The Cannes Film festival was an exceptional edition for French films this year. A focus on the rising generation of French actors and directors that have been highlighted in Cannes and will most certainly be the stars of tomorrow was compiled by Unifrance chief Isabelle Giordano.
They are a force to be reckoned with. Unifrance films is ready to bet that you will certainly hear about these ten talented people. They represent the French cinema of today and will soon be on the screens worldwide.
Emmanuelle Bercot
An actress and a director, Emmanuelle Bercot began by enrolling at the Cours Florent drama school and taking dancing lessons after her baccalaureate. She graduated from Femis in 1998, after winning the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival for her short film "Les Vacances," in 1997. After her first few roles in the films of Jean-François Richet and Michel Deville, her career as an actress took off when Claude Miller gave her one of the main roles in "La Classe de neige" (1998). The following year, she made the headlines with the medium-length film she directed called "La Puce," presented in the selection of Un Certain Regard at Cannes. This film tells of the love affair between a 35-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl, played by Isild Le Besco.
Her first feature-length film, "Clément" (2001), is about the life of a troubled woman who has one adventure after another with various men until she meets a 14-yearold boy. Her second film, "Backstage" (2004), continues to explore teenage angst through a relationship between a hit singer and a young obsessional fan. She earned her first critical and public acclaim with "On My Way" (2013), the third film written by the director for Catherine Deneuve, in which the star plays a woman who has decided to leave everything behind and hit the road in France.
She was indisputably the most talked about person during the Cannes Film Festival 2015, both as an actress and a director. Thierry Frémaux surprised everyone by announcing that "Standing Tall," Emmanuelle Bercot’s fourth feature-length film would open the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Emmanuelle Bercot says that she has rediscovered the social fiber of her beginnings with this tale of juvenile delinquency. After the enthusiastic and unanimous reception of her film, she won the Best Actress Award for her role as a woman under the influence of love in the film "Mon Roi" by Maïwenn, with whom she co-wrote the script for "Polisse," which won the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012
Thomas Bidegain
Thomas Bidegain may well be one of the best known French screenwriters in the profession today, but it took him ten years to achieve this status. His career path in film is anything but ordinary. He started out in the 1990s by distributing and producing independent American films: "Ice Storm" by Ang Lee and "Chasing Sleep" by Michael Walker. He came back to France and joined MK2 where he became director of distribution. In 1999, he returned to production for "Why Not." In 2007, he told the story of his attempt to stop smoking in "Arrêter de fumer tue," a personal diary that was turned into a documentary, then a book.
In the meantime, he began screenwriting and worked on several projects. In 2009, he wrote the screenplay for Jacques Audiard’s film, "A Prophet," alongside Nicolas Peufaillit and Abdel Raouf Dafri, which won the Grand Prix du Jury in 2009. He participated in Audiard’s next film, "Rust and Bone" and "Our Children" by Joachim Lafosse. He was also the co-writer for "Saint Laurent" by Bertrand Bonello. Winning a César for the best original script and a César for the best adaptation, he presented "Cowboys" at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes this year, his first film as a director. He is also co-writer of "Ni le ciel ni la terre" by Clément Cogitore, presented during the Semaine de la Critique, as well as co-writer of the script for Jacques Audiard’s latest film, "Dheepan," which won the Palme d’Or.
Louise Bourgoin
Louise Bourgoin attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts for five years, during which she began her career as a model. After she graduated from art school in 2004, she radically changed direction and became a presenter on cable TV. She was Miss Météo in Le Grand Journal on Canal + from 2006 to 2008. Her slot became essential viewing and attracted a wide audience, including the attention of the film industry.
She began her acting career in "The Girl from Monaco" by Anne Fontaine, and her performance earned her a César nomination for Most Promising Actress. This recognition led to a whole series of roles and launched her career in film. She headed the bill of several films in 2010 ("White as Snow" by Christophe Blanc, "Sweet Valentine" by Emma Luchini, and "Black Heaven" by Gilles Marchand). The same year, Luc Besson selected her for the leading role in "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec."
Since then, Louise Bourgoin has played in film after film, and has taken her first steps in the international scene with her part in the American film "The Love Punch" by Joel Hopkins. She attracted attention at the Cannes Film Festival this year with her unusual role in Laurent Larivière’s first film, "I Am a Soldier," presented at Un Certain Regard.
Anaïs Demoustier
Her passion for acting started at a very young age and rapidly pushed her to take drama classes. She auditioned, when still a teenager, and got her first role alongside Isabelle Huppert in "Time of the Wolf" by Michael Haneke. After this, her career was launched and she played in a series of films among which "L’Année suivante" by Isabelle Czajka, "Hellphone" by James Huth, "The Beautiful Person" by Christophe Honoré, "Sois sage" by Juliette Garcias, "Sweet Evil" by Olivier Coussemacq, "Dear Prudene" by Rebecca Zlotowski, "Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Robert Guédiguian, "Thérèse Desqueyroux" by Claude Miller, "Quai d’Orsay" by Bertrand Tavernier, "Paris Follies" by Marc Fitoussi, etc.
A filmography rich of 30 films for an actress who isn’t 30 years old yet. In 2014, the press talked about the blooming of Anaïs Demoustier because her face and poise became essential to cinema. Present in "Bird People" by Pascale Ferran, "Caprices" by Emmanuel Mouret, "À trois on y va" by Jérôme Bonnell and "The New Girlfriend" by François Ozon, she is Marguerite in the last Valérie Donzelli’s film, "Marguerite et Julien" screened in Official selection in Cannes.
Louis Garrel
The son of actress Brigitte Sy and the director Philippe Garrel, he began his career in film thanks to his father, who started filming him at the age of six in "Emergency Kisses," alongside his mother and his grandfather, Maurice Garrel. He went onto study drama at the Conservatoire National d’Art Dramatique. He made his real cinema debut in 2001 in the film "Ceci est mon corps" by Rodolphe Marconi. Two years later, he played opposite Michael Pitt and the future Bond girl, Eva Green, in "The Dreamers" by Bernardo Bertolucci.
He then starred in another of his father’s films, "Regular Lovers". His performance earned him the César for the Most Promising Actor in 2005. Since then, he has played alongside the greatest, such as Isabelle Huppert in "Ma mère" by Christophe Honoré. This marked the beginning of a long collaboration between the filmmaker and the actor. They worked together in the film "In Paris" with Romain Duris, then in 2007 in "Love Songs" with Ludivine Sagnier, in "The Beautiful Person" with Léa Seydoux, in "Making Plans" for Lena with Chiara Mostroianni and, finally, in " Beloved" with Catherine Deneuve. He also topped the bill with Valéria Bruni Tedeschi in "Actresses," whom he worked with again in 2013 in "A Castle in Italy."
In 2010, he directed a short film, "The Little Tailor," in which he directed Léa Seydoux. He performed once again in one of his father’s films, "A Burning Hot Summer," followed by "Jealousy." In 2014, he starred in Bertrand Bonello’s film "Saint Laurent," a role which led to another César nomination, but this time in the best supporting role category. His first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented at a Certain Regard, was applauded by the critics. He also starred in "Mon Roi," Maïwenn’s fourth feature-length film, alongside Emmanuelle and Vincent Cassel, presented as part of the official selection.
Guillaume Gouix
After studying at the Conservatoire in Marseille and the Ecole Régionale d’Acteur de Cannes, Guillaume Gouix began his career in television. He played the male lead in "The Lion Cubs," by Claire Doyon, in 2003. Noted for his performance, especially the highly physical aspect of it and his intense gaze, he then played a series of supporting roles as a young hoodlum in "Les Mauvais joueurs" by Frédéric Balekdjian and in "Chacun sa nuit," by Jean-Marc Barr and Pascal Arnold. He featured in the 2007 war film "Intimate Enemies" by Florent Emilio Siri, thus confirming his taste for complex characters.
The following year, he was applauded for his performance in the film "Behind the Walls" by Christian Faure. In 2010, he starred in "22 Bullets" by Richard Berry and in 2011, he established his reputation with roles in "Nobody Else But You" by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu, "Et soudain, tout le monde me manque" by Jennifer Devoldere, and "Jimmy Rivière," Teddy Lussi-Modeste’s film debut.
He also appeared in "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen. He more recently starred in "Attila Marcel," by Sylvain Chomet, in which he played the lead role, in "French Women" by Audrey Dana, and "The Connection" by Cédric Jimenez with Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lelouche. He performed in three films presented at Cannes this year ("Les Anarchistes" by Elie Wajeman, which opened the Semaine de la Critique, "La Vie en grand" by Mathieu Vadepied, which closed the week, and in "Enragés" by Eric Hannezo, screened at the Cinéma de la Plage). He also directed his first short film "Alexis Ivanovitch, vous êtes mon héros" in 2011 and will soon start on a feature-length film, which is currently being written. He will be topping the bill in 2015 with "Braqueurs," a thriller by Julien Leclercq.
Ariane Labed
Born in Greece to French parents, Ariane Labed has always navigated between her two countries. She studied drama at the University of Provence and began her acting career treading the boards. After setting up a company combining dance and theater, Ariane Labed returned to live in Greece where she played at the National Theater of Athens. 2010 was the year of her first film, "Attenberg," directed by Athiná-Rachél Tsangári. "Alps" by Yorgos Lanthi-mos, the following year, confirmed the talent of this strangely charming actress. Two years later, she starred in "Before Midnight" by Richard Linklater where she played the role of Anna. The follow-up to "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," this third part of the saga was a great success, making Labed known to a wider audience.
In 2014, she played a young sailor in "Fidelio, Alice’s Odyssey," who is torn between faithfulness and her desire to live her life. Winning the best actress award at the Locarno Film Festival and nominated for a César, the French actress gives a brilliant performance in Lucie Borleteau’s first feature-length film. She joined Yorgos Lanthimos in Cannes in 2015, where he won the Prix du Jury for his film "The Lobster."
Vincent Macaigne
Vincent Macaigne is the leading light in young French cinema. He joined the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris in 1999, appearing on stage and assuming the role of director. His free adaptations of the great classics of literature and drama earned him public and critical acclaim. He directed "The Idiot" by Dostoïevski and presented "Au moins j’aurai laissé un beau cadavre in Avignon," inspired by Hamlet. He also rapidly made a name for himself in demanding art-house films. In 2001, he was seen for the first time in "Replay" by Catherine Corsini. In 2007, he starred in "On War" by Bertrand Bonello and in 2010, in "A Burning Hot Summer" by Philippe Garrel.
Since 2011, Vincent Macaigne’s presence in short, medium and full-length films has gradually increased. Faithful to his directors, he has starred in several of their films. As is the case with his friend Guillaume Brac, who directed him in "Le Naufragé," "Tonnerre" and "Un monde sans femmes." He was awarded the Grand Prix and the Prix Télérama at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and the Prix Lutin for Best Actor in this film. Under the direction of Vincent Mariette, he played in "Les Lézards" then "Fool Circle." In 2013, we find the funny and touching thirty-something in "La fille du 14 juillet" by Antonin Peretjatko, "Age of Panic" by Justine Triet, and "2 Autumns, 3 Winters" by Sébastien Betbeder.
He was discovered by the general public at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Considered a figurehead of the revival of French cinema, Vincent has drawn the attention of the Cahiers du Cinéma, and even the British newspaper The Observer, which referred to him as the “new Gérard Depardieu”. In 2011, he directed "What We’ll Leave Behind," a very well-received medium-length film which won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival. He also starred in Mia Hansen-løve’s 2014 film "Eden." He plays one of the main roles in the actor Louis Garrel’s first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented during the Semaine de la Critique. He also featured in his 2011 film, La Règle de trois.
Vimala Pons
From the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique, where she attended drama classes even though she wanted to be a screenwriter, to circus tents, Vimala Pons is an acrobat in all senses of the word. The 29-year-old actress has established her physical and poetic presence in French art-house films. She began her career in film with Albert Dupontel in "Enfermés dehors" in 2006. She then starred in "Eden Log" by Franck Vestiel in 2007, then in "Granny’s Funeral" by Bruno Podalydès in 2012.
Since then, we have seen her cross France in a little blue dress in "La Fille du 14 juillet," (she plays the girl) by Antonin Peretjatko, and changing into a lioness in "Métamorphoses," by Christophe Honoré. The impetuous muse of French independent film, Vimala Pons played in "Vincent" by Thomas Salvador this year. The actress has made a name for herself in 2015, in particular with "Comme un avion" by Bruno Podalydès, "Je suis à vous tout de suite" by Baya Kasmi, "La vie très privée de Monsieur Sim" by Michel Leclerc, and "L’Ombre des femmes" by Philippe Garrel (presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs this year in Cannes). She has also begun an international career, with a leading role in Paul Verhoeven’s latest film, "Elle."
Alice Winocour
The director Alice Winocour started out at Femis. After going into law, she returned to film and won three prizes for her short film "Kitchen: Prix TV5" for the best French-language short film, best international short film and the Silver Bear at the Festival of Nations (Ebensee). For "Magic Paris," she was awarded the jury prize at the St. Petersburg International Documentary, Short Film and Animated Film Festival.
She continued her career by writing the script for the film "Ordinary," by Vladimir Perisic. At the Cannes Film Festival 2012, Alice Winocour made a marked entry in the international arena with a film by a woman about women and the unchanging way of looking at them. In the film "Augustine," we are told the story of a professor and his patient, played by Vincent Lindon and Soko respectively. In 2015, she brought out her second feature-length film, "Maryland," which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. She is also the co-writer of "Mustang," by Denis Gamze Ergüven, presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.
They are a force to be reckoned with. Unifrance films is ready to bet that you will certainly hear about these ten talented people. They represent the French cinema of today and will soon be on the screens worldwide.
Emmanuelle Bercot
An actress and a director, Emmanuelle Bercot began by enrolling at the Cours Florent drama school and taking dancing lessons after her baccalaureate. She graduated from Femis in 1998, after winning the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival for her short film "Les Vacances," in 1997. After her first few roles in the films of Jean-François Richet and Michel Deville, her career as an actress took off when Claude Miller gave her one of the main roles in "La Classe de neige" (1998). The following year, she made the headlines with the medium-length film she directed called "La Puce," presented in the selection of Un Certain Regard at Cannes. This film tells of the love affair between a 35-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl, played by Isild Le Besco.
Her first feature-length film, "Clément" (2001), is about the life of a troubled woman who has one adventure after another with various men until she meets a 14-yearold boy. Her second film, "Backstage" (2004), continues to explore teenage angst through a relationship between a hit singer and a young obsessional fan. She earned her first critical and public acclaim with "On My Way" (2013), the third film written by the director for Catherine Deneuve, in which the star plays a woman who has decided to leave everything behind and hit the road in France.
She was indisputably the most talked about person during the Cannes Film Festival 2015, both as an actress and a director. Thierry Frémaux surprised everyone by announcing that "Standing Tall," Emmanuelle Bercot’s fourth feature-length film would open the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Emmanuelle Bercot says that she has rediscovered the social fiber of her beginnings with this tale of juvenile delinquency. After the enthusiastic and unanimous reception of her film, she won the Best Actress Award for her role as a woman under the influence of love in the film "Mon Roi" by Maïwenn, with whom she co-wrote the script for "Polisse," which won the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012
Thomas Bidegain
Thomas Bidegain may well be one of the best known French screenwriters in the profession today, but it took him ten years to achieve this status. His career path in film is anything but ordinary. He started out in the 1990s by distributing and producing independent American films: "Ice Storm" by Ang Lee and "Chasing Sleep" by Michael Walker. He came back to France and joined MK2 where he became director of distribution. In 1999, he returned to production for "Why Not." In 2007, he told the story of his attempt to stop smoking in "Arrêter de fumer tue," a personal diary that was turned into a documentary, then a book.
In the meantime, he began screenwriting and worked on several projects. In 2009, he wrote the screenplay for Jacques Audiard’s film, "A Prophet," alongside Nicolas Peufaillit and Abdel Raouf Dafri, which won the Grand Prix du Jury in 2009. He participated in Audiard’s next film, "Rust and Bone" and "Our Children" by Joachim Lafosse. He was also the co-writer for "Saint Laurent" by Bertrand Bonello. Winning a César for the best original script and a César for the best adaptation, he presented "Cowboys" at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes this year, his first film as a director. He is also co-writer of "Ni le ciel ni la terre" by Clément Cogitore, presented during the Semaine de la Critique, as well as co-writer of the script for Jacques Audiard’s latest film, "Dheepan," which won the Palme d’Or.
Louise Bourgoin
Louise Bourgoin attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts for five years, during which she began her career as a model. After she graduated from art school in 2004, she radically changed direction and became a presenter on cable TV. She was Miss Météo in Le Grand Journal on Canal + from 2006 to 2008. Her slot became essential viewing and attracted a wide audience, including the attention of the film industry.
She began her acting career in "The Girl from Monaco" by Anne Fontaine, and her performance earned her a César nomination for Most Promising Actress. This recognition led to a whole series of roles and launched her career in film. She headed the bill of several films in 2010 ("White as Snow" by Christophe Blanc, "Sweet Valentine" by Emma Luchini, and "Black Heaven" by Gilles Marchand). The same year, Luc Besson selected her for the leading role in "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec."
Since then, Louise Bourgoin has played in film after film, and has taken her first steps in the international scene with her part in the American film "The Love Punch" by Joel Hopkins. She attracted attention at the Cannes Film Festival this year with her unusual role in Laurent Larivière’s first film, "I Am a Soldier," presented at Un Certain Regard.
Anaïs Demoustier
Her passion for acting started at a very young age and rapidly pushed her to take drama classes. She auditioned, when still a teenager, and got her first role alongside Isabelle Huppert in "Time of the Wolf" by Michael Haneke. After this, her career was launched and she played in a series of films among which "L’Année suivante" by Isabelle Czajka, "Hellphone" by James Huth, "The Beautiful Person" by Christophe Honoré, "Sois sage" by Juliette Garcias, "Sweet Evil" by Olivier Coussemacq, "Dear Prudene" by Rebecca Zlotowski, "Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Robert Guédiguian, "Thérèse Desqueyroux" by Claude Miller, "Quai d’Orsay" by Bertrand Tavernier, "Paris Follies" by Marc Fitoussi, etc.
A filmography rich of 30 films for an actress who isn’t 30 years old yet. In 2014, the press talked about the blooming of Anaïs Demoustier because her face and poise became essential to cinema. Present in "Bird People" by Pascale Ferran, "Caprices" by Emmanuel Mouret, "À trois on y va" by Jérôme Bonnell and "The New Girlfriend" by François Ozon, she is Marguerite in the last Valérie Donzelli’s film, "Marguerite et Julien" screened in Official selection in Cannes.
Louis Garrel
The son of actress Brigitte Sy and the director Philippe Garrel, he began his career in film thanks to his father, who started filming him at the age of six in "Emergency Kisses," alongside his mother and his grandfather, Maurice Garrel. He went onto study drama at the Conservatoire National d’Art Dramatique. He made his real cinema debut in 2001 in the film "Ceci est mon corps" by Rodolphe Marconi. Two years later, he played opposite Michael Pitt and the future Bond girl, Eva Green, in "The Dreamers" by Bernardo Bertolucci.
He then starred in another of his father’s films, "Regular Lovers". His performance earned him the César for the Most Promising Actor in 2005. Since then, he has played alongside the greatest, such as Isabelle Huppert in "Ma mère" by Christophe Honoré. This marked the beginning of a long collaboration between the filmmaker and the actor. They worked together in the film "In Paris" with Romain Duris, then in 2007 in "Love Songs" with Ludivine Sagnier, in "The Beautiful Person" with Léa Seydoux, in "Making Plans" for Lena with Chiara Mostroianni and, finally, in " Beloved" with Catherine Deneuve. He also topped the bill with Valéria Bruni Tedeschi in "Actresses," whom he worked with again in 2013 in "A Castle in Italy."
In 2010, he directed a short film, "The Little Tailor," in which he directed Léa Seydoux. He performed once again in one of his father’s films, "A Burning Hot Summer," followed by "Jealousy." In 2014, he starred in Bertrand Bonello’s film "Saint Laurent," a role which led to another César nomination, but this time in the best supporting role category. His first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented at a Certain Regard, was applauded by the critics. He also starred in "Mon Roi," Maïwenn’s fourth feature-length film, alongside Emmanuelle and Vincent Cassel, presented as part of the official selection.
Guillaume Gouix
After studying at the Conservatoire in Marseille and the Ecole Régionale d’Acteur de Cannes, Guillaume Gouix began his career in television. He played the male lead in "The Lion Cubs," by Claire Doyon, in 2003. Noted for his performance, especially the highly physical aspect of it and his intense gaze, he then played a series of supporting roles as a young hoodlum in "Les Mauvais joueurs" by Frédéric Balekdjian and in "Chacun sa nuit," by Jean-Marc Barr and Pascal Arnold. He featured in the 2007 war film "Intimate Enemies" by Florent Emilio Siri, thus confirming his taste for complex characters.
The following year, he was applauded for his performance in the film "Behind the Walls" by Christian Faure. In 2010, he starred in "22 Bullets" by Richard Berry and in 2011, he established his reputation with roles in "Nobody Else But You" by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu, "Et soudain, tout le monde me manque" by Jennifer Devoldere, and "Jimmy Rivière," Teddy Lussi-Modeste’s film debut.
He also appeared in "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen. He more recently starred in "Attila Marcel," by Sylvain Chomet, in which he played the lead role, in "French Women" by Audrey Dana, and "The Connection" by Cédric Jimenez with Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lelouche. He performed in three films presented at Cannes this year ("Les Anarchistes" by Elie Wajeman, which opened the Semaine de la Critique, "La Vie en grand" by Mathieu Vadepied, which closed the week, and in "Enragés" by Eric Hannezo, screened at the Cinéma de la Plage). He also directed his first short film "Alexis Ivanovitch, vous êtes mon héros" in 2011 and will soon start on a feature-length film, which is currently being written. He will be topping the bill in 2015 with "Braqueurs," a thriller by Julien Leclercq.
Ariane Labed
Born in Greece to French parents, Ariane Labed has always navigated between her two countries. She studied drama at the University of Provence and began her acting career treading the boards. After setting up a company combining dance and theater, Ariane Labed returned to live in Greece where she played at the National Theater of Athens. 2010 was the year of her first film, "Attenberg," directed by Athiná-Rachél Tsangári. "Alps" by Yorgos Lanthi-mos, the following year, confirmed the talent of this strangely charming actress. Two years later, she starred in "Before Midnight" by Richard Linklater where she played the role of Anna. The follow-up to "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," this third part of the saga was a great success, making Labed known to a wider audience.
In 2014, she played a young sailor in "Fidelio, Alice’s Odyssey," who is torn between faithfulness and her desire to live her life. Winning the best actress award at the Locarno Film Festival and nominated for a César, the French actress gives a brilliant performance in Lucie Borleteau’s first feature-length film. She joined Yorgos Lanthimos in Cannes in 2015, where he won the Prix du Jury for his film "The Lobster."
Vincent Macaigne
Vincent Macaigne is the leading light in young French cinema. He joined the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris in 1999, appearing on stage and assuming the role of director. His free adaptations of the great classics of literature and drama earned him public and critical acclaim. He directed "The Idiot" by Dostoïevski and presented "Au moins j’aurai laissé un beau cadavre in Avignon," inspired by Hamlet. He also rapidly made a name for himself in demanding art-house films. In 2001, he was seen for the first time in "Replay" by Catherine Corsini. In 2007, he starred in "On War" by Bertrand Bonello and in 2010, in "A Burning Hot Summer" by Philippe Garrel.
Since 2011, Vincent Macaigne’s presence in short, medium and full-length films has gradually increased. Faithful to his directors, he has starred in several of their films. As is the case with his friend Guillaume Brac, who directed him in "Le Naufragé," "Tonnerre" and "Un monde sans femmes." He was awarded the Grand Prix and the Prix Télérama at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and the Prix Lutin for Best Actor in this film. Under the direction of Vincent Mariette, he played in "Les Lézards" then "Fool Circle." In 2013, we find the funny and touching thirty-something in "La fille du 14 juillet" by Antonin Peretjatko, "Age of Panic" by Justine Triet, and "2 Autumns, 3 Winters" by Sébastien Betbeder.
He was discovered by the general public at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Considered a figurehead of the revival of French cinema, Vincent has drawn the attention of the Cahiers du Cinéma, and even the British newspaper The Observer, which referred to him as the “new Gérard Depardieu”. In 2011, he directed "What We’ll Leave Behind," a very well-received medium-length film which won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival. He also starred in Mia Hansen-løve’s 2014 film "Eden." He plays one of the main roles in the actor Louis Garrel’s first feature-length film, "Two Friends," presented during the Semaine de la Critique. He also featured in his 2011 film, La Règle de trois.
Vimala Pons
From the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique, where she attended drama classes even though she wanted to be a screenwriter, to circus tents, Vimala Pons is an acrobat in all senses of the word. The 29-year-old actress has established her physical and poetic presence in French art-house films. She began her career in film with Albert Dupontel in "Enfermés dehors" in 2006. She then starred in "Eden Log" by Franck Vestiel in 2007, then in "Granny’s Funeral" by Bruno Podalydès in 2012.
Since then, we have seen her cross France in a little blue dress in "La Fille du 14 juillet," (she plays the girl) by Antonin Peretjatko, and changing into a lioness in "Métamorphoses," by Christophe Honoré. The impetuous muse of French independent film, Vimala Pons played in "Vincent" by Thomas Salvador this year. The actress has made a name for herself in 2015, in particular with "Comme un avion" by Bruno Podalydès, "Je suis à vous tout de suite" by Baya Kasmi, "La vie très privée de Monsieur Sim" by Michel Leclerc, and "L’Ombre des femmes" by Philippe Garrel (presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs this year in Cannes). She has also begun an international career, with a leading role in Paul Verhoeven’s latest film, "Elle."
Alice Winocour
The director Alice Winocour started out at Femis. After going into law, she returned to film and won three prizes for her short film "Kitchen: Prix TV5" for the best French-language short film, best international short film and the Silver Bear at the Festival of Nations (Ebensee). For "Magic Paris," she was awarded the jury prize at the St. Petersburg International Documentary, Short Film and Animated Film Festival.
She continued her career by writing the script for the film "Ordinary," by Vladimir Perisic. At the Cannes Film Festival 2012, Alice Winocour made a marked entry in the international arena with a film by a woman about women and the unchanging way of looking at them. In the film "Augustine," we are told the story of a professor and his patient, played by Vincent Lindon and Soko respectively. In 2015, she brought out her second feature-length film, "Maryland," which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. She is also the co-writer of "Mustang," by Denis Gamze Ergüven, presented at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.
- 7/5/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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,...
- 9/18/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Punishing French horror picture Martyrs and Asian set erotic thriller Red Nights have one key element in common: The music of Seppuku Paradigm. Both films won raves for the group's scoring efforts but both have been difficult to come by. But now here's your chance.The full soundtracks for both films are being released on vinyl by Seventeen Records with the first 100 orders for either release also receiving a free 7" of the group's work on Franck Vestiel's Eden Log thrown in. Soundtrack junkies, get to it....
- 5/7/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Leclerq's psuedo cyberpunk debut, Chrysalis, wasn't perfect , but it put the new director firmly at the top of a short list of new French talent that seemed determined to bring gritty genre cineme to France (read: Christian Volckman, Franck Vestiel, Xavier Gens et al). While none of them pried the gauntlet from Luke Besson's hands, they did provide us much entertainment and thrills for a couple years there.
Now Leclerg returns with a new, much more sombre, film about a real life terrorist event in L'Assault.
Synopsis:
On Christmas Eve 1994 four armed men from the Islamic terrorist group Gia hijacked Air France Flight 8969 in Algiers. When they landed in Marseille the plane was raided by highly trained French forces and all four kidnappers killed.
You can check out the trailer for L'Assault 9via: Twitch) after the break.
Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.
Now Leclerg returns with a new, much more sombre, film about a real life terrorist event in L'Assault.
Synopsis:
On Christmas Eve 1994 four armed men from the Islamic terrorist group Gia hijacked Air France Flight 8969 in Algiers. When they landed in Marseille the plane was raided by highly trained French forces and all four kidnappers killed.
You can check out the trailer for L'Assault 9via: Twitch) after the break.
Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.
- 12/9/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Disclaimer: These films are in no particular order and aren't all films I like. I wrote this post to be a companion piece to Kurt Halfyard's wonderful Brave New Worldview – 30 Science Fiction Films of the 21st Century posted over at Row Three, so read this and then piece it together with his and we think you'll have a pretty comprehensive list of important genre stuff from the new millennium to catch up with.
Here's the thing; we love the post apocalypse around here. No foolin'. For those of you just tuning in, Quiet Earth started life as a site dedicated to the genre. And while we cover the whole gamut of weird and wonderful genre film from around the globe now, we still like to think of ourselves as the go-to-guys on the subject. From Panic in the Year Zero, to Planet of the Apes, to The Postman, we've seen...
Here's the thing; we love the post apocalypse around here. No foolin'. For those of you just tuning in, Quiet Earth started life as a site dedicated to the genre. And while we cover the whole gamut of weird and wonderful genre film from around the globe now, we still like to think of ourselves as the go-to-guys on the subject. From Panic in the Year Zero, to Planet of the Apes, to The Postman, we've seen...
- 6/21/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Chicago – Welcome back to the Round-Up, a safety net to catch the DVD titles that fell off the mainstream tightrope. The titles this week have virtually nothing in common other than coming in two waves from two studios - a pair of classics from Paramount’s Centennial Collection and a trio of indie films from the great Magnolia Pictures.
All five titles were released on May 19th, 2009.
“Centennial Collection #8: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”
Photo credit: Paramount Synopsis: “”This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Behind the camera? John Ford, a director whose name is synonymous with “Westerns.” Gathered in front of it? An ideal cast – James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles and Lee Marvin. Now presented on two discs, with all-new special features, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance rides into town as classic entry in the Paramount Centennial Collection.
All five titles were released on May 19th, 2009.
“Centennial Collection #8: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”
Photo credit: Paramount Synopsis: “”This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Behind the camera? John Ford, a director whose name is synonymous with “Westerns.” Gathered in front of it? An ideal cast – James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles and Lee Marvin. Now presented on two discs, with all-new special features, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance rides into town as classic entry in the Paramount Centennial Collection.
- 5/27/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
An interesting array of genre titles hit home video this week including the long awaited release of Howard McCain's outrageous Vikings vs. Alien flick, Outlander, coming from Weinstein Company. The theatrical mis-treatment of this film caused a bit of a fanboy furor so it'll be interesting to see how well it does on home video.
Speaking of fanboys, Kyle Newman's loving ode to the Star Wars generation, Fanboys, which is also arriving courtesy of Weinstein Company, drops today. Loaded with inside jokes that only someone with too many 12 inch action figures would truly find endearing, Fanboys may not have been the comedy of the year, but it sure took me back to 1999 when, as a complete Star Wars freak, there was only one film that really mattered.
Coming from Magnet Releasing this week is a film that truly brings a tear to my eye when I think of...
Speaking of fanboys, Kyle Newman's loving ode to the Star Wars generation, Fanboys, which is also arriving courtesy of Weinstein Company, drops today. Loaded with inside jokes that only someone with too many 12 inch action figures would truly find endearing, Fanboys may not have been the comedy of the year, but it sure took me back to 1999 when, as a complete Star Wars freak, there was only one film that really mattered.
Coming from Magnet Releasing this week is a film that truly brings a tear to my eye when I think of...
- 5/19/2009
- QuietEarth.us
No word yet on what Magnet Releasing intends to do as far as theatrical plans are concerned for Franck Vestiel's French import Eden Log , but we now have a DVD date. The disc will street on May 19th. We'll bring you the lowdown on the special features when they're announced. In the film, a man regains consciousness at the bottom of a cave. Tolbiac has not got the slightest idea what events brought him there, nor what has happened to the man whose corpse he discovers next to him. The only way to escape the creature that pursues him: climb to the surface through a series of paths with the atmosphere of a graveyard, abandoned by a mysterious organization, Eden Log. Check out poster and artwork here .
- 2/3/2009
- shocktillyoudrop.com
In keeping with the holiday spirit, this week's Wrap-Up is being delivered in verse a la The Twelve Days of Christmas. If anyone else wants to throw out some ideas for The Eight Nights of Chanukah or The Seven Days of Kwanzaa in the comments section below, feel free. And let's not forgot about the winter solstice. While some complain about it being the shortest day of the year, horror fans appreciate the other side of the coin -- the longest night. With so much to celebrate, let's get cooking!
From December 13-19, 2008,
My true love sent to me,
Twelve pairs of 3D glasses (the better to watch the new My Bloody Valentine 3D trailer),
Eleven needless remakes of foreign films hardly anyone's even seen yet (Danish thriller Mørke (Murk) is the most recent casualty of this craze),
Ten long months to wait before we finally get to see The Wolfman...
From December 13-19, 2008,
My true love sent to me,
Twelve pairs of 3D glasses (the better to watch the new My Bloody Valentine 3D trailer),
Eleven needless remakes of foreign films hardly anyone's even seen yet (Danish thriller Mørke (Murk) is the most recent casualty of this craze),
Ten long months to wait before we finally get to see The Wolfman...
- 12/20/2008
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
The official Us trailer for the French sci-fi flick Eden Log has popped up online today courtesy of IGN. I first heard about this film a year or so ago but it only started appearing in North America this year. It first played at the Toronto Film Festival then at Fantastic Fest and unfortunately I missed all of its screenings at both fests. I don't know how to describe this nor can I even explain what's going on in it - it looks like some sort of dark, intimate, horror film set in a sci-fi tinged future. Does it look good? Possibly, in a twisted way, so I guess I'll have to see it to figure that out. At least it'll be a unique experience, that's for sure. Watch the trailer for Franck Vestiel's Eden Log: [flv:http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/edenlog_trl_qthighwide.flv http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/edenlog_trl_qthighwide.jpg 598 336] A man wakes up naked, deep in a dark cave. He's cold,...
- 12/17/2008
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
IGN Movies has premiered the U.S. trailer for the French sci-fi horror film Eden Log; you can see it below. The movie begins its limited theatrical run next February as part of Magnolia Pictures’ 6-Shooter Film Series.
Directed by Franck Vestiel, who scripted with Pierre Bordage, Eden Log is about a man (Malefique’s Clovis Cornillac) who wakes up in a deep cave next to a dead body with no idea how he got there. As he tries to make his way to safety, he discovers the ruins of an underground civilization and has to evade a strange creature that’s pursuing him.
Discuss this story and more in the Fangoria Forums!
Directed by Franck Vestiel, who scripted with Pierre Bordage, Eden Log is about a man (Malefique’s Clovis Cornillac) who wakes up in a deep cave next to a dead body with no idea how he got there. As he tries to make his way to safety, he discovers the ruins of an underground civilization and has to evade a strange creature that’s pursuing him.
Discuss this story and more in the Fangoria Forums!
- 12/17/2008
- Fangoria
We’ve been talking about it for long enough and soon it will be time for American viewers to get a glimpse of Franck Vestiel’s Eden Log ont he big screen. The film is the fifth film is Magnet Releasing’s Six Shooter Film Series - the series that already released Special, Let The Right One In and currently has Timecrimes on the big screen. It arrives on screens in February but the American trailer has arrived today. You can check it out below the break.
A man wakes up deep inside a cave. Suffering amnesia, he has no recollection of how he came to be here or of what happened to the man whose body he finds beside him. Tailed by a mysterious creature, he must continue through this strange and fantastic world. Enclosed, Tolbiac has no other option to reach the surface than to use Rezo Zero,...
A man wakes up deep inside a cave. Suffering amnesia, he has no recollection of how he came to be here or of what happened to the man whose body he finds beside him. Tailed by a mysterious creature, he must continue through this strange and fantastic world. Enclosed, Tolbiac has no other option to reach the surface than to use Rezo Zero,...
- 12/17/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
Beyond the break you can check out the Us trailer for Magnet Releasing's Eden Log, which will hit theaters in February as part of their ongoing Six Shooter Film Series. Directed by Franck Vestiel, a man regains consciousness deep down at the bottom of a cave. He has no idea of how he got there, nor can he determine what happened to the dead man whose body he wakes up next to. Only one thing is certainhe has to escape the menacing creature thats pursuing him, climbing back to the surface through a cemetery like world thats been abandoned by a mysterious organization called Eden Log. The film joins Special, Let The Right One In, Donkey Punch, Big Man Japan and Timecrimes.
- 12/17/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
Magnolia Pictures gave Fango the word that it will make Jennifer Lynch’s Surveillance (pictured) available for theatrical viewing June 26. Exact cities and venues for the limited release, under the Magnet Releasing banner, have yet to be determined.
Written and directed by Lynch (daughter of David), Surveillance stars Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond as FBI agents who arrive in a small Midwestern town to interview multiple witnesses to a bloody, horrific roadside crime. As each party offers their version of the events, the horrifying truth about what happened becomes clear to both the agents and the audience. The distributor also let us know that it has flipped the schedule for two of the genre pictures opening as part of its 6-Shooter Film Series; Olly Blackburn’s Donkey Punch now debuts January 23 in New York, with Franck Vestiel’s Eden Log arriving in February. As for the other 6-Shooter genre titles,...
Written and directed by Lynch (daughter of David), Surveillance stars Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond as FBI agents who arrive in a small Midwestern town to interview multiple witnesses to a bloody, horrific roadside crime. As each party offers their version of the events, the horrifying truth about what happened becomes clear to both the agents and the audience. The distributor also let us know that it has flipped the schedule for two of the genre pictures opening as part of its 6-Shooter Film Series; Olly Blackburn’s Donkey Punch now debuts January 23 in New York, with Franck Vestiel’s Eden Log arriving in February. As for the other 6-Shooter genre titles,...
- 11/18/2008
- Fangoria
Arriving in theaters this February from Magnet Releasing is Franck Vestiel's French sci-fi film, "Eden Log", which is part of their ongoing Six-Shooter Series. In the stunning film, a man (Clovis Cornillac) regains consciousness deep down at the bottom of a cave. He has no idea of how he got there, nor can he determine what happened to the dead man whose body he wakes up next to. Only one thing is certain.he has to escape the menacing creature that's pursuing him, climbing back to the surface through a cemetery like world that's been abandoned by a mysterious organization called Eden Log....
- 11/2/2008
- www.ohmygore.com/
Arriving in theaters this February from Magnet Releasing is Franck Vestiel's French sci-fi horror film, Eden Log, which is part of their ongoing Six-Shooter Series. In the stunning film, a man takes again conscience at the fine bottom of a cave. Tolbiac does not have the least idea of the reasons which brought it up to that point, not more than it does not know what arrived at the man of which it discovers the corpse beside him. Only solution to escape the creature which continues it: to go up to surface through a network with the paces of cemetery and given up by a mysterious organization, Eden Log.
- 10/27/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
Magnet Releasing gave Fango the final U.S. release poster for Eden Log; check it out below. The movie opens in January as part of the company’s Six Shooter Film Series, which also includes Let The Right One In (debuting today in New York and La), Timecrimes (coming in December) and Donkey Punch (February).
Directed by Franck Vestiel from a script he wrote with Pierre Bordage, Eden Log is about a man who awakens in the middle of a subterranean cave system and tries to figure out where he is and how to escape—while being stalked by strange, threatening creatures. Clovis Cornillac, from Eric Valette’s much-praised Malefique, stars. You can check out the official Six Shooter website, where an Eden Log trailer will soon be posted, here.
Directed by Franck Vestiel from a script he wrote with Pierre Bordage, Eden Log is about a man who awakens in the middle of a subterranean cave system and tries to figure out where he is and how to escape—while being stalked by strange, threatening creatures. Clovis Cornillac, from Eric Valette’s much-praised Malefique, stars. You can check out the official Six Shooter website, where an Eden Log trailer will soon be posted, here.
- 10/24/2008
- Fangoria
Since August 2007, Todd has been faithfully tracking Franck Vestiel’s Eden Log, providing the first teaser (in French); the selfsame teaser translated into English; the second teaser (in French); the news that Magnet Releasing—the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures—picked up North American distribution rights; the launch of the film’s official website; the arrival of the film’s full trailer; and finally his review from the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival where Eden Log screened as part of the Midnight Madness program. Following suit, the San Francisco Film Society offered a midnight screening of Eden Log as part of their first annual French Cinema Now series.
A brooding, philosophical riff-in-reverse on the Biblical story of Eden, Todd presciently predicted that Eden Log will divide audiences between those willing to patiently experience the obfuscated nocturne of Vestiel’s dystopian mise en scène (atmospherically rendered by cinematographer Thierry Pouget), or impatiently dismiss it as sheer pretension.
A brooding, philosophical riff-in-reverse on the Biblical story of Eden, Todd presciently predicted that Eden Log will divide audiences between those willing to patiently experience the obfuscated nocturne of Vestiel’s dystopian mise en scène (atmospherically rendered by cinematographer Thierry Pouget), or impatiently dismiss it as sheer pretension.
- 10/14/2008
- by Michael Guillen
- Screen Anarchy
Magnolia Pictures is launching the Six Shooter Film Series, a theatrical release program featuring half a dozen features from its genre arm, Magnet Releasing.
Magnet also unveiled its latest pickup, Hitoshi Matsumoto's Japanese superhero mockumentary "Big Man Japan," which will close the program.
The series is a rebranded package of Magnet titles, similar to one presented by Magnolia head Eamonn Bowles' former company the Shooting Gallery. While all films will be offered for open-ended engagements, most will run a minimum of one week theatrically and will only be extended by exhibitors based on their boxoffice performance.
Tomas Alfredson's Swedish vampire film "Let the Right One In," which won best narrative feature at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, opens the series in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 24 and enters a platform release a week later.
It's followed by Hal Halberman and Jeremy Passmore's action comedy "Special" on Nov. 21 (after a Nov. 7 sneak preview on Magnolia sister company HDNet's Ultra VOD Channel), Nacho Vigalondo's Spanish sci-fi film "Timecrimes" in December, Franck Vestiel's French thriller "Eden Log," Oliver Blackburn's 2008 Sundance premiere "Donkey Punch" in February and "Japan" in March.
A Magnolia spokesperson said a new series may be created based on the success of this one.
Magnet also unveiled its latest pickup, Hitoshi Matsumoto's Japanese superhero mockumentary "Big Man Japan," which will close the program.
The series is a rebranded package of Magnet titles, similar to one presented by Magnolia head Eamonn Bowles' former company the Shooting Gallery. While all films will be offered for open-ended engagements, most will run a minimum of one week theatrically and will only be extended by exhibitors based on their boxoffice performance.
Tomas Alfredson's Swedish vampire film "Let the Right One In," which won best narrative feature at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, opens the series in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 24 and enters a platform release a week later.
It's followed by Hal Halberman and Jeremy Passmore's action comedy "Special" on Nov. 21 (after a Nov. 7 sneak preview on Magnolia sister company HDNet's Ultra VOD Channel), Nacho Vigalondo's Spanish sci-fi film "Timecrimes" in December, Franck Vestiel's French thriller "Eden Log," Oliver Blackburn's 2008 Sundance premiere "Donkey Punch" in February and "Japan" in March.
A Magnolia spokesperson said a new series may be created based on the success of this one.
- 8/13/2008
- by By Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Magnet, the new genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired North American rights, including both English and French-speaking Canada, to Franck Vestiel's sci-fi/horror movie Eden Log. Scheduled for release in 2008, the Frnech-languate film follows a man, trapped in a cave, who must make his way through a maze constructed by the mysterious Eden Log corporation. The deal was negotiated by Magnolia's Tom Quinn and Jason Janego with Elisabeth Perlie of BAC Films, which has also presold rights in such territories as Japan, Korea, the U.K., Germany and Spain.
- 11/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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