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Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia, a rural melodrama with a sinister twist, has won France’s Louis Delluc prize for best film of the year.

The comedic crime thriller follows a man who returns to his native small town for a funeral, where his stay is greeted by unexpected twists.

Misericordia premiered in Cannes and went on to play the fall festival trifecta of Telluride, Toronto and New York. Oscar and Bafta-winning Anatomy Of A Fall notably took the same post-Cannes route in 2023.

Les Films du Losange has sold Misericordia to a slew of territories including Sideshow and Janus Films for...

Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia, a rural melodrama with a sinister twist, has won France’s Louis Delluc prize for best film of the year.

The genre-hopping crime thriller and dark comedy follows a man who returns to his native small town for a funeral when a mysterious disappearance, a threatening neighbour, and a priest with strange intentions add an unexpected twist to his stay.

Misericordia premiered in Cannes and after that became one of few French titles to complete the fall festival trifecta of Telluride, Toronto and New York film festivals. Oscar and Bafta-winning Anatomy Of A Fall notably took...

If you’ve spent time in towns in the far-flung provinces of any number of European countries — particularly ones in which mills that supplied the economic lifeblood of working-class communities have closed, leaving inhabitants adrift without a raft — chances are you’ll recognize the fictional Northeastern French setting of And Their Children After Them (Leurs enfants aprés eux). These are places stuck in time, usually around the point when their industries were shuttered. That fossilization can be observed at public celebrations where the locals mob the dance floor when the cheesiest of Euro-pop relics are blasted over the speakers, in this case Boney M.’s “Rivers of Babylon.”

Writer-director brothers Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma capture that atmosphere with such specificity and melancholy fondness in their ambitious adaptation of Nicolas Mathieu’s 2018 Prix Goncourt-winning novel that it’s easy to imagine they lived it — or at least something very close to it.

Of the many ’90s needle drops in this episodic epic about a smalltown, working class French youth, it is one by Bruce Springsteen that captures its spirit. It takes a special film to earn the right to play ‘Born To Run’ over the end credits, and this does. The fourth feature by twin brothers Ludovic Boukherma and Zoran Boukherma, adapted from a 2018 novel by Nicolas Mathieu, is so close to the essence of The Boss that it might have been reverse-engineered from his DNA.

Set over four summers “And Their Children After Them” drops us into a formative day in the life of 14-year-old Anthony (Paul Kircher). The first shot is of perfect blue sky; the camera pans down to reveal a vista so tranquil as to be almost banal — puffy clouds, forest, lake — until it is sullied by a cigarette butt flicked into the water. In this world, it...

Barely a decade out of film school, Gallic twins Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma are primed for an international splash once their fourth feature, “And Their Children After Them,” premieres in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

Adapted from a literary sensation that won the Prix Goncourt, France’s equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize, the film explores teenage heartache and working-class doldrums with a novelistic sweep, playing as a coming-of-age power ballad full of operatic emotions and chart-topping tunes.

“We wanted to turn a story made up of fairly ordinary, small conflicts into something vast and cinematic,” says director Zoran Boukherma, who co-wrote with his brother Ludovic after actor-filmmaker Gilles Lellouche handed each of them a copy of the book over lunch two years ago.

“That idea stemmed from our discussion with Gilles and with [original author] Nicolas Mathieu, who recognized that a very small event could lead to an entire family’s downfall.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Animal Kingdom (Thomas Cailley)

In The Animal Kingdom, an Un Certain Regard-selected science-fiction romp from France, human-animal mutations are the new norm. Director Thomas Cailley begins things in media res with a familiar disaster-movie scene: François (Romain Duris) and Émile (Paul Kircher)––father and son, respectively––are stuck in traffic, making chit-chat, when something slowly begins capturing the attention of other drivers. An ambulance across the way begins to rumble. Then a man with a large winged arm bursts out, causing some damage before scurrying down a tunnel. Only mildly ruffled, François exchanges a jaded aphorism with another driver over: “Strange times.” – Rory O. (full review)

Where to Stream: Hulu

The Bikeriders (Jeff Nichols)

Using photographer Danny Lyon’s iconic The...

Duris stars as a father protecting his son, who may or may not be mutating, in Thomas Cailley’s well-crafted thriller

Thomas Cailley’s sci-fi fantasy has too much sensitivity and good taste to be the proper horror-thriller or creature feature that it almost resembles. It’s a drama of emotions and ideas about post-Covid society – which is welcome enough – but with a dash of prosthetics and CGI and some scares. I felt something very similar about Bong Joon-ho’s monster film The Host back in 2006: the worthiness operates against the excitement and I found myself wanting something more gleefully crass and shocking, something more ironic or thrillingly callous. The Animal Kingdom seems squeamish about going for the jugular in the way a proper genre movie would – or a Marvel movie.

The scene is a France of the near future in which there has been an outbreak of some...

Well, it’s over. Now that the 2024 film awards season is in the rearview mirror, the onslaught of prestige titles hitting digital platforms will come to a temporary halt. Thankfully, this week still brings a pretty decent crop of new releases.

The contender to watch this week: “Drive-Away Dolls“

Ethan Coen‘s second movie without Joel — his first was the documentary “Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind,” which is streaming exclusively on Prime Video — has posted modest box-office returns, but the breezy road comedy seems destined for cult-favorite status. Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan play friends who get caught up in a band of maladroit criminals during a road trip down South. Co-written with Tricia Cooke, who edited “The Big Lebowski” and other Coen-brother movies, “Drive-Away Dolls” also features Beanie Feldstein, Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon, and newly minted Oscar nominee Colman Domingo. It’s available to rent or purchase on VOD.

People are animals. Literally. Biologically. Much as our species has always tried to separate ourselves from the rest of God’s creations and reign above the “lesser creatures” who lack the curse of reason, there’s ultimately less difference than we’d like to imagine between homo sapiens and horses, or fish, or dogs.

And yet, from the first displays of tribalism to the days of strictly bordered nation-states, our instinct to other everything under the sun has defined us almost as much as our ability to walk upright. We like to think of humans as being made in God’s image, and yet our abiding need to justify our dominion — to find some way to live with our nagging awareness of death — has made it so that people can hardly even see themselves in their fellow man.

That’s by design. Anything that dares to challenge that dynamic is...

A trio of moderate releases – One Life, The American Society Of Magical Negroes and Knox Goes Away join Janus Films’ celebration of master musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, and César award winning The Animal Kingdom as the next wave of 2024 indie films rolls out post-Oscars.

Focus Features’ American Society Of Magical Negroes, the feature directorial debut of Kobi Libii opens at 1,146 theaters across the North America. Premiered at Sundance, see Deadline review. A satirical comedy about a young man, Aren (Justice Smith) who is recruited by Roger (David Alan Grier) into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making sure white people never feel bad about themselves or get stressed out — because bad things happen when they do. Also stars Rupert Friend, Michaela Watkins, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver and Nicole Byer. Libii originally developed the project as an alumnus of both the Sundance Writers and Directors Labs.

As far as high concepts scenarios go, Thomas Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom has been blessed with a primo what-if premise: France is in the middle of a pandemic. (No, not that one.) A good deal of the population has been stricken with what doctors and scientists have been calling a “mutation.” Whether it’s a natural evolution or some sort of devolution caused by man-made factors is anyone’s guess. But the symptoms are basically a slow, steady transformation into …an animal.

It could be a bird, like the...

A visionary thriller from director Thomas Cailley, Magnet’s The Animal Kingdom drops us into an extraordinary world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures. Think Clive Barker’s Nightbreed meets modern arthouse cinema.

Magnet just released the film in theaters and on VOD today, March 15.

To whet your appetite, you can check out an exclusive clip below, which begins a body horror transformation. Like all good body horror, we must admit it’s a little hard to watch…

From acclaimed director Thomas Cailley, the film world premiered as the opening night selection of Cannes Un Certain Regard. Watch the official trailer for The Animal Kingdom below.

In The Animal Kingdom, “François (Roman Duris) does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with Emile (Paul Kircher), their 16-year-old son,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Animal Kingdom (Thomas Cailley)

In The Animal Kingdom, an Un Certain Regard-selected science-fiction romp from France, human-animal mutations are the new norm. Director Thomas Cailley begins things in media res with a familiar disaster-movie scene: François (Romain Duris) and Émile (Paul Kircher)––father and son, respectively––are stuck in traffic, making chit-chat, when something slowly begins capturing the attention of other drivers. An ambulance across the way begins to rumble. Then a man with a large winged arm bursts out, causing some damage before scurrying down a tunnel. Only mildly ruffled, François exchanges a jaded aphorism with another driver over: “Strange times.” – Rory O. (full review)

Where to Stream: VOD

Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli)

The ever-evolving nature of fame and infamy gets examined in Dream Scenario,...

“The Animal Kingdom” is a new ‘mutant’ science fiction thriller, directed by Thomas Cailley, starring Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Tom Mercier, Billie Blain, Nathalie Richard, Saadia Bentaieb, Gabriel Caballero, Iliana Khelifa, and Paul Muguruza, releasing March 15, 2024 in theaters:

“..immerse into an extraordinary world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures, as ‘François’ does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition.

“As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with ‘Emile’, their 16-year-old son, on a quest to find her with help from a local police officer…”

Cluck the images to enlarge…...

by Chad Kennerk

Director Thomas Cailley behind the scenes.

All images courtesy of Magnet Releasing

While participating in a jury at the French film school La Fémis, writer/director Thomas Cailley read a script by Pauline Munier exploring a hybridization between humans and animals. It was a metaphor that fascinated Cailley, one that would provide an opportunity to talk about the world we inherit and the one we leave behind for future generations. Cailley and Munier began developing the script in 2019 and the eventual introduction of a certain world-disrupting virus validated their idea of what a new normal might look like and demonstrated how quickly humans adapt in unforeseen circumstances. Firmly cemented as a recent memory in society, the pandemic experience provides yet another lens to view Cailley’s multi-layered creation The Animal Kingdom.

Following his 2014 feature debut Love at First Fight, The Animal Kingdom marks Thomas Cailley’s second feature as writer/director.

This Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day, but if you’ve exhausted all options with the Leprechaun franchise at this point, maybe try out a new movie you haven’t seen this coming weekend?

Here’s all the new horror releasing March 11 – March 17, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

The past comes to claim its revenge in Screambox Exclusive horror movie Followers, which is now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox streaming service.

In Followers, “A year after surviving a brutal attack, a social media influencer and her friends find themselves once again in the crosshairs of a dangerous and relentless dark web cult, thirsting for retribution and willing to stop at nothing to get it.”

In this Chattanooga Film Festival official selection, director James Rich and co-writer Zac Hersh imbue the horror genre with timely social commentary. Gigi James, Revell Carpenter, Molly Leach, Jackson Jones,...

Exclusive: Thomas Cailley’s French box office hit The Animal Kingdom has continued its crowd-pleasing run to take the Audience Award prize at the 29th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York.

Set in a world where human beings start transmuting into animals, The Animal Kingdom world premiered as the opening film of Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2023 and went on to make more than $8.5M at the French box office.

Magnolia Pictures opens the fantasy drama, which went on to top the nominations for France’s 2024 César Awards with nods in 12 categories, in major U.S. markets on March 15.

Nathan Ambrosioni’s Toni received a Special Mention for the Audience Award. The drama stars Camille Cottin as a single mother and former singer contemplating her next step in life as her five children start to leave the family nest.

In other prizes Iris Kaltenbäck’s The Rapture...

Two years after a mysterious malady began to sweep through France, humans continue to mutate into other animal species. Hybrid creatures who aren’t sitting in rehabilitation clinics that are really detention centers roam the streets and countryside. And while there are humans who are paranoid about the malady, pleading for members of their communities to keep each other safe, much of society has adjusted just fine to this strange new reality.

If Thomas Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom sounds like a sociopolitical allegory for a certain pandemic, that’s more an accident of timing than of intention, as the film, which was co-written by Cailley and Pauline Munier, was conceived before Covid-19 was even known to us. In fact, The Animal Kingdom is an allegory for many different ideas, from race relations to coming into one’s queerness. And while its genre hybridity is apt given its premise, in...

Director Édouard Salier tells the story of twin brothers training to become stellar explorers. But whether we should accept that space is reserved for humanity’s best remains unclear

A strain of science fiction has emerged lately, especially in Europe and more specifically France, that’s very sparing with visual effects and more dependent on tricks involving makeup and sets, sprinkled with a bit of body horror, à la David Cronenberg. French director Thomas Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom, which debuted in Cannes and played at the London film festival but has yet to open in the UK, is very much in this style, with genetically mutated people turning into animal-human hybrids – lizards, birds, all manner of mammals – and leaving the civilised world behind.

Tropic, a film directed by Édouard Salier, who has a horror feature, Cabeza Madre, under his belt, and lots of shorts and music videos – is in a similar vein.

by Nathaniel R

the great Juliette Binoche announcing Best Actress at the César Awards on Feb 23, 2024 in Paris

This has not been an awards season full of surprises. The expected winners just keep on winning whether we're talking awards bodies in the US, UK, or France. The 49th annual César Awards took place Friday in Paris with the expected winner, Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall, taking home six prizes. The nomination leader, Thomas Cailley's mutant adventure The Animal Kingdom also won multiple prizes with five statues in total... all for craft awards.  As expected the stupidly maligned but brilliant Oscar submission The Taste of Things was shut out from any wins after a paltry nomination showing.

The winners of each category and a few comments after the jump... ...

Thomas Cailley’s 2023 thriller drama, The Animal Kingdom is indeed a very rare film. The symbolism hidden in the narrative represents countless themes that sweep us into the thought-provoking ideas behind them. People might call it science fiction, except it’s not just sci-fi; The Animal Kingdom is an amalgamation of creature-feature, fantasy, sci-fi, and drama. It is also a commentary on xenophobia and the fear of change. The narrative highlights how people from younger generations are more open to identifying injustice and the steps required to make a change.

Spoilers Ahead

What Are The Themes Addressed?

The Animal Kingdom brings together themes hinting at the complexities of mental health, society’s attitude towards LGBTQ+ individuals, and the challenges of neurodiversity in a world that often fails to accommodate their needs. Furthermore, the movie’s candid portrayal of Adhd stands out for me the most. It challenges misconceptions and fosters empathy towards neurodivergent people.

Anatomy Of A Fall was named best French film of the year at the 49th annual César awards, among six prizes for Justine Triet’s film during an evening dominated by female solidarity that saw actress Judith Godrèche set the tone with a #MeToo-motivated speech.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Anatomy Of A Fall also earned prizes for best director for Triet, best actress for Sandra Hüller, best original screenplay for Triet and Arthur Harari, best supporting actor for Swann Arlaud and best editing for Laurent Senechal.

Triet’s best director prize made her the first female filmmaker...

The César Awards are always the biggest night of the year for French cinema, but the massive award season impact of “Anatomy of a Fall” ensured that this year’s event took on additional importance for Oscar watchers around the globe. When the 49th César Awards took place in Paris on Friday night, all eyes were on Justine Triet and her Palme d’Or-winning film.

Predictably, “Anatomy of a Fall” swept many of the night’s biggest categories. In addition to winning the top prize of Best Film, Triet was honored with Best Director and shared Best Screenplay with her partner Arthur Harari. Stars Sandra Hüller and Swann Arlaud also won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

The night’s other big winner was Thomas Cailley’s “The Animal Kingdom,” which won awards for Cinematography, Visual Effects, Costume Design, and Sound.

Keep reading for a complete list of winners from the 2024 César Awards.

The 49th Cesar Awards, France’s top film honors, have been handed out in Paris, with Justine Triet‘s Oscar contender Anatomy of a Fall emerging as the big winner.

The French courtroom drama — which is competing at the Oscars in five categories — earned the best film prize, best actress for Sandra Hüller, best director for Triet, best original screenplay shared between Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari, and Swann Arlaud took home the best supporting actor trophy.

Hüller won in the best actress category over Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, nominated for Little Girl Blue; Lea Drucker, up for Last Summer; Hafsia Herzi, nominated for The Rapture; and Belgian actress Virginie Efira, nominated for her work in Just the Two of Us.

The other big winner on the night was The Animal Kingdom, French director Thomas Cailley’s follow-up to 2014’s Love at First Fight. Cailley picked up the best cinematography...

Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall won Best Film and Best Director at the 49th edition of the French César awards Friday.

Triet is only the second women to clinch the Best Director prize in the near 50-year history of the César Awards, after Tonie Marshall for Venus Beauty in 1976.

The director took to the stage with her producers Marie-Ange Luciani at Les Films de Pierre and David Thion at Les Films Pelléas.

Luciani suggested the Best Film honor, which is voted on by the some 4,600 members of the César Academy, was a sign of solidarity for the film and Triet in the light of her controversial Cannes d’Or acceptance speech which provoked a political backlash after she criticized the attitude of Emmanuel Macron’s government towards culture and cinema.

“After Justine’s speech in Cannes and the lively debate she provoked we’d like to say this...

Justine Triet became the second female filmmaker in the Cesar Award’s 49-year history to win the best director trophy for “Anatomy of a Fall,” which also won best film, original screenplay, actress for Sandra Huller, supporting actor for Swann Arlaud and editing at the French film industry’s big night. Thomas Cailley’s supernatural drama “The Animal Kingdom” also dominated the race, picking up a raft of prizes, including cinematography, costumes, visual effects and music. The ceremony unfolded at the Olympia Theater in Paris on Friday evening and aired lived on Canal+.

Triet’s movie, which is vying for five Oscars, stars Hüller as a novelist who is put on trial following the mysterious death of her husband at their remote chalet. The movie is produced by Marie-Ange Luciani at Les Films de Pierre and David Thion at Les Films Pelleas.

Triet dedicated her best film award to all women,...

Aurore (Louise Chevillotte) with André Masson (Alex Lutz) at Scottie’s in Pascal Bonitzer’s mysterious and witty Auction (Le Tableau Volé)

Catherine Breillat’s incomparably daring Last Summer starring Léa Drucker, Samuel Kircher, and Olivier Rabourdin has received four César nominations: Best Director and Adapted Screenplay, Actress (Léa Drucker), Male Revelation (Samuel Kircher in competition with his brother Paul Kircher for Thomas Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom). In the first installment with Pascal Bonitzer, we start out discussing his work on Last Summer which is based on May el-Toukhy’s 2019 film Queen of Hearts and then delve into his latest film, Auction (Le Tableau Volé).

Pascal Bonitzer with Anne-Katrin Titze on Scottie’s in Auction: “It’s an allusion to Vertigo because it’s a great movie. Scottie’s, yes, it’s Sotheby’s, it’s Christie’s, it’s a big auction house.”

Pascal Bonitzer, who put a...

“The Animal Kingdom” is a new science fiction thriller, directed by Thomas Cailley, starring Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Tom Mercier, Billie Blain, Nathalie Richard, Saadia Bentaieb, Gabriel Caballero, Iliana Khelifa, and Paul Muguruza, releasing March 15, 2024 in theaters:

“..immerse into an extraordinary world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures, as ‘François’ does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition.

“As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with ‘Emile’, their 16-year-old son, on a quest to find her with help from a local police officer…”

Cluck the images to enlarge…...

"They're living beings, like us!" Magnolia Pictures has unveiled the first official US trailer for an impressive French fairy tale thriller titled The Animal Kingdom, from filmmaker Thomas Cailley. This premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year, and it also played at the Karlovy Vary, Vancouver, Sitges Film Fests and Fantastic Fest. Now set to arrive in the US this March. The film is an adventure between a father and his son, in a world where some humans have started mutating into other animal species. It is a mutant movie unlike any ever seen before, with hyper-realistic effects and prosthetics for all the creature characters. Plus a heartfelt story about a father and son trying to figure out how to navigate this strange, new society they've found themselves existing within. The Animal Kingdom stars Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, and Adèle Exarchopoulos. I wrote a strong review from Cannes, saying...

The French horror film The Animal Kingdom has been making the festival rounds for the last year, and after reaching theatres in its home country last October it ended up earning 12 Nominations at this year’s César Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor. We’ll have to wait a couple weeks to find out if it’s going to win those César Awards (the ceremony is set to be held on February 23rd), but in the meantime a trailer for the film’s American release has made its way online and can be seen in the embed above. Magnet Releasing will be giving The Animal Kingdom a theatrical and VOD release on March 15th.

Directed by Thomas Cailley, who also wrote the screenplay with Pauline Munier, The Animal Kingdom, which is described as “a visionary thriller”, drops viewers into an extraordinary world where mutations...

The thin line between humans and animals is blurred even further in writer/director Thomas Cailley’s “The Animal Kingdom.”

The surreal thriller, which is co-written by Pauline Munier, imagines a world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures. When François’ (Romain Duris) wife becomes affected by this mysterious condition and disappears into a nearby forest, he enlists the help of a local police officer (Adèle Exarchopoulos) to find her. François’ son Emile (Paul Kircher) joins the quest to reunite the family.

“The Animal Kingdom” premiered as the opening night selection of the 2023 Cannes Un Certain Regard. It went on to be nominated for 12 César Awards and will next screen as the opening night selection of Rendezvous with French Cinema in New York on February 29.

Writer/director Cailley said in a press statement that “The Animal Kingdom” opens a new door into post-apocalyptic narratives. “The...

One of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival‘s buzziest films finally gets its US theatrical release next month. That’s right, Thomas Cailley‘s “The Animal Kingdom” hits theaters and video on demand in March and also serves as the opening night film of “Rendezvous With French Cinema” in NYC on February 29.

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024

So why is “The Animal Kingdom” so anticipated?

Continue reading ‘The Animal Kingdom’ Trailer: Thomas Cailley’s Cannes 2023 Favorite With Adéle Exarchopoulous & Romain Duris Hits US Theaters On March 15 at The Playlist.

A visionary thriller from director Thomas Cailley, Magnet’s The Animal Kingdom drops us into an extraordinary world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures. Think Clive Barker’s Nightbreed meets modern arthouse cinema.

Magnet will release the film in theaters and on VOD March 15th, 2024.

Watch the official trailer for The Animal Kingdom below. From acclaimed director Thomas Cailley, the film world premiered as the opening night selection of Cannes Un Certain Regard.

In The Animal Kingdom, “François (Roman Duris) does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with Emile (Paul Kircher), their 16-year-old son, on a quest to find her with help from a local police officer (Adèle Exarchopoulos).”

Thomas Cailley and Pauline Munier wrote the screenplay.

The post ‘The Animal Kingdom’ Trailer – Animal...

While the Animorphs franchise may not be what it was in its late 1990s heyday, French director Thomas Cailley has your fix with his new thriller The Animal Kingdom. The Cannes premiere, which just racked up a whopping 12 César Awards nominations, imagines a world of mutations in human genetics that cause people to transform into hybrid creatures. Starring Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, and Adèle Exarchopoulos, Magnet Releasing will now debut the film in the U.S. starting at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at the end of the month, followed by a March 15 theatrical and digital release. Ahead of the bow, they’ve released a new trailer.

Rory O’Connor said in his review, “In The Animal Kingdom, an Un Certain Regard-selected science-fiction romp from France, human-animal mutations are the new norm. Director Thomas Cailley begins things in media res with a familiar disaster-movie scene: François (Romain Duris) and Émile (Paul Kircher)––father and son,...

by Nathaniel R

a snapshot from "Anatomy of a Fall"

The nominations for the 49th annual César Awards came out nearly simultaneously to the Oscar nominations so we accidentally missed them. Je suis désolé. As you would surely expect, Justine Triet's Oscar nominated Anatomy of a Fall is also a big deal across the pond. But it didn't top the nominations. That honor went to Thomas Cailley's mutant adventure The Animal Kingdom. Perhaps the biggest surprise / disconnect for those of us viewing from overseas is that France's unfortunately not-nominated Oscar submission The Taste of Things shows up in only two craft categories; if it wasn't well-loved at home, why did they submit it? But also: why didn't they love it? It's exquisite.

The ceremony will be held on February 23rd this year in Paris. The nominations, some trivia, and a few comments are after the jump...

Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center have unveiled the lineup for the 29th Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, a festival celebrating contemporary French film running from Feb. 29-March 10.

Thomas Cailley’s “The Animal Kingdom” will screen as the 2024 Opening Night Selection in its New York premiere. The film, which was nominated for 12 Cesar Awards, tells the story of an infection that mutates humans into animal hybrids.

“It is a great honor to open this year’s edition with the French critical and box-office hit ‘The Animal Kingdom’ with director Thomas Cailley in attendance,” said Daniela Elstner, executive director of Unifrance.

Elstner continued, “This remarkable film along with this year’s selection is a great example of the vitality and diversity of French cinema today. A mix of new and established filmmakers together with the stellar presence of actress Marion Cotillard indeed make for a rich 29th edition of this year’s Rendez-Vous With French Cinema.

Out of the woods … The Animal Kingdom emerges as top César contender with acting nods for Paul Kircher and Romain Duris as father and son Photo: UniFrance

Just in case awards watchers were becoming numbed by the almost solo meteoric rise of Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy Of A Fall, another French title from second time director Thomas Cailley has actually nabbed more nominations than any other film in the race towards the 49th Césars ceremony in Paris on 23 February.

Adèle Exarchopoulos (left) and Elodie Bouchet nominated for best supporting actress Césars Photo: UniFrance

Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom just pipped Anatomy Of A Fall with 12 nominations to 11 for Triet’s film, which already has scooped five Oscar nods. The Animal Kingdom, starring Romain Duris and Paul Kircher (also both nominated in acting categories), is an eco-drama revolving around a father and son relationship, set against the...

Thomas Cailley’s sci-fi thriller The Animal Kingdom and Justin Triet’s Oscar-nominated courtroom drama Anatomy Of A Fall rose to the top of the nominations at France’s Cesar awards.

The Animal Kingdom, a supernatural twist on a father-son drama that first premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, has been nominated for 12 awards including best film and will vie in that category against the five-time Academy-award nominated, Palme d’Or-winning Anatomy Of A Fall with 11 nominations, alongside Cédric Kahn’s The Goldman Case, Jeanne Herry’s All Your Faces and Jean-Baptiste Durand’s Junkyard Dogs.

Cailley, Triet, Kahn and...

Justine Triet’s Oscar-nominated Anatomy of a Fall and Thomas Cailley’s fantasy drama The Animal Kingdom are the front runners for this year’s Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Academy Awards. In nominations announced Wednesday, Anatomy picked up 11 Cesar noms and The Animal Kingdom 12. Both were nominated in the best film and best director categories.

Also nominated for best film are Jean-Baptiste Durand’s Junkyard Dog, All Your Faces from director Jeanne Herry and Cédric Kahn’s The Goldman Case.

France’s official Academy Award contender, Anh Hung Tran’s foodie period drama The Taste of Things, which missed out on an Oscar nom on Tuesday, picked up three Ceasar nominations, but none in the main categories.

German actress Sandra Hüller, a best actress nominee at this year’s Oscars for her starring turn in Anatomy of a Fall, is also up for the Cesar for best actress,...

Thomas Cailley’s fantasy drama The Animal Kingdom topped the nominations for France’s César Awards, which were announced in Paris on Wednesday.

The drama picked up 12 nominations with Justine Triet’s Oscar hopeful Anatomy Of A Fall coming in second with 11 nominations, followed by Jeanne Herry’s All Your Faces, which nine, and The Goldman Case, with eight.

Set in a world where human beings start transmuting into animals, The Animal Kingdom world premiered as the opening film of Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2023 and went on to make $8.5M at the box office last fall.

The Animal Kingdom and Anatomy of a Fall are competing in eight categories spanning Best Film, Director, Original Screenplay, Male Revelation, Editing, Sound, Cinematography and Production Design.

The high nomination count for Herry’s ensemble drama All Your Faces was thanks to the fact it dominated the Supporting Actress category with separate nominations for cast members Leila Bekhti,...

Thomas Cailley’s supernatural drama “The Animal Kingdom” and Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall” are leading the race at the 49th Cesar Awards with 12 and 11 nominations, respectively.

Triet’s movie, which just garnered an impressive five Oscar nominations, and “The Animal Kingdom,” which opened at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and won a prize, will vie for top Cesar awards including best director and film.

“The Animal Kingdom” is an ambitious film that marks a departure from France’s cinema tradition of social realism. It’s both a creature-filled dystopia and a father-and-son drama, weaving some contemporary concerns over the future of mankind. It’s produced by Pierre Guyard at Nord Ouest Films and co-produced by Artemis.

“Anatomy of a Fall,” meanwhile stars Sandra Hüller — the German actor nominated for Cesar, Oscar and BAFTA awards — as a novelist who is put on trial following the...

Justine Triet’s Anatomy Of A Fall was named best film of the year at France’s Lumiere Awards on Monday evening.

Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari also took home the best screenplay award and lead Sandra Hüller earned the prize for best actress at the 29th edition of the awards, considered to be France’s version of the Golden Globes and voted on by international correspondents from 36 countries.

The courtroom drama about a woman on trial for her husband’s death in the French Alps was nominated in six categories, but Lumiere voters spread their votes across the board...

Justine Triet’s Oscar contender Anatomy of a Fall was the big winner at the 29th Lumiere Awards, France’s equivalent of the Golden Globes, picking up three trophies, including best film and best actress for star Sandra Hüller.

Triet missed out on the best director trophy, losing to Thomas Cailley for his supernatural family drama The Animal Kingdom but picked up the best screenplay honor for Anatomy of a Fall, sharing it with co-writer Arthur Harari. The mystery thriller premiered in Cannes last year, where it won the Palme d’Or. Anatomy of a Fall won two Golden Globes, for best foreign-language film and best screenplay, and is nominated for seven BAFTAs, including best film.

Arieh Worthalter won best actor for his starring role in Cédric Kahn’s courtroom drama The Goldman Case. Iris Kaltenbäck took best first film for her debut The Rapture. Best documentary honors went to...

Justine Triet’s Anatomy Of A Fall continued its prize-winning run on Monday at France’s 29th Lumière Awards clinching Best Film and Best Screenplay, while its German star Sandra Hüller won Best Actress.

The Lumières fete the best films, performances and technical achievements of French cinema across 13 categories.

The French equivalent of the Golden Globes, they are voted on by the Académie des Lumières which is made up of France-based international journalists representing 36 countries.

In other key prizes, Thomas Cailley won Best Director for Cannes 2023 Un Certain Regard opener The Animal Kingdom, while Arieh Worthalter won Best Actor for his performance in Cédric Khan’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight opener The Goldman Case.

Triet’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, which was nominated in six Lumière categories, is on an award-winning streak.

The movie swept the board at the European Film Awards in Berlin last December...

Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winning “Anatomy of a Fall” picked up top accolades at the 29th Lumiere Awards, France’s equivalent to the Golden Globes, at a ceremony held Monday at the Forum des Images in Paris.

While Triet lost the best director nod to Thomas Cailley for his supernatural family drama “The Animal Kingdom,” “Anatomy of a Fall” won best film, actress for Sandra Huller, and screenplay for Triet and Arthur Harari. The movie is nominated for seven BAFTA awards, and won two Golden Globes (for screenplay and foreign-language film) earlier this month. While on stage to receive the best screenplay award, Triet and her partner Harari delivered the ceremony’s highlight, debating whether they’re collaborate again on a project. Triet admitted that the writing process had been complicated and said, “I don’t think he’s accept to work again with me but one time was already great.

Sandra Hüller Set For Rotterdam Talks Program

Awards season frontrunner Sandra Hüller has joined the roster of speakers lined up for the talks program of the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), running from January 25 to February 4. She joins 16 previously announced talks guests who also include L.A. Rebellion filmmaker Billy Woodberry, veteran Italian director Marco Bellocchio, animation maestro Bill Plympton, French director Anne Fontaine and avant-garde German director Alexander Kluge, who continues to blaze a trail at the age of 91 with his new AI work Cosmic Miniatures. As previously announced, IFFR opens with Jonathan Ogilvie’s post-punk, coming-of-age comedy Head South and 14 titles are in the running for its top Tiger award.

Bavaria Fiction Restructures Development Team

Germany’s Bavaria Fiction is rejigging its development team with Thomas Kren placed in charge. Work has begun to restructure the unit, with Kren expanding his existing role to “accelerate and coordinate...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

Something you often hear cinephiles proclaim is that “Every year is a good year in film.” Well, that’s obviously true––if one pays attention and knows where to look––but then there are also years that are simply better. To me, 2023 has turned out to be one of those.

It’s a year where the top festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Venice all overperformed with stellar lineups. Geographically speaking, American/UK cinema can be proud of its output while productions from the rest of the world, especially France, Japan, Latin America, didn’t disappoint either. It’s also a year where not only indie/arthouse films delivered, but (some) blockbusters dared to get smart too. Even the presumed Oscar contenders this season include legitimate masterpieces in the mix.

Prizes for ‘Explanation For Everything’, ‘Green Border’.

Slow, the second feature from Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze, has won the Crystal Arrow at the 15th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival in France.

The romantic drama receives a €20,000 digital promotional campaign for its release; Be For Films handles sales on the title, with Tandem distributing the film in France on March 6, 2024.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

A Sundance 2023 premiere, Slow follows a dancer and sign language interpreter who begin a relationship, building their own kind of intimacy.

It is a second feature for Kavtaradze after 2018 Toronto selection Summer...

France’s awards season has officially kicked off with Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” landing six nominations at the Lumières Awards, including best film and director.

The courtroom drama, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, is the season’s frontrunner. The Lumières are voted on by Paris-based correspondents working for foreign outlets across 36 countries.

Sandra Huller, who stars in the film as a German novelist put on trial after her French husband dies mysteriously, is nominated for best actress, while Milo Machado Graner, who plays her astute, low-vision son, is nominated for best male newcomer.

“Anatomy of Fall” has been on a roll, garnering a raft of international prizes at the European Film Awards, Gothams, as well as Los Angeles and the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, along with four Golden Globe nominations for best film, screenplay, actress and foreign film. The movie that was...

Naturally, all focus and the most nominations would go to Justine Triet’s Anatomy Of A Fall (it leads in six categories) but this did not take away from Cedric Kahn’s The Goldman Case and the real dark horse for this gala (but the future Cesars as well) Thomas Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom landing their share with five nominations. Catherine Breillat’s Palme d’Or comp title Last Summer grabbed four nominations and two films two watch out for would be Critics’ Week fave Iris Kaltenback’s The Rapture and one of our top film discoveries this year in Giacomo Abbruzzese’s Berlinale comp title Disco Boy.…...