two promising action heroes. One was Thomas Ian Griffith, whose (pretty awesome) action flick Excessive Force was only given a small regional release.

Exclusive: Comedy troupe The Dress Up Gang are in production on their first feature film, The Dress Up Gang Movie with Tideline Entertainment and Mountain Top Pictures producing.

Cameras will roll in LA.

Founded in 2008, The Dress Up Gang is comprised of Robb Boardman, DeMorge Brown, Kevin Camia, Donny Divanian, Christian Duguay, Kirk Fox, Cory Loykasek, Frankie Quinones and Brent Weinbach.

The pic written by the group’s Loykasek, Boardman and Divanian is a comedy adventure about our connection to houseplants, nature, and each other. Blurb: Cory spends his days isolated and working from home until he becomes entangled with a mysterious figure known only as “the Plantman,” a vigilante who breaks into people’s homes to rescue plants that aren’t being watered. Cory is suddenly thrust outdoors, into an underground world of plant-lovers, secret greenhouses, and rogue hardware store employees who will stop at nothing to save the dying plants of the city.

Line-up includes ’Meet The Leroys’ starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and José Garcia.

Newen Connect has added a trio of star-powered French comedies – Meet The Leroys, Here & There and Karaoké – to its slate and the TF1-owned company will kick off sales for the new films at AFM.

Meet The Leroys is written and directed by International Emmy-nominated Florent Bernard (Le Flambeau) and stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and José Garcia in a story of a man facing divorce who attempts to rekindle his wife’s affections by taking her and their teenage children on a road trip down memory lane.

The film is...

The Scanners III: The Takeover episode of The Black Sheep was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Brandon Nally, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Scanners is one of those seminal 80’s sci fi horror flicks. It’s also done by the master of body horror David Cronenberg. It’s a great flick that didn’t need any sequels and just by saying that I have unleashed the probability of a remake and more sequels coming our way. It’s the rule of horror flicks. Cronenberg isn’t immune to sequels either, especially ones he had no involvement in like The Fly 2. Nothing wrong with that movie, it’s actually a lot of fun, but The Fly absolutely didn’t need a sequel. While The Dead Zone was eventually turned into a TV show starring Anthony Michael Hall, that...

Kabo Family, the production banner owned by the fast-expanding Asacha Media Group, has signed a strategic deal with Christian Duguay, the prominent Canadian filmmaker of “Jappeloup” and “Coco Chanel.”

Under the pact, Kabo and Duguay’s CD Films France will collaborate on the development and production of TV series aimed at traditional television groups and platforms.

The partnership underscores Kabo Family’s ambition to ramp up its presence in the upscale scripted space. Duguay’s latest film “Tempete,” an uplifting drama with Melanie Laurent, Pio Marmai and Carmen Kassovitz, is currently playing in theaters. Besides “Jappeloup,” Dugay’s best known film credits include “Un Sac de Billes” and “Belle et Sebastien.” The helmer was nominated at the Primetime Emmy Awards three times, for “Joan of Arc,” “Hitler: The Rise of Evil” and the TV movie “Coco Chanel.”

Asacha Media Group is also the shareholder of Srab Films, the production banner...

France’s box office is moving in an upward trajectory in November with 14.8 million admissions.

France’s box office is continuing to move in an upward trajectory in November with 14.8 million admissions for the month, the highest of the year so far according to figures from the Cnc.

The positive figures follow a decent October, when French theatres bounced back with 14.3 million admissions following the worst September in French box office history, with just 7.4 million tickets sold.

In total, 74 films were released in theatres in November, more than a pre-pandemic 61 in November 2019, an average of 15 films per week. US titles...

Long-time Academy Museum of Motion Pictures executive Amy Homma was promoted to Chief Audience Officer Nov. 28, Director and President of the Academy Museum Jacqueline Stewart announced.

“Amy has proven herself to be a skillful, forward-thinking, and inspiring leader since she began at the museum in 2019, and I look forward to seeing her and her teams thrive in this new capacity,” Stewart said. “As a seasoned programmer, educator, and administrator who brings a deep knowledge of audience engagement and museology, Amy is the ideal person to steer our museum’s next chapter of external relations.”

Prior to her new appointment, Homma worked as vice president of Education and Public Engagement at the Academy Museum. Under her leadership, the museum developed K-12 programming and public programs rooted in accessibility and activism.

Homma’s introduction to the Academy Museum was as the inaugural director — a position she acquired following the conclusion of her...

Exclusive: Sony has rounded out its cast for The Equalizer 3, with Eugenio Mastrandrea (From Scratch), Remo Girone (Ford v Ferrari), Sonia Ammar (Scream), Daniele Perrone (Baaria), Andrea Scarduzio (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) and Andrea Dodero (Blocco 181) signing on for roles.

The actors join an ensemble led by Denzel Washington which also includes Dakota Fanning, and Gaia Scodellaro, as previously announced.

While the film’s plot is being kept under wraps, it’s the third in an action series centered on Washington’s vigilante Robert McCall, from director Antoine Fuqua. The first released in 2014 earned over 194M worldwide, spurring a 2018 sequel that grossed over 190M worldwide.

Slated for release in theaters on September 1, 2023, The Equalizer 3 was written by Richard Wenk. Producers include Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Washington, Fuqua, Clayton Townsend, Alex Siskin, Steve Tisch, Tony Eldridge and Michael Sloan.

Mastrandrea can currently be seen opposite Zoe Saldana...

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Not since a teenage Elizabeth Taylor rode her steed to victory in National Velvet has a film about a kid and a horse proven such an effective tearjerker as Christian Duguay’s French drama about a young girl who doesn’t let a terrible accident prevent her from pursuing her dream of becoming a jockey. The film may feel predictable at times in its plot machinations, but it nonetheless exerts a solid emotional pull that should make it a crowd-pleaser upon its theatrical release next month in its native country. Ride Above recently received its U.S. premiere as the centerpiece film of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

The story begins in 2001, when Zoe is born in a racehorse stable owned by her parents at the same time as a horse named Beautiful Intrigue. Zoe and Beautiful Intrigue grow up together, with...

Alpine event runs December 10-17.

The in-person 14th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival returns to the French Alps from December 10-17 to celebrate European Cinema and present eight films in Official Competition as well as the industry programme.

Official Competition selections vying for the Crystal Arrow award include David Wagner’s Eismayer from Austria (Loco Films handles sales), Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska’s co-production The Happiest Man In The World (distributed by Pyramide Films), and Fulvio Risuleo’s Ghost Night from Italy (Vision Distribution), and Leonor Serraille’s French title Un Petit Frère (Diaphana Distribution).

Rounding out the...

Film stars Mélanie Laurent, Pio Marmai and Carmen Kassovitz.

Newen Connect has trotted Christian Duguay’s equestrian drama Ride Above across the globe, announcing sales just before the start of AFM.

The drama, produced by Paris-based Nolita Cinema, has sold throughout Europe to Germany’s Dcm Film Distribution, Austria’s Polyfilm, Spain’s Deaplaneta, Portugal’s Lusomundo, Italy’s Eagle Pictures, Switzerland’s Pathé, Belgium’s Vertigo, Poland’s Best Film, Czech and Slovak Republic’s Aqs and Bulgaria’s Beta Film.

The film will also jump across continents to Canada (Films Opale), Australia (Madman), Singapore (Shaw Renters), Latin America...

Exclusive: Newen Connect has unveiled a raft of deals on Canadian director Christian Duguay’s new feature Ride Above, starring Carmen Kassovitz as a teenager raised in a horse racing milieu who rises above the challenges of a tragic, life-changing accident.

The film has sold to Germany (Dcm Film Distribution), Austria (Polyfilm), Spain (Deaplaneta), Portugal (Lusomundo), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Switzerland (Pathé) Belgium (Vertigo) Poland (Best Film), Czech & Slovak Rep. (Aqs), Bulgaria (Beta Film), Canada (Films Opale) Australia (Madman), Singapore (Shaw Renters), Latin America (CDC United Networks) and Skeye (Airlines).

Pathé is gearing up to give the film a wide in France on December 21.

Emerging actress Kassovitz, who is the daughter of La Haine director Mathieu Kassovitz, plays a teenager who has been born and raised with horses at her parent’s racehorse stable. From an early age, the rider forges a deep exceptional bond with a young horse, in whom she sees a champion.

Exclusive: After starring opposite Kevin Costner on the first two season of Yellowstone, Danny Huston is boarding the multihyphenate’s Western epic Horizon, which is currently shooting in Utah.

Huston plays Dan Jenkins on Yellowstone. Other Horizon castmembers who’ve worked with Costner before are Jena Malone and Will Patton.

Along with Huston, the Horizon cast also includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jamie Campbell Bower, Luke Wilson, Thomas Haden Church, Alejandro Edda, Tatanka Means, Michael Rooker, Isabelle Fuhrman, Ella Hunt, Abbey Lee, Wasé Chief, Michael Angarano, Tim Guinee, Tom Payne, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Angus Macfadyen, Douglas Smith, Jon Beavers and Owen Crow Shoe.

As has been reported, the epic returns Costner to the Civil War backdrop he previously visited in his multi-Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves. The pic follows the 15-year span of pre- and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. Experienced through the eyes of many,...

French actor-turned-director Stéphane Freiss started shooting in Italy Monday on “Face à Toi,” a drama toplining emerging French star Lou de Laâge and Italy’s Riccardo Scamarcio (“Three Floors”), set against the backdrop of the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot.

De Laâge plays the 25-year-old Esther who has always lived in a very close-knit Jewish Orthodox community in the south of France and is looking to break out of religious constrictions.

De Laâge, who won France’s Cesar Award for most promising young actress in 2013 for her role in Christian Duguay’s “Jappeloup,” more recently played the lead in Anne Fontaine’s 2016 “The Innocents,” which went to Sundance. She also starred in Fontaine’s “White as Snow,” in 2019, opposite Isabelle Huppert.

Scamarcio, who is among Italy’s top box office draws, plays the older Elio who left his father’s farm in Southern Italy to attend art school in Rome,...

Coco Chanel was a style icon, one of the most world-known designers. Her style embodies an entire era, recognized by elegance, minimalism in the use of accessories, and convenience. This article discusses the top five films that describe this woman’s life.

Chanel Solitaire, 1981

Directed by George Kaczender and starring Marie-France Pisier, Timothy Dalton, Rutger Hauer,

The film tells about the life and love of the amazing and unique Coco Chanel. It is a romantic story full of sadness, longing, and beautiful music. Interestingly, one-seventh of the total budget (one in seven million dollars) was spent on costumes for this film.

The film is built as a memory of the life of a young, successful, but unhappy Gabrielle Chanel, in which every person, be it Etienne Balsan, Arthur Capel, or Adrienne – all influenced Coco and her life.

Gabrielle Chanel. La Permanence d’un style. 2001

The film mainly describes the period of Coco Chanel’s activity,...

The first clapperboard is set to slam in March on Christian Duguay’s new film, a Nolita Cinema production sold by TF1 Studio whose SVOD rights have reportedly been bought by Disney+. 8 March will see shooting begin on Ride Above by Canadian director Christian Duguay who is embarking upon his 4th feature film following on the heels of Jappeloup (1.8 million admissions in France in 2013 and a nomination for the Best Actor Lumières award as well as the Best New Female Hope César), Belle and Sebastian, The Adventure Continues (1.8 million French viewers in 2015) and A Bag of Marbles (1.3 million admissions in France in 2017). The cast comprises Pio Marmaï,...

As 2020 comes to a close, Italy’s TV industry is mourning the recent death of Sara Melodia, who was head of drama at Italy’s prominent TV production company Lux Vide, the outfit behind “Medici,” “Devils” and the upcoming high-end “Leonardo” series.

Melodia, who died of cancer on Dec. 2 at 46, had been instrumental to the quantum leap that Lux — and, by extension, Italian TV as a whole — has made in the international market over the past decade.

Born in Milan, where she studied screenwriting and production at the Università Cattolica, Melodia started out at Lux in 1999 as a junior story editor, cutting her teeth first on ancient Rome mini-series “Augustus” and then on “Don Matteo,” the hit local show about a crime-busting priest that launched in 2000 and still reaps stellar ratings on public broadcaster Rai 20 years and 12 seasons later.

In 2007, when Lux was seeking to break out of national confines...

Netflix has dropped a new trailer for the third and final season of ‘Medici: The Magnificent’.

The eight-part final series sees Lorenzo (Sharman) as the undisputed leader of Florence, who faced Popes and Kings to become the first man in history to unite economy, culture and politics in one great vision that put Florence at the very centre of Europe.

Whilst at the peak of his power, Lorenzo is troubled, seeking revenge for the tragic death of his brother killed during the ‘Pazzi Conspiracy’. He is lost and distant from his faith and he feels he’s the only one that can save his family, his city and the enormous artistic treasure he built. Medici: The Magnificent shows the power of art and beauty as driving forces behind Medici rule. The series shows the journey of a man who falls many times before he can find himself again.

Directed by Christian Duguay,...

Exclusive: Reign’s Toby Regbo is to star in the third and final season of Italian drama Medici.

The series will air over four nights in a primetime slot on Italian broadcaster Rai from December 2 with Netflix airing it after its domestic launch in early 2020. It will be branded an original Netflix series in the U.S., UK, Ireland, Canada, India and Taiwan.

Regbo will star alongside Daniel Sharman, and Synnøve Karlsen as well as Francesco Montanari and John Lynch, who joins for Medici The Magnificent: Final Season. Elsewhere, Troy: Fall of a City’s Johnny Harris and Bedlam’s Jack Roth form part of the international cast with Callum Blake, Aurora Ruffino and Sebastian De Souza.

Medici The Magnificent: Final Season starts a few months after the infamous Pazzi conspiracy that cost the life of Lorenzo’s brother, and nearly his own. Lorenzo, now a more complex and conflicted character,...

Screaming, flying ‘Autonomous Mobile Swords’ have decimated the enemy in a war on a far-off planet, but now the pesky smart weapons are self-evolving into ever more cruel and deadly new iterations. Peter Weller and Jennifer Rubin head a cast of desperate soldiers in this adaptation of an early story by Philip K. Dick — that perhaps addresses an aspect of the arms race? The show remains a cult favorite of fans of violent sci-fi adventures. Disc extras interview the filmmakers on Screamers’ decade-long path to the screen.

Screamers

Blu-ray

Scream Factory

1995 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date January 29, 2019 / 29.99

Starring: Peter Weller, Roy Dupuis, Jennifer Rubin, Andrew Lauer, Charles Edwin Powell, Ron White, Michael Caloz.

Cinematography: Rodney Gibbons

Film Editor: Yves Langlois

Original Music: Normand Corbell

Written by Dan O’Bannon, Miguel Tejada-Flores

From the short story ‘Second Variety’ by Philip K. Dick

Produced by Charles W. Fries, Antony I. Ginnane,...

“Medici blood must be spilled,” says a sinister Sean Bean in the Netflix trailer for the second season of “Medici,” which drops on the streaming service in the U.S. and U.K. next month. Bean plays scheming aristocrat Jacopo Pazzi and joins Daniel Sharman, who stars as Lorenzo, in “Medici: The Magnificent.”

The new series of the epic period drama picks up two decades after the events of the first season, which focused on Lorenzo’s grandfather Cosimo (Richard Madden) and great-grandfather Giovanni (Dustin Hoffman) and their banking dynasty in 15th-century Florence.

Sharman’s Lorenzo is seen in action in the trailer, sword in hand, and there are also hints of his romantic entanglements in the new season, which had a budget of $27 million.

All eight episodes o the new season will be on Netflix from Jan. 25. The series is made by Italian shingle Lux Vide in association with Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light,...

After facing the bladed boogeyman in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and instilling a unique brand of law and order in the first two RoboCop movies, respectively, Jennifer Rubin and Peter Weller went up against deadly manmade weapons in 1995's Screamers. Written by Dan O'Bannon and based on Philip K. Dick's short story "Second Variety," Screamers is coming to Blu-ray on January 29th from Scream Factory, and the full list of special features has now been revealed, including a new interview with Rubin.

From the Press Release: "Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, the science-fiction thriller Screamers will make its Blu-ray debut January 29th, 2019 from Scream Factory. Starring Peter Weller (Robocop) and Jennifer Rubin and featuring a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon, Screamers also includes a number of new bonus features, including new interviews with director Christian Duguay, producer Tom Berry, co-writer Miguel Tejada-Flores and actress Jennifer Rubin.

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival has announced its Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events slate, which will include series executive produced by people like Jordan Peele and Steven Soderbergh, as well as episodic content starring Rosamund Pike.

The Untitled Amy Berg Documentary, directed and produced by Berg, will also be heading to the festival, as will Kyra Sedgwick’s “Girls Weekend,” starring Amy Landecker and Ali Liebegott.

Overall, 12 episodic works, 73 short films from 33 countries and four special events have joined the festival slate that was first announced last week. Of the projects announced on Monday, 53 percent were directed or created by one or more women, 51 percent were directed or created by one or more filmmaker of color, and 26 percent were created or directed by one or more people who identify as Lgbtqia.

Also Read: Sundance Documentary 'Ask Dr. Ruth' Picked Up by Hulu and Magnolia

“Our newly-expanded programming team took in...

In only its second year of bringing independent television to Park City as part of its Indie Episodics section, Sundance has picked a dozen series that could include the next big TV hit. Among the announced independent shows include works by Nick Hornby, Richie Mehta, and Kyra Sedgwick, which range from comedies about start-ups to dating comedies about trans relationships to dramas about race. Sundance is also bringing in some other TV projects under its Special Events banner, including the newest season of IFC’s ongoing doc parody series “Documentary Now!” and Gregg Araki’s upcoming Starz series “Now Apocalypse,” executive produced by Steven Soderbergh.

The Special Events section will also play home to a brand new (and as yet untitled) documentary from Sundance regular Amy Berg, which tracks the creation of the Women’s March and what followed.

In an announcement, Sundance director of programming Kim Yutani said that...

Special Events include Gregg Araki’s Now Apocalypse.

The second year of the Indie Episodic section at Sundance Film Festival brings world premieres of the Nick Hornby marriage therapy comedy State Of The Union directed by Stephen Frears and starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd, and Kyra Sedgwick’s Girls Weekend, about a queer daughter who returns for a family gathering in Las Vegas.

Festival programmers have lined up 12 Episodic works, alongside four special events, among them Gregg Araki’s half-hour Starz comedy series Now Apocalypse about the misadventures of four friends in Los Angeles. Steven Soderbergh is among the executive producers.

This January, Scream Factory brings Christian Duguay and Dan O’Bannon’s Screamers starring Peter Weller (RoboCop) to Blu-ray. Extras will be announced on a later date. Until then, you can check out the Blu-ray cover art to the right and the trailer below and then make sure to hit us up and let us know what you think […]

The post Screamers Burrows Onto Blu-ray This January appeared first on Dread Central.

Canadian director Christian Duguay is directing the third season of Frank Spotnitz’s “Medici” television saga, which has started shooting in Rome with Italian actor Francesco Montanari attached to play radical preacher Girolamo Savonarola, who became leader of Florence after the Medici family’s overthrow in 1494.

Duguay succeeds Jon Cassar (“24”), who helmed “Medici: Masters of Florence. The Magnificent Part I,” which was the show’s second season.

Montanari, who broke out internationally with Sky’s “Crime Novel,” more recently played the relentless anti-Mafia prosecutor who is the central character in pubcaster Rai’s hit “The Hunter.” He won the best performance prize for this role at the Cannesseries festival in April.

In the third “Medici” season, “Medici: Masters of Florence. The Magnificent Part II,” Florentine statesman and ruler Lorenzo De Medici, played by Daniel Sharman, “has become a man who will have to fight against his demons and defend Florence...

Does every great actress see Joan of Arc as the ultimate serious role? Ingrid Bergman ran into serious career trouble while this picture was still in release. Its cast and credits are packed with star talent — is it a misunderstood classic with a great central performance? Ms. Bergman was so enamored with the character that she played it twice.

Joan of Arc

70th Anniversary Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1948 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 146 100 min. / Street Date March 27, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Jos&eacute Ferrer, Francis L. Sullivan, J. Carrol Naish, Ward Bond, Shepperd Strudwick, Gene Lockhart, John Emery, Leif Erickson, Cecil Kellaway.

Cinematography: Winton Hoch, William V. Skall, Joseph Valentine

Film Editor: Frank Sullivan

Special Effects: Jack Cosgrove, John P. Fulton

Original Music: Hugo Friedhofer

Written by Andrew Solt, Maxwell Anderson, from his play

Produced by Walter Wanger

Directed by Victor Fleming

What becomes of a grandiose...

A Holocaust survival story for moviegoers in no mood to confront real despair, Christian Duguay's A Bag of Marbles tells the true story of two brothers' journey through Occupied France, leaving one home after another whenever the Germans approached. Emphasizing a sense of adventure over the horrors of genocide, the picture's tone will rub many viewers the wrong way; others may wonder if their time would be better spent on more present-tense refugee stories. For those ready to view it on its own terms, its gentle focus on family and persistence should go down easy.

Based on a autobiographical novel...

A Bag Of Marbles (Un sac de billes) Gaumont Reviewed by: Harvey Karten Director: Christian Duguay Screenwriter: Alexandra Geismar, Jonathan Allouche w/ collaboration of Laurent Zeitoun and based on the graphic novel by Joseph Joffo and Vincent Bailly Cast: Patrick Bruel, Dorian Le Clech, Batyste Fleurial Palmieri, Elsa Zylberstein Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 2/8/18 […]

The post A Bag of Marbles Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Bag of Marbles (Un sac de billes) is an autobiographical film about two young brothers in occupied France, Maurice and Joseph, who discover within themselves the courage, the bravery, and the mischief needed to escape the enemy’s invasion and reunite with their lost family.

Thought I missed seeing this three-time Audience Award winning film starring Patrick Bruel, Dorian Le Clech, Batyste Fleurial Palmieri and Elsa Zylberstein when it premiered in U.S. at Colcoa here in L.A., I was able to interview the director Christian Duguay and actor Patrick Bruel before its U.S. release March 23.

See the trailer Here.

Christian Duguay was born in 1957 in Outremont, Québec, Canada. As a dirextor his is known for Human Trafficking (2005), The Art of War (2000) and Red Brazil (2012).

Patrick Bruel was born on May 14, 1959 in Tlemcen, France (Algeria) as Patrick Benguigui. He is one of the most famous French singers and actors in France,...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– BAMcinématek has announced the full lineup for the ninth annual BAMcinemaFest (Jun 14 – 25, 2017), which features 24 New York premieres, one North American premiere, and two world premieres. Opening the festival on Wednesday, June 14 is the New York premiere of Aaron Katz’s “Gemini.” This year’s Closing Night selection is the New York premiere of Brooklyn filmmaker Alex Ross Perry’s fifth feature, “Golden Exits.”

Other highlights include “En el Séptimo Día,” “A Ghost Story,” “Landline,” and “Whose Streets.” Check out the full lineup here.

– The Greenwich International Film Festival is proud to announce the full film slate and programming for the 3rd annual festival running June 1 – 4, 2017 in Greenwich, Connecticut.

“Bending the Arc,” a documentary about the extraordinary team of doctors and activists whose work thirty years...

Colcoa French Film Festival wrapped on May 2.

Nicolas Bedos’s Mr. & Mrs. Adelman has won the Colcoa Audience Award, the Franco-American Cultural Fund announced on Wednesday.

In another key prize, Stéphane Brizé’s A Woman’s Life (pictured) received the Colcoa Lafca Critics Award presented by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

A Woman’s Life will open this month in the Us through Kino Lorber and also won the Colcoa Coming Soon Award presented to a film with Us distribution.

A Bag Of Marbles by Christian Duguay won the Audience Special Prize, while the Critics Special Prize went to Hélène Angel’s Elementary.

Little Gems by Xavier de Lauzanne received the Best Documentary Award, and the First Feature Award went to Tunisian-French co-production Hedi directed by Mohamed Ben Attia.

The inaugural American Students Award went to Polina by Angelin Preljocaj and Valérie Müller-Preljocaj.

Among the Colcoa Television winners were Call My Agent for the TV Series...

Colcoa is keeping up with the times. Now in its twenty-first year, the lauded French film festival, sponsored by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, has added a pair of forward-thinking new categories for its newest edition. This year will include a virtual reality program and a web series competition, in addition to its Cinema, Television and Shorts competitions.

“These two new popular formats offer more opportunities to showcase the creativity of French producers and filmmakers as well as the diversity of French production,” said François Truffart, Colcoa Executive Producer and Artistic Director. “While entertainment is still the key word for the program, with a balanced mix of comedies and dramas, several topical issues will cover the program this year, including the environment, discrimination, racism, terrorism, and the role of the artist in society. More than ever, Colcoa will offer a unique opportunity to see these universal topics from different angles.”

Read...

Exclusive: World War Two drama is based on Joseph Joffo’s best-selling classic novel.

Gaumont has secured a slew of sales on Christian Duguay’s heart-warming drama A Bag Of Marbles about two young Jewish brothers fending for themselves in German-occupied during World War Two.

The picture, which world market premieres at the Afm, is based on Joseph Joffo’s eponymous best-selling novel based on his own experiences.

The film has sold to South Korea (Double & Joy), Switzerland (Ascot Elite), Spain (A Contracorriente), Greece (Odeon), Italy (Notorious), Portugal (Lusomundo) and Yugoslavia (Dexin).

It has also been picked up for Israel (Lev), the Middle East (Four Star) and Turkey (Medyavizyon). Cine Video y TV have done a pan-Latin America deal covering Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.

Canadian director Duguay’s recent credits include family film Belle And Sebastian: The Adventure Continues.

Key adult cast includes Patrick Bruel, Christian Clavier, [link...

When Anne Fontaine’s “The Innocents” made its debut at Sundance earlier this year, it was under the title “Agnus Dei,” referring to a liturgical chant that has been a part of Roman Catholic mass since the seventh century. The sentiment of the traditional chant is simple: “Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.” For the haunted characters that inhabit Fontaine’s sensitive slice of forgotten history, that search for mercy and peace finds itself in some very unexpected places. And not all of them are touched by God.

Fontaine’s film tackles a fictionalized take on the story of Madeleine Pauliac (the film renames her Mathilde Beaulieu), a doctor and Resistance fighter who was a member of the French Red Cross during and after World War II.

Exclusive: Violin prodigy Alix Vaillot [pictured] stars as a musician battling blindness.

Gaumont has been pulling in sales on Michel Boujenah’s touching drama Heartstrings, starring French violin prodigy Alix Vaillot as a young musician battling blindness, ahead of its official roll-out at the Afm. Other cast include Charles Berling and Pascal Elbe.

The film has sold to Japan (Kino Films), Canada (Az Films) and Korea (Woo Sung). A deal to Germany and Switzerland (Ascot Elite) was announced over the summer. “It’s rare to get a Japanese pre-sale on a script for a French film,” comments Gaumont’s deputy head of international sales Yohann Comte.

The comedy-drama – based on Pascal Ruter’s best-seller Le Coeur en Braille – is in the vein of this year’s French box-office hit La Famille Bélier, adds Comte. Vaillot plays a young girl with musical aspirations, battling her parents’ plans to put her in an institution for the blind. Such a move...

Exclusive: Violin prodigy Alix Vaillot [pictured] stars as a musician battling blindness.

Gaumont has been pulling in sales on Michel Boujenah’s touching drama Heartstrings, starring French violin prodigy Alix Vaillot as a young musician battling blindness, ahead of its official roll-out at the Afm. Other cast include Charles Berling and Pascal Elbe.

The film has sold to Japan (Kino Films), Canada (Az Films) and Korea (Woo Sung). A deal to Germany and Switzerland (Ascot Elite) was announced over the summer. “It’s rare to get a Japanese pre-sale on a script for a French film,” comments Gaumont’s deputy head of international sales Yohann Comte.

The comedy-drama – based on Pascal Ruter’s best-seller Le Coeur en Braille – is in the vein of this year’s French box-office hit La Famille Bélier, adds Comte. Vaillot plays a young girl with musical aspirations, battling her parents’ plans to put her in an institution for the blind. Such a move...

As many fright fans already know, Fangoria offers a great selection of gruesome movies, old and new, for free at our Hulu Collection. To give you a better idea of what’s available, Fangoria is taking in-depth looks at some of the channel’s terrifying titles with Stream to Scream. Today: Christian Duguay’s Scanners III: The Takeover! For fans […]...

Jacqueline Bisset vs. the Golden Globes 2014 get-lost orchestra NBC or whoever organized the Golden Globes 2014 ceremony sat Jacqueline Bisset way in the back of the awards ceremony ballroom. Never mind the fact that Bisset’s film career began nearly half a century ago and that she was a Golden Globe nominee in the Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television category for the mini-series Dancing on the Edge. As a result, it took Bisset, who seemed about as surprised as everybody else when her named was called up, more than a minute to reach the stage. (Photo: Jacqueline Bisset accepts her Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television © HFPA.) Visibly moved, Bisset had to wait a few more seconds before she was able to talk. By the time she began with her somewhat rambling acceptance speech,...

Order Here! ... er+2+and+3 Both Scanners II and III were directed by Christian Duguay. Like "Scanners," they boast gorgeous casts, contain themes of good versus evil and were filmed in and around the cold, gray environs of Montreal and Quebec, Canada. In "Scanners II: The New Order," a veterinarian student, David Kellum (David Hewitt) is a scanner on the run who finds another scanner, Julie Vale (Deborah Raffin); together they try to destroy…...

Tiff’s Midnight Madness program turned 25 this year, and for two and half decades, the hardworking programers have gathered some of the strangest, most terrifying, wild, intriguing and downright entertaining films from around the world. From dark comedies to Japanese gore-fests and indie horror gems, the Midnight Madness program hasn’t lost its edge as one the leading showcases of genre cinema. In its 25-year history, Midnight Madness has introduced adventurous late-night moviegoers to such cult faves as Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. But what separates Midnight Madness from, say, Montreal’s three and half week long genre festival Fantasia, is that Tiff selects only ten films to make the cut. In other words, these programmers don’t mess around. Last week I decided that I would post reviews of my personal favourite films that screened in past years. And just like the Tiff programmers,...

Scanners II: The New Order (1991) Directed By: Christian Duguay Starring: David Hewlett, Deborah Raffin, Yvan Ponton Rated: R/Region A/1:78/1080p/Number of Discs 2 Available from Scream Factory Good and evil scanners combating when a crooked politician schemes to gain control of a major city. Scanners are people who, because their mothers had taken a certain drug during pregnancy, have acquired telepathic powers. One scanner escapes from a menta…...

Toronto -- The French equestrian drama Jappeloup from Quebec director Christian Duguay has been added to the competition lineup at the Montreal World Film Festival, which includes the previously announced U.S. title The Red Robin. Written by and starring Guillaume Canet, the French-Canadian period drama and Pathe release joins 19 other features in the world competition and festival lineup in Montreal, unveiled Tuesday. These include a slew of European films, including Gregor Schnitz' Spieltrieb, from Germany, and Westen, a Cold War drama by Christian Schwochow. Story: Montreal Festival Adds Judd Hirsch's 'The Red Robin' to Competition Slate France is

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Scream Factory has officially announced their fall lineup, with more than 15 classic horror titles making their way to Blu-ray, including Day of the Dead, Price of Darkness, The Amityville Horror Trilogy, and six Vincent Price movies:

Scanners II and III: “On September 10, Scream Factory will unleash Christian Duguay’s science fiction action thrillers Scanners II: The New Order and Scanners III: The Takeover in a Double Feature Two-Disc Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack. In Scanners II, a breed of humans with dangerously powerful telepathic abilities – the scanners – are being recruited by a corrupt police commander, John Forrester, in his crusade to take over the city. Forrester first enlists the help of an evil scientist, Dr. Morse, who wants to conduct mind-control experiments on the scanners with a new drug. When the side effects render the scanners incapable, Forrester then finds David Kellum (David Hewlett, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes...

Scream Factory will be releasing Scanners II and III as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, and they’ve given us a look at the official cover art. The movies are due out this fall, but bonus features and a specific release date have not yet been announced. For those unfamiliar with the sequels to David Cronenberg’s cult classic, Scanners II: The New Order was a direct to video title released in 1991 and was directed by Christian Duguay:

“A story of control … over minds and soceity. Apower hungry police official dreams of creating a crime free society through mind control, in this sequel to David Cronenberg’s hit sci-fi thriller that features superb special effects. Veterinary student David Kellum (David Hewlett) has no idea he’s a scanner – one who can read minds and control the actions of others. When he suddenly discovers his unique abilities whild foiling a holdup,...

Col*Coa is winding down, but you can still catch a few stellar films and see the award winners for free Monday, April 22, 2013.

Award Screenings at 6:00 pm: The evening will start with the rerun of two awarded films in the Renoir and Truffaut Theaters at the DGA. Films will be announced on Sunday April 21 on the Col*Coa website, on Facebook, Twitter and on the Col•Coa info line (310) 289 5346. Free admission on a First comes First Served basis. No RSVP needed.

You can stay and also see the Closing Night Films at 8:30 pm at the DGA. Reservations needed. Those are both North American Premieres of two very anticipated French films. The thriller Moebus by Eric Rochant will show for free as will the comedy Like Brothers by Hugo Gélin.

Being among the French filmmakers (and I saw way too few of the films) gave me such a surprising sense of renewal - again because of this upcoming generation. After seeing City of Lights, the short by Pascal Tessaud which preceded the classic Jacques Demy film Bay of Angels starring a platinum blond gambling-addicted Jeanne Moreau in Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo in 1963, we spoke at length about what is called "The New Vibe". City of Lights stars a deeply quiet young man from "les banlieus", the notorious "suburbs" surrounding Paris where the international mix of young (and old) proletariat population is invisible to the rest of France except when the anger erupts into riots. This first generation has the French education but not the money or jobs and it hurts. They have picked up the cameras and with no money are creating films which express their lives in many ways like the new Latin American filmmakers or the new Eastern European filmmakers. Tessaud gave me an entire education in the hour we talked and I will share this in time. For now, aside from his wonderfuly trenchant film which played like a feature, which captured the Paris this young generation recognizes as The City of Lights - dancing, the kitchen of a very upscale restaurant, the dreary streets filled with construction, there is another example of The New Vibe, started by Rachid Djaïdani (a story in himself) the film Hold Back (Rengaine) leads the pack of the 20-some-odd new films of The New Vibe. It is produced by Anne-Dominque Toussaint (Les Films des Tournelles) whose films are too numerous to name but include my favorite The Hedgehog which I wrote about at Col*Coa two years ago, Col*Coa's current Cycling with Moliere, 2002's Respiro and many many others. Hold Back took 9 years to make and most of the team was unpaid. The New Vibe makes films without the aid of the French system of funding; it is more guerilla-style, not New Wave, not Dogma but New Vibe. Hold Back took Cannes by storm when it showed last year in Directors Fortnight and went on to New Directors/ New Films in New York. The classic story of a Catholic and a Muslim who want to marry but whose family objects, this rendition the Juliet has a brother who marches throughout Paris to alert her 39 other brothers that she wants to marry outside her cultural and religious traditions. "This fresh debut mixes fable, plucky social commentary - particularly about France's Arab community - and inventive comic setpieces" (Col*Coa)

Hold Back (Rengaine) (Isa: Pathe) goes beyond the funny but "establishmant" film Intouchable which played here last year. It is the exact opposite of such films as Sister or even Aliyah (Isa: Rezo) which played here this year and also in Directors Fortnight last year. Aliyah is about a young French Jewish man who must make his last drug sale in order to escape his brother's destructive behavior. He escapes by immigrating to Israel. These films are made by filmmakers within the French establishment and describe a proletariat existence which exists in their bourgeois minds. They lack a certain "verite" which can only be captured by one who knows viscerally what such marginal existence is.

At the opposite end of the contemporary spectrum of films today, a real establishment film is You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by Alain Renais (you have to be a Renais fan to love it who was so avant-garde in his day). Those old New Wave films one could see here stand out in beautiful contrast to today's New Vibe: Renais' Stavisky or the 1963 film The Fire Within (Le feu follet) by Louis Malle again starring the beautiful Jeanne Moreau. I missed them both to my regret. When I miss a film I always tell myself I can see it when it's released or on DVD or Mubi, but rarely do I get to see it. Instead I can only read about it as here written up by Beth Hanna on Indiewire blog ToH. The Fire Within was part of Wes Anderson's choices, one of the various showcases of Col*Coa. Says Hanna: "Anderson's taste is impeccable: He has selected Louis Malle's 1963 lyrical depression drama The Fire Within." It was made after the classic Elevator to the Gallows (1958) which Miles Davis scored and which also starred the young Jeanne Moreau. She also could be seen her in Col*Coa in the classic 1963 Jacques Demy-directed Bay of Angels.

Col*Coa really offered something for everyone this year. Another of my favorite film genres, the Jewish film, was represented by Aliyah and The Dandelions (Du Vent dans mes mollets) (Isa: Gaumont), Stavisky, and It Happened in St. Tropez (Isa: Pathe), a classic French comedy -- though a bit dark and yet still comedic, about romance, love and marriage switching between generations in a neurotic, comfortably wealthy Jewish family. The Dandelions was, according to my friend Debra Levine, a writer on culture including film and dance, (see her blog artsmeme), "darling, so touching, so well made, so creative ... i really liked it. Went into that rabbit hole of little girls together ... Barbie doll play. Crazy creative play. As looney as kids can be."

Ian Birnie's favorite film was Becoming Traviata. Greg Katchel's favorite originally was Rendez-vous à Kiruna by Anna Novion, but when I saw him later in the festival his favorite was Cycling with Moliere (Alceste a bicyclette) (Isa: Pathe), again produced by Anne-Dominque Toussaint and directed by Philippe Le Guay who directed one of my favorites, The Women on the 6th Floor. Greg also liked Three Worlds though it was a bit "schematic" in depicting the clash of different cultures which were also shown in Hold Back.

Of the few films I was able to see, the most interesting was Augustine by Alice Winokur. It is the French response to David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method and the British film Hysteria. All three were about the turn of the century concern of psychologists or doctors with female hysteria. This one concerned Jean-Martin Charcot and the neurologist's belief that hysteria was a neurological disease and he used hypnosis to get at its roots, whild in A Dangerous Method it was seen by Freud and Jung as a mental disorder and in Hysteria by Tanya Wexler (Tiff 2011) in which Dr. Mortimer Granville devises the invention of the first vibrator in the name of medical science.

Take a look at Indiewire's own article here for more on Los Angeles's greatest French attraction, the second largest French film festival in the world.

Several American distributors will present their films at Col•Coa before their U.S. release: Kino Lorber – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, co-written and directed by Alain Resnais (Focus on a Filmmaker); Mpi Media – Thérèse, the last film of director/co-writer Claude Miller starring Audrey Tautou; Cohen Media Group – In the House, written and directed by François Ozon and The Attack, co-written and directed by Ziad Doueiri; Distrib Films for two documentaries: Becoming Traviata and The Invisibles; Film Movement for two thrillers: Aliyah and Three Worlds; The Weinstein Company - Populaire.

Below you can see the international sales agents for the current features showing.

11.6 / 11.6 (Isa: Wild Bunch)

Directed by: Philippe Godeau

Written by: Philippe Godeau, Agnès De Sacy

A Few Hours Of Spring / Quelques heures de printemps (Isa: Rezo)

Directed by: Stéphane Brizé ♀

Written by: Stéphane Brizé, Florence Vignon

Cast: Vincent Lindon, Hélène Vincent, Emmanuelle Seigner, Olivier Perrier

Aliyah/Alyah ✡ (Isa: Rezo, U.S.: Film Movement

Directed by: Élie Wajeman

Written by: Élie Wajeman, Gaëlle Macé

Armed Hands / Mains armées (Isa: Films Distribution)

Directed by: Pierre Jolivet

Written by: Pierre Jolivet, Simon Michaël

Augustine / Augustine (Isa: Kinology, U.S.: Music Box)

Directed by: Alice Winocour ♀

Written by: Alice Winocour

Aya Of Yop City / Aya de Yopougon (Isa: TF1)

Directed by: Clément Oubrerie, Marguerite Abouet ♀

Written by: Marguerite Abouet

Bay Of Angels / La Baie des anges (U.S.: Criterion)

Directed by: Jacques Demy

Written by: Jacques Demy

Becoming Traviata /Traviata et nous (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S. Distrib Films and Cinema Guild)

Directed by: Philippe Béziat

Written by: Philippe Béziat

Cycling With MOLIÈRE / Alceste à bicyclette (Isa: Pathe)

Directed by: Philippe Le Guay

Written by: Philippe Le Guay, based on an original idea by Fabrice Luchini and Philippe Le Guay

Fly Me To The Moon / Un plan parfait (Isa: Kinology)

Directed By: Pascal Chaumeil

Written By: Laurent Zeitoun, Yoann Gromb, Philippe Mechelen

Haute Cuisine / Les Saveurs du palais (Isa: Wild Bunch, U.S.: The Weinstein Company)

Directed by: Christian Vincent

Written by: Etienne Comar & Christian Vincent, based on the life of Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch

Hidden Beauties / Mille-Feuille (Isa: Other Angle Pictures)

Directed by: Nouri Bouzid

Written by: Nouri Bouzid, Joumène Limam

Hold Back / Rengaine (Isa: Pathe)

Directed by: Rachid Djaïdani

Written by: Rachid Djaïdani

In The House / Dans la maison (Isa: Wild Bunch, U.S.: Cohen Media Group)

Directed by: François Ozon

Written by: François Ozon

It Happened In Saint-tropez / Des Gens qui s’embrassent (Isa: Pathe)

Directed by: Danièle Thompson ♀

Written by: Danièle Thompson, Christopher Thompson

Jappeloup/ Jappeloup (Isa: Pathe)

Directed by: Christian Duguay

Written by: Guillaume Canet

Le Grand Soir / Le grand soir (Isa: Funny Balloons)

Directed by: Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern

Written by: Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern

Little Lion / Comme un Lion (Isa: Pyramide)

Directed by: Samuel Collardey

Written by: Catherine Paillé, Nadège Trebal, Samuel Collardey

Moon Man / Jean de la lune (Isa: Le Pacte)

Directed By: Stephan Schesch

Written By: Stephan Schesch, Ralph Martin. Based on the book by: Tomi Ungerer

Populaire / Populaire (Isa: Wild Bunch, U.S.: TWC)

Directed By: Régis Roinsard

Written By: Régis Roinsard, Daniel Presley, Romain Compingt

Rendezvous In Kiruna / Rendez-vous à Kiruna (Isa: Pyramide)

Directed by: Anne Novion ♀

Written by: Olivier Massart, Anne Novion, Pierre Novion

Sons Of The Wind / Les Fils du vent (Isa: Wide)

Directed by: Bruno Le Jean

Written by: Bruno Le Jean

Stavisky / Stavisky (1974) (Isa: StudioCanal)

Directed by: Alain Resnais

Written by: Jorge Semprún

The Attack / L’Attentat

France, Belgium, Lebanon, Qatar, 2013

Directed by: Ziad Doueiri (Isa: Wild Bunch, U.S.: Cohen Media Group)

The BRONTË Sisters / Les Soeurs Brontë (Isa: Gaumont, U.S.: Cohen Media Group)

Directed by: André Téchiné

Written by: André Téchiné, Jean Gruault, Pascal Bonitzer

The Dandelions / Du Vent dans mes mollets ✡

Directed By: Carine Tardieu ♀

Written By: Carine Tardieu, Raphaële Moussafir, Olivier Beer

The Fire Within / Le Feu Follet (1963) (Isa: Pyramide, U.S.: Janus Films)

Directed by: Louis Malle

Written by: Louis Malle

The Invisibles / Les Invisibles (Isa: Doc & Film, U.S. Distrib Films))

Directed By: Sébastien Lifshitz

The Man Who Laughs/ L’Homme qui rit (Isa: EuropaCorps)

Directed by: Jean-Pierre Améris

Written by: Jean-Pierre Améris , Guillaume Laurant

THÉRÈSE / Thérèse Desqueyroux (Isa: TF1, U.S.: Mpi)

Directed by: Claude Miller

Written by: Claude Miller, Natalie Carter

Three Worlds / Trois mondes (Isa: Pyramide, U.S.: Film Movement)

Directed by: Catherine Corsini ♀

Written by: Catherine Corsini, Benoît Graffin

To Our Loves / À nos amours (1983) (U.S. Janus)

Directed By: Maurice Pialat

Written By: Arlette Langmann, Maurice Pialat

True Friends / Amitiés sincères (Isa: Snd Groupe 6)

Directed By: Stéphan Archinard, François Prévôt-Leygonie

Written By: Stéphan Archinard, François Prévôt-Leygonie, Marie-Pierre Huster

Welcome To Argentina / Mariage à Mendoza (Isa: Kinology)

Directed By: Édouard Deluc

Written By: Anaïs Carpita, Édouard Deluc, Thomas Lilti, Philippe Rebbot

What’S In A Name / Le prénom (Isa: Pathe, U.S. Under The Milky Way)

Directed by: Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte

Written by: Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte

You Ain’T Seen Nothin’ Yet / Vous n’avez encore rien vu (Isa: StudioCanal, U.S.: Kino Lorber)

Directed By: Alain Resnais

Written By: Alain Resnais, Laurent Herbiet...

Paris -- Part inspirational sports movie, part bromance between a guy and his prize-winning horse, the French equestrian drama Jappeloup manages to clear several, though not all, of the hurdles of your typical against-all-odds athletics flick, offering up a rather classic mix of stunts and sentiment before galloping ahead to its stirring equine finale. Written by and starring Guillaume Canet (Tell No One, the upcoming Blood Ties), this polished period drama from Quebecois director Christian Duguay (The Art of War) indulges in a tad too much slow-motion and schmaltz, but otherwise provides a diverting, at times engaging

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Finally nearing the end of awards season, Marion Cotillard switched gears to premiere a new movie, "Jappeloup" at the Cinema Grand Rex in Paris on Tuesday (February 26).

The "Rust & Bone" star smiled sweetly on the red carpet in a black turtleneck patterned top and black pants with matching boots as she made her way down the media line.

Opening in France on March 26th, the film tells the story of Jappeloup de Luze, the showjumper horse who won a gold medal for France at the 1988 Olympic Games in South Korea.

Directed by Christian Duguay, the French language film features a face familiar to most Americans, Donald Sutherland, who also has a role in the movie and attended the opening with Marion.

Way back in the summer of 2011 it was reported that veteran Daniel Auteuil would star opposite “Tell No One” and "Little White Lies" helmer/actor Guillaume Canet in the Olympic equestrian drama “Jappeloup.” And though it’s taken a while, we finally have our first look at the film. An unsubtitled French trailer for the picture has appeared online -- find your nearest French speaker -- and it looks fitfully stirring and doesn’t betray any hint of director Christian Duguay’s previous efforts, which include everything from “Scanners III: The Takeover” to the 2000 Wesley Snipe vehicle “The Art Of War.” And even if the helmer doesn’t have the steadiest of hands, you can rest easy knowing that Canet himself has written the film, which is based on the true story of French jockey Pierre Durand, who in 1998 nursed a small black horse, the titular Jappeloup, from injury to...