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Belgian director and screenwriter Guillaume Senez has started shooting A Missing Part starring Romain Duris in Japan today (October 16).

It will film in locations including Tokyo, Sagami Bay and Yokohama until December 3.

Duris stars as Jay, alongside Judith Chemla and Mei Cirne-Masuki. The film sees Jay driving his cab every day through Tokyo in search of his daughter, Lily. Separated for nine years, he has never been able to get custody of her. Just as he’s given up hope of seeing her again and is about to return to France,...

Cohen Media Group has dropped the trailer for Francois Ozon’s drama “Everything Went Fine” ahead of its theatrical release in New York on April 14 and Los Angeles on April 21, followed by a national expansion.

“Everything Went Fine” is based on the autobiographical novel by author Emmanuèle Bernheim who previously collaborated on Ozon’s screenplays for “Under The Sand,” “Swimming Pool” and “Ricky.”

The movie follows 85-year-old art collector André Bernheim (André Dussolier) who, after a debilitating stroke, demands that his daughter Emmanuèle (Sophie Marceau), help him end life on his own terms. Faced with a painful decision, Emmanuèle, with the grudging support of her younger sister Pascale (Géraldine Pailhas), begins sorting through the processes and bureaucratic hurdles necessary to fulfill her father’s final wish, as she is forced to reconcile her past with a complicated, stubborn, yet charismatic man.

Here’s the trailer:

“Everything Went Fine” also stars...

The seasons have changed––spring is here, summer is on the way, and no film out right now better exudes the aura of love in the sunshine than Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s Anaïs in Love. Broke, behind on her rent, and considering breaking up with her boyfriend, thirtysomething Anaïs (Anaïs Demoustier) doesn’t quite know what she wants from life. Struggling to complete her thesis, she wanders aimlessly through the film’s first act––a free spirit with no sense of direction but capable of turning heads and drawing the attention of others wherever she goes. She’s like a manic pixie dream girl without the reductive qualities of the trope. Bourgeois-Tacquet creates in her lead an instantly recognizable portrait of a young woman right at that nexus point where not having your shit figured out is starting to look a little bit uncool.

In comes Daniel (Denis Podalydès), an older...

Cohen Media Group and Curzon have jointly acquired all U.S. and U.K. distribution rights to “Everything Went Fine,” Francois Ozon’s film with Sophie Marceau, which just world-premiered in competition at Cannes and earned a warm critical welcome.

The deal was negotiated by Cmg senior VP Robert Aaronson, Curzon Artificial Eye’s managing director Louisa Dent and Sébasten Beffa and Nicolas Brigaud-Robert at Playtime.

“Everything Went Fine” marks Marceau’s first time working with Ozon, one of France’s most critically laureled helmers. The drama is based Emmanuèle Bernheim’s novel “Everything Went Well” and centers on a woman as she is confronted with her father’s declining health following a stroke. Sick and half-paralyzed in his hospital bed, André asks Emmanuèle to help him end his life. The film explores the father-daughter relationship.

Written and directed by Ozon, “Everything Went Fine” also stars Géraldine Pailhas, Charlotte Rampling,...

Fox Corp. streaming service Tubi has made a deal with Cohen Media Group to put 80 of its film titles on the free, ad-supported platform.

Tubi will have exclusive free streaming rights to classics like Howards End and Daughters Of The Dust. More recent films that are heading to the platform include Agnès Varda and Jr’s documentary collaboration, Faces Places and Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Mustang.

Cohen titles already on Tubi include Maurice with Hugh Grant; Farewell My Queen, starring Diane Kruger and Léa Seydoux; and François Ozon’s Double Lover and The New Girlfriend. The full slate will roll out throughout the month of June.

Fox closed its $440 million acquisition of Tubi last year and has steadily increased its programming offering. It now has 30,000 film and TV titles from more than 250 suppliers.

Tubi reported having 33 million monthly active users as of last fall. It has also said that streaming...

Two boys in a French seaside resort fall fatally in love in a nostalgic coming-of-age tale

This latest from François Ozon, director of such wildly diverse offerings as Sitcom, Under the Sand, 8 Women and The New Girlfriend is a bittersweet saga of love and death, a coming-of-age tale based on Aidan Chambers’s 1982 novel Dance on My Grave. Shifting the setting from Southend-on-Sea to Le Tréport in 1985, it centres on Alex (Félix Lefebvre), a death-obsessed teen in the throes of doomed first love, whose morbidly romantic story plays out with the sensual artfulness of classic Ozon, combined with the accessible vigour of an 80s American teen pic.

We first meet David (Benjamin Voisin) at sea, a beautiful vision riding the waves to rescue the hapless Alex after his little boat capsizes. David takes Alex home to his widowed mum, played with nervy energy by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who undresses...

The director on waiting 35 years to film the perfect gay love story, and how French cinema is coping with Covid

French writer-director François Ozon, 52, is famous for his prodigious output. He directed his first full-length feature, Sitcom, in 1998, and his 19th, Summer of 85, a love story about two teenage boys in a Normandy seaside town, is out in the UK this month. In between, his diverse output includes the musical 8 Women, the retro comedy Potiche, the Ruth Rendell adaptation The New Girlfriend and last year’s By the Grace of God.

What were you doing in the summer of ’85?

What was I doing? I think I went to Spain with a friend – I can’t remember exactly, I’d have to ask my parents. The film was going to be called Summer of 84. I changed the title because of Robert Smith of the Cure. I absolutely wanted to use their song In Between Days,...

François Ozon on By The Grace Of God (Grâce À Dieu): “It was important to show the complexity of all these characters.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

François Ozon’s timely and relevant By The Grace Of God (Grâce À Dieu), shot by Manuel Dacosse (Jean-François Richet’s The Emperor Of Paris) edited by Laure Gardette, and costumes by Pascaline Chavanne, stars Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet and Swann Arlaud with Aurélia Petit, Josiane Balasko, Éric Caravaca, Martine Erhel, François Marthouret, Bernard Verley, Amélie Daure, Hélène Vincent, Max Libert, Nicolas Bauwens, Zuri François, Timi-Joy Marbot, and Zéli Marbot.

Alexandre Guérin (Melvil Poupaud) and François Debord (Denis Ménochet) with Gilles Perret (Éric Caravaca)

In the second half of my in-depth conversation with the director/screenwriter we discuss the complexity of the characters who are struggling to come to grips with memories from the past and the importance of the flashbacks in telling the story.

Paris — Two Cannes Critics’ Week hits – ‘Guy,” “Sauvage” – and Erick Zonca’s comeback, “Black Tide,” are three potential highlights in a still-expanding MyFrenchFilmFestival, French promotion org UniFrance’s annual online selection of French and French-language films.

Unveiling MyFFF’s 2019 edition in Paris on Wednesday, UniFrance also revealed that this year’s ninth edition will bow a TV strand, showcasing espionage thriller “The Bureau,” a recent and game-changing Canal Plus Création Originale. The international filmmakers’ jury – unveiled by UniFrance’s president Serge Toubiana and co-managing director Isabelle Giordano on Wednesday morning at Google’s offices in Paris — comprises Jaco Van Dormael (“The Brand New Testament”), Houda Benyamina (“Divines”), Coralie Fargeat (“Revenge”), Mikhaël Hers (“Amanda”) and Kim Nguyen (“Rebelle”). Citing “Divines” which sold to Netflix, and “Revenge” which was acquired by AMC’s Shudder, Toubiana and Giordano said all the filmmakers on the jury have had a connection with a digital service.

The bravura montage that opens the transgender melodrama “The New Girlfriend” perfectly encapsulates the film’s obsessions with death, sex, and femininity. A pre-Raphaelite blonde is adorned in her wedding regalia — ring, lipstick, dress — then entombed forever in her gold and ivory casket. What follows is the sudden and intense bond between the dead woman’s widower, David (Romain Duris), and her life-long friend, Claire (Anaïs Demoustier). Written and directed by François Ozon (“Swimming Pool,” “8 Women”), “The New Girlfriend” is a delicate figurine: too quaint to feel necessary in the current climate of ever-bolder representations of trans lives, and...

The New Girlfriend (Une nouvelle amie) Cohen Media Group Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: B+ Director: François Ozon Screenwriter: François Ozon from the short story “The New Girlfriend” by Ruth Rendell Cast: Romain Duris, Anäis Demoustier, Raphaël Personnaz, Isild Le Besco, Aurore Clément Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 9/1/15 Opens: September 18, 2015 Every baby needs a mother, but what to do when the mother is out of the picture—maybe imprisoned, drugged, or dead? Dad could take over the job, of course, but some dads go to extremes. In the case of “The New Girlfriend,” director François Ozon, already well known for such previous [ Read More ]

The post The New Girlfriend Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

A new red-band (Nsfw) trailer for Francois Ozon's The New Girlfriend take a subtly erotic approach, baring a little more flesh and turning up the heat exponentially. Our own Kwenton Bellette saw it at the French Film Festival in Australia back in March: Billing itself as a psychological drama, the film follows married woman Claire (the extremely talented Anais Demoustier) who has lost her lifelong friend too early. A chance encounter one day reveals something shocking about her friend's widower, and Claire's passion for life and her refusal to accept her friend's death are driven to unpredictable obsession.It is quickly revealed that aforementioned widower David (Romain Duris) is a cross-dresser. When Claire sees him in her dead friend's clothes she initially dismisses him as deranged and sick....

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

From RedBand.Ca, Sneak Peek restricted 'red band' footage from the dramatic feature "The New Girlfriend", directed by François Ozon, based on the short story of the same name by author Ruth Rendell, opening September 18, 2015:

Cast includes Romain Duris, Anaïs Demoustier, Raphaël Personnaz, Isild Le Besco, Aurore Clément, Jean-Claude Bolle-Reddat, Bruno Perard, Claudine Chatel, Anita Gillier, Alex Fondja and Zita Hanrot.

"...a delectable riff on transformation, desire and sexuality that blends the heightened reality of melodrama with mischievous humor....powered by beautifully controlled performances from Anaïs Demoustier and Romain Duris..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The New Girlfriend"...

As of this article's publication only five countries have announced their official Oscar entries for the 88th Academy Awards: Hungary ("Son of Saul"), Romania ("Aferim!"), Bosnia & Herzegovina ("Our Everyday Life"), Luxembourg ("Baby(A)lone"), and Kazakhstan ("Stranger"). Taking into account last year's record number of submissions, 83 in total, there are certainly a lot more coming in the next few weeks. Several national film organization have already narrowed the field down to a shortlist of films that qualify to be considered, other countries skip the shortlist and simply announce their participant title without revealing what was being considered.

Trying to predict what a particular nation will enter is a tall order because of the numerous factors that weight in, especially when dealing with countries with a large film industry. In other cases, however, there are usually just a couple standouts that meet the standards to be submitted. Whatever the case, even with the most obvious choices there could be surprises such as Indian choosing not to submitting "The Lunchbox" or Chile choosing another film over Silva's "The Maid."

While there is no sure-fie formula to predict what films will be competing for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, by looking at festivals, release dates, national awards, previous submissions, and with a hefty dose of educated speculation, I've put together a list of 35 titles that, at this point, seem like excellent choices.

Update 08/28: Several countries have announced their official submissions: Croatia ("The High Sun"), Germany ("Labyrinth of Lies"), Guatemala ("Ixcanul"), Switzerland ("Iraqi Odyssey"), and Palestine ("The Wanted 18").

Argentina

"The Clan" (El Clan)

Dir. Pablo Trapero

Isa: Film Factory Entertainment

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Argentine Release Date: August 13th, 2015

Coming off the success of this year’s nominee “Wild Tales,” which also did very well at the U.S. box-office for Sony Pictures Classics and became a spectacular hit back home, Argentina seems to have another strong contender this year with Pablo Trapero’s latest work “The Clan” (El Clan). Two of the director’s previous films have been submitted before (“Lion’s Den” and “Carrancho”), and this one about the Puccio family, which was criminal organization that kidnapped and murdered wealthy people, looks more than promising. “The Clan” is also produced by Almodovar’s El Deso, just as Damian Szifron’s “Tales” was. There are several other films that have enough merits to be considered, but might prove insufficient when faced with Trapero’s film. “Refugiado,” “El Patron,” “Two Shots” and, even “Jauaja,” starring Viggo Mortensen, qualify

Brazil

"The Second Mother"

Dir. Anna Muylaert

Isa: The Match Factory

U.S. Distribution: Oscilloscope Pictures

Brazilian Release Date: August 27, 2015

Undoubtedly the most awarded Brazilian film of the year is also their best bet at the Oscars. Anna Muylaert's “The Second Mother” premiered at Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize for both of its leading actresses Regina Casé and Camila Márdila. It went on to screen in the Panorama section of the Berlinale and took home the C.I.C.A.E. Award and the Audience Award. The film tells the story of a live-in housekeeper and his daughter as they navigate the class divisions prevalent in Brazilian society. Another factor in its favor is the fact that the film has secured U.S. distribution thanks to Oscilloscope. “The Second Mother” opens in Brazil on August 27 and, in a strange turn of events, on August 28 in the U.S. While there are plenty of other great Brazilian works that qualify to be submitted, it’s unlikely that the selection committee will look elsewhere. Other films that could have a shot at being chosen are “August Winds,” “Casa Grande.” “Blue Blood,” and “White Out, Black In”

Bulgaria

"The Judgement"

Dir. Stephan Komandarev

Isa: Premium Film

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Bulgarian Release Date: October 16, 2014

Following last year’s scandalous selection of “Bulgarian Rhapsody” over the more deserving “Viktoria,” the Eastern European country has a two-way race in which both candidates have almost equal chances at being chosen. Stephan Komandarev’s drama “The Judgement” is the larger production of the two and revolves around a desperate father trying to amend his relationship with his estrange son. At the same time the protagonist is also trying to make ends meet and decides to take on the dangerous job of smuggling illegal immigrant from Syria through a remote area of the Turkish-Greek-Bulgarian border. The other film is Kristina Grozeva & Petar Valchanov's “The Lesson,” about a devoted teacher who is faced with corrupt bureaucracy after her classroom is burglarized. Winning awards at the Sofia International Film Festival, San Sebastian, Thessaloniki, and screening at Tiff and Rotterdam, “The Lesson” should be the frontrunner. However, “The Judgement” might have the edge not only because it sports a larger budget and wider appeal, but because Komandarev is the filmmaker behind “The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner,” which is the one Bulgarian film that has gotten the closest to Oscar glory when it was shortlisted by the Academy in 2010. Less likely to be selected but still viable possibilities are “Adultery,”"Buffer Zone," and "The Petrov File."

Canada

"Felix & Meira"

Dir. Maxime Giroux

Isa: Urban Distribution International

U.S. Distribution: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Canadian Release Date: January 30th, 2015

As of now Canada’s ideal representative would be the small, but touching, “Felix & Meir,” about a married woman from the Orthodox Jewish community who falls in love with a secular man, as way to know life beyond the restrictions of her faith. This tiny gem won the Best Canadian Feature award at last year’s Tiff and received four awards at the Whistler Film Festival including Best Film and Best Director. “Felix & Meira” was acquired by Oscilloscope for U.S. distribution and was released last April. To date it has grossed nearly $500,00, which, for a subtle and niche film like this, is a great feat. Giroux’ film should take this easily, unless the new film by Oscar-nominated director Philippe Falardeau decides to push for the opportunity. Falardeau newest film “Guibord Goes to War” (Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre) is a political dark comedy that premiered at Locarno and is scheduled to open in Canada on October 2- just two days after AMPAS’ deadline. If the distributor decides to have a one-week qualifying run ahead of the release, then it would become the new frontrunner to represent Canada. However, it’s still unknown if that is being considered or if the film will just wait till next year. Falardeau was nominated in the category for “Monsieur Lazhar” in 2012. “Chorus,” which premiered at Sundance, Berlin’s “Corbo,” Tiff’s “In Her Place,” and the “Les Loups” also qualify.

Chile

"The Club" (El Club)

Dir. Pablo Larraín

Isa: Funny Balloons

U.S. Distribution: Music Box Films

Chilean Release Date: May 28, 2015

With Pablo Larraín’s Silver Bear-winner film, Chile has an easy choice to make. “The Club,” which was recently picked up for U.S. distribution by Music Box Films, has received universal critical acclaimed and has cemented its director as one of the most important figures in Latin American cinema. Larraín’s latest centers on a group of priests and nuns sent to a beach town to purify their sinful pasts involving everything from pedophilia to kidnapping. The only other film that truly stands a chance is Matias Lira's “El Bosque de Karadima,” which deals with similar themes regarding secrecy and crimes against children within the Catholic Church. But even if this film has been well-received at home, “The Club” has had more much more international visibility and it has the distinction of being the newest work from the director behind “No,” Chile’s only Oscar-nominated film to date. Other notable works that will be part of the conversation include historical drama “Allende en su Laberinto” by veteran director Miguel Littin, Rodrigo Sepúlveda’s touching “Aurora," and indie flick “La Voz en Off.”

China

"Mountains May Depart" (山河故人)

Dir. Zhangke Jia

Isa: MK2

U.S. Distribution: Kino Lorber

Chinese Release Date: Unknown

Censorship has always played a role in China’s decision-making process when it comes to their Oscar submissions. Some of the best Chinese films in recent years are never considered given their controversial topics or because they were made outside of the state-run system. Under this circumstances patriotic epics or lavish period dramas are often selected even when their quality is subpar. The country’s big production this year is “The Lady of the Dynasty,” which was a box-office disappointment and garnered mostly negative reviews locally. With this in mind, the hope is that they will finally look at more compelling films with greater international exposure, such as Jia Zhangke’s “Mountains May Depart.” Premiering at Cannes to mostly positive responses, the film looks at Chinese society from three perspectives scattered over three decades. The film has passed the censors' revisions and will be allowed to screen in mainland Chine, which means it’s possible one of Zhangke’s film might finally represent his homeland. His previous effort, “A Touch of Sin,” was ignored because of its thematic elements. Jean-Jacques Annaud’s stunning “Wolf Totem” is a close second choice, but given the fact that China submitted a film by a French director last, they might want to highlight a homegrown talent this time. There is also “Red Amnesia,” a thriller about a widow that compulsively needs to take careof those around her until strange incidents shake her life. Er Cheng’s “The Wasted Times,” which appears to be a delirious visual treat, but it opens just a few days after the September 30th deadline. A qualifying run prior to that date is possible, but not likely. “Mountains May Depart” is definitely the strongest candidate.

Colombia

"Embrace of the Serpent" (El Abrazo de la Serpiente)

Dir. Ciro Guerra

Isa: Films Boutique

U.S. Distribution: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Colombian Release Date: May 25th, 2015

The Colombian film industry has had an outstanding year and that has produced an impressive lineup of films from which their strongest Oscar entry to date will emerge. Three films that screened at the Cannes Film Festival - two of which earned prizes – are at the top of the list. Winning the Art Cinema Award at the Directors’ Fortnight Ciro Guerra’s black-and-white “Embrace of the Serpent” is the one to beat among these trio of art house wonders. Guerra’s film is a period piece about the clash between the native people of the Amazon and a European explorer, which has received stellar reviews and was picked up for U.S. distribution by Oscilloscope. Two of Guerra’s previous films, “Wandering Shadows” and “The Wind Journey,” also represented Colombia at the Academy Awards. Nevertheless, the other films that screen at the Croisette, Golden Camera-winner “Land and Shade” and war drama “Alias Maria,” shouldn’t be completely counted out of the running. Films like Franco Lolli's “Gente de Bien” (Cannes 2014), Josef Wladyka's “Manos Sucias,” "Todos Se Van," and “Ruido Rosa” qualify and testify of the great moment Colombian filmmaking is experiencing, but they will have a difficult time pulling off an upset.

Croatia

"The High Sun" (Zvizdan)

Dir. Dalibor Matanic

Isa: Cercamon

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Croatian Release Date: Septemeber 2015

It’s not often that a Croatian feature manage to grab Cannes’ attention and take home a prestigious award like the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize. “The High Sun” achieved such feat and should be almost a lock to become the country’s Oscar entry. This intense drama, that expands over three decades and explores the Balkan region’s turbulent history, also won 7 awards at the Pula Film Festival including Best Film, Director, Leading Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. If there’s another film with a reasonable shot, it would be Ognjen Svilicic's “These Are the Rules” about a family questioning their moral compass after a violent incident, which did well in the festival circuit winning awards in Venice, Warsaw, Stockholm, and Pula. Svilicic’s 2007 feature “Armin” represented the country at the 80th Academy Awards. “The Bridge at the End of the World,” “Ungiven,” “The Reaper,” “Number 55” are other noteworthy Croatian films released during the past year, but Matanic’s highly praised wok should have no trouble becoming the official entry.

Dominican Republic

"Sand Dollar" (Dólares de Arena)

Dir. Israel Cárdenas & Laura Amelia Guzmán

Isa: FIGa Films

U.S. Distribution: Breaking Glass Pictures

Dominican Release Date: November 13th, 2014

Thanks to a growing film industry, Dominican films have participated every year starting in 2011 after being absent from the race since 1995. Their submissions have included romantic comedies and low-budget crime dramas that weren’t successful at getting AMPAS’ attention. Fortunately, this year they might have their strongest candidate yet with “Sand Dollars.” In Israel Cárdenas & Laura Amelia Guzmán's film starring Geraldine Chaplin, a local girl becomes the object of desire for an older French woman visiting the Caribbean country, influenced by her boyfriend the Dominican beauty decides to take advantage of the foreigner’s interest. “Sand Dollars” has screened at countless festivals around the world winning a handful of awards and has secured U.S. distribution. Guillermo Zouain's road-trip comedy “Algún Lugar” has also been well-received at a couple of international festivals, but is less likely to be picked. “Pueto Pa’ Mí,” a drama about urban music, documentary “Tu y Yo," and biopic “Maria Montez,” might be out of luck. It’s unclear if Agliberto Meléndez political film “Del Color de La Noche,” has premiered yet, so that could a contender next year given that the director was behind the country’s first ever Oscar submission.

Ethiopia

"Lamb"

Dir. Yared Zeleke

Isa: Films Distribution

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Ethiopian Release Date: Unknown

The East African nation has only sent two films for consideration. Last year it was the Angeline Jolie-supported “Difret,” which was part of the World Cinema competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. This year only two films seem to qualify. “Lamb” is the first-ever Ethiopian film to screen at Cannes, which makes it the unquestionable favorite. It’s a rural story about a boy and his beloved sheep moving in with relatives as his mother goes to work in the city. Reviews were positive praising the film’s cinematography and layered storytelling. The other film that could possibly be selected is Hermon Hailay’s “Prince of Love” about a prostitute and a cab driver struggling to get by in the capital city of Addis Ababa. “Prince of Love” represented the country at Fespaco, one of Africa’s most renowned festivals, and will screen at Tiff in September. Ethiopia might choose to send “Lamb” this time around and save Hailay’s feature for next year depending on release date.

Finland

"The Fencer" (Miekkailija)

Dir. Klaus Härö

Isa: The Little Film Company

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Finnish Release Date: March 13th, 2015

Peculiar teen drama “They Have Escaped” won four Jussi Awards from the Finnish Academy earlier this year including Best Film and Best Director; however, it will probably face an uphill battle to become Finland’s Oscar entry. Instead, Estonian-language period piece, “The Fencer,” looks like a more feasible alternative because of its classic story, elegant cinematography, and the director behind it: Klaus Härö. The film tells the story of a young Estonian fencer who leaves his homeland to become a Pe teacher and escape persecution by the Russian authorities in the 1950s. Some critics have gone as far as to call it “the best Finnish film in a decade.” Three of Härö’s previous films (“Elina: As If I Wasn’t There,””Mother of Mine, “ and Letter to Father Jacob) were selected as Oscar entries. The only obstacle in its path is the fact that this is an Estonian story with mostly Estonian dialogue. If the selection committee can overlook that, this will be their pick. Antti Jokinen's “Wildeye,” a visually arresting war drama that opens in September is another strong option, particularly because Jokinen’s previous film, “Purge,” represent the country in 2013. “Absolution,” “Head First,” ”Homecoming,” and “Tsamo” are proof a strong year in Finnish cinema but won’t make the cut.

France

"Dheepan"

Dir. Jacques Audiard

Isa: Wild Bunch

U.S. Distribution: Sundance Selects

French Release Date: August 26th, 2015

Given the amount of films produced in France each year, this is the most difficult country to narrow down. However, this year there is a heavyweight contender among the scores of worthy productions. Surprise Palme d’Or-winner “Deephan” by the Academy Award-nominated director of “A Prophet," Jacques Audiard, is a clear favorite. Audiard is a legend and it’s hard to think France won’t support the film that took home one of cinema’s most coveted prizes. Following the relevant immigrant story of a Sri Lankan warrior in France, “Dheepan” is almost a safe bet. If for some unimaginable reason Audiard’s latest is not chosen, the most likely alternative would be well-received “My Golden Days” by Arnaud Desplechin, which has been picked up for U.S. distribution by Magnolia Pictures. While there are dozens of films that could be considered, here are some other important French films that qualify based on their release dates: “Girlhood,” “Standing Tall,” “The Measure of Man,” “The New Girlfriend,” “Valley of Love,” “Eden,”"The Connection."

Germany

"Labyrinth of Lies" (Im Labyrinth des Schweigens)

Dir. Giulio Ricciarelli

Isa: Beta Cinema

U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

German Release Date: November 6th, 2014

After an 8-film shortlist was released, - which sadly doesn’t include “Phoenix” because it opened late last September – things look pretty clear for the German selection committee. It’s really a 3-film race between “13 Minutes,” Labyrinth of Lies,” and “Victoria.” Unfortunately, and despite incredibly positive reviews, Sebastian Schipper's “Victoria” might be considered a risky choice because a big part of it is in English. That leaves Oliver Hirschbiegel’s “13 Minutes,” about a man who tried to assassinate Hitler in 1939. On the surface this looks like the prime title to send to AMPAS since Hirschbiegel’s “Downfall” earned him a nomination and he has worked in Hollywood for several years now. Yet, reception wasn’t as warm for his first German film in a decade. On the other “Labyrinth of Lies,” which deals with Post-World War II Germany and how the government tried to cover up its recent Nazi past, had better luck. Critical reception has been better for this film and it was a financial success in Germany and France, which gives the edge. Both “13 Minutes” and “Labyrinth of Lies” were acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for U.S. distribution. The complete list of shortlisted films can be found Here

Greece

"Xenia" (Ξενία)

Dir. Panos H. Koutras

Isa: Pyramide International

U.S. Distribution: Strand Releasing

Greek Release Date: October 2nd, 2014

Although it’s not an official rule, Greece almost-automatically selects the winner of the Best Film Prize at the Hellenic Film Awards as their Oscar submissions. This year’s winner was the Lgbt dramedy “Xenia,” which follows two Albanian brothers searching for their Greek father after their mother’s death. The film was nominated for 15 Hellenic Film Awards and won a total of six. “Xenia” premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival and will be released in the U.S. in October by Strand Releasing. I can’t see any other film being selected other than Koutras’ Almodovar-infused film, but if that were the case the other Best Film nominees – that meet AMPAS requirements- would be the ones to look to: “Electra,” “A Blast,” and “Forever.”

Guatemala

"Ixcanul"

Dir. Jayro Bustamante

Isa: Film Factory Entertainment

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Guatemalan Release Date: August 27th, 2015

This is a no-brainer. Guatemala has only sent a film once back in 1994, but this year director Jayro Bustamante delivered the most awarded Guatemalan film in history. That should be a good enough reason to enter the race once again. “Ixcanul” won the Alfred Bauer Award at the Berlinale and has screened across the world to great success. Bustamante’s film centers on a Mayan girl who wants to escape the arrange marriage that awaits her to see what’s beyond her village. Another Guatemalan film, which also screened in Berlin, Edgar Sajcabún's “La Casa Más Grande del Mundo,” will probably not open theatrically in time and should be considered next year.

Iceland

"Rams" (Hrútar)

Dir. Grímur Hákonarson

Isa: New Europe Film Sales

U.S. Distribution: Cohen Media Group

Icelandic Release Date: May 28th, 2015

Two middle-aged brothers in an Icelandic rural town leave their differences behind and come together to save their beloved farm animals in the Un Certain Regard Award-winner “Rams.” With such recognition under its belt and having just been picked for U.S. distribution by Cohen Media Group, Grímur Hákonarson's film is certainly the handsomest choice. Still, “Rams” is not without a strong rival. Crowd-pleaser “Virgin Mountain,” about a lonely man whose life changes when he meets a new friend, had its U.S. premiere at the Tribecca Film Festival where it won three awards: Best Narrative Feature, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. It could go either way, but the Cannes prestige and having found a U.S. distributor give “Rams” the upper hand. Iceland produced several qualifying features this year including “Brave Men’s Blood,” “East of the Mountain, “ and “The Homecoming.”

Iran

"Muhammad: The Messenger of God"

Dir. Majid Majidi

PC: Nourtaban Film Industry

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Iranian Release Date: August 26, 2015

Iran will have to make an incredibly difficult decision that unfortunately may have political repercussions. Majid Majidi’s latest film “Muhammad: The Messenger of God” is the most expense Iranian feature ever made. The historical epic brings to life the early years of the prophet's life with impressive locations, costumes, and cinematography courtesy of Three-time Oscar-winner Vittorio Storaro. Majidi himself is no stranger to the Academy having earned Iran’s first-ever Academy Award nomination with “Children of Heaven.” Taking these facts into consideration, “Muhammad” seems to be the obvious selection, but there are many religious and political concerns that could get in its way. Islam prohibits the depiction of the prophet and other sacred figures in any artistic work. Knowing this, Majidi shot the entire film - which is the first part in what’s to become a trilogy – without ever showing the prophet’s face by shooting most scenes from his point of view or showing him with his back to the camera. This was acceptable for Iran’s censors, as the film will open this week in theaters across the Middle Eastern country. However, other Muslim countries, particularly Sunni Muslims, have been outspoken about their discontent with the film. Whether Iran will still choose to submit the film to AMPAS is a mystery, but it will certainly have more to do with outside influences rather than artistic merit. “Muhammad” will have its North American premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival.

“Nahid” by Ida Panahandeh, about a woman’s journey from divorce to remarrying, won the Avenir Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, but - although censors have said the film will be allowed the screen in Iran - it might not open theatrically in time. It also deals with a controversial subject and that might limit it chances. A third, and much safer option, is romantic drama “What’s the Time in Your World?” starring Leila Hatami (“A Speration”) and Ali Mosaffa (“The Past”). Directed by Safi Yazdanian, the film looks beautifully done and sports two of the most talented Iranian actors working today. It could definitely be a good alternative. Other films include “Borderless,” “Track 143,” "Tales” and “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” Perhaps Iran will ignore the risk and submit their most lavish film to date by one of their most celebrated filmmakers who still works within the state’s parameters.

Israel

"The Kind Words" (Ha'milim ha'tovot )

Dir. Shemi Zarhin

Isa: Beta Cinema

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Israeli Release Date: May 28, 2015

With 12 nominations to Israel’s Ophir Awards, “The Kind Words” including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress Shem Zarhin’s film is the one to beat. Since the winner of the Ophir Award for Best Film automatically becomes Israel’s Oscar submission, “The Kind Words” has a strong shot at both honors. The film follows a group of siblings as they travel abroad to uncover a secret. By default the other contenders are the rest of the films nominated for Best Film: “Wounded Land,” ”Afterthought,” “Wedding Doll,” and “Baba Joon.” Of this Elad Keidan's “Afterthought,” which premiered at Cannes to positive reviews, and Erez Tadmor's intense drama “Wounded Land” appear to be the strongest alternatives. Despite being nominated several times Israel has never won the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.

Italy

"My Mother" (Mia Madre)

Dir. Nanni Moretti

Isa: Films Distribution

U.S. Distribution: Alchemy

Italian Release Date: April 16th, 2015

Nanni Moretti is back with “Mia Madre,” a new family drama that screened in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and won a few awards at the Italian David di Donatello Awards. Since the big winner at the national awards, “Black Souls,” was considered last year, Moretti’s film is the frontrunner. However, there is a wild card that could change things. Veteran filmmaker Marco Bellocchio will release his newest work “Blood of My Blood,” a historical drama about a 17th century woman accused of being a witch, on September 9 - just in time to qualify. It’s likely that Moretti will have enough support to pull it off, but there is still a chance that might not be set in stone. Besides these two films there is Mario Martone’s “Leopardi,” a biopic about poet Giacomo Leopardi, which won several David di Donatello Awards and was also recognized in Venice. With even less possibilities are Sundance’s “Cloro,” “Greenery Will Bloom Again,” and Albanian-language “Sworn Virgin,”

Ivory Coast

"Run"

Dir. Philippe Lacôte

PC: Banshee Films

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Ivorian Release Date: December 17th, 2014

The first and only time a film represent Ivory Coast at the Oscars was back in 1977. That film, “Black and White in Color,” won the first and only Academy Award attributed to a Sub-Saharan African country. Nevertheless, that landmark work was directed by a Frenchmen, Jean-Jacques Annaud, and had mostly French talent in the leading roles. Now, almost 40 years later, an actual Ivorian film looks presents a fantastic opportunity for the country to return to the race. Philippe Lacote’s political drama “Run” screened in the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes 2014, Tiff, and AFI Fest, and later opened commercially in Abidjan, the Ivorian Capital, and Paris. Ivory Coast has only one eligible film to submit as their Oscar entry, and fortunately it’s a good one.

Japan

"Our Little Sister" (海街 diary)

Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda

Isa: Wild Bunch

U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

Japanese Release Date: June 13th, 2015

Japan hasn’t had a successful entry since unexpectedly winning the award in 2009 with “Departures.” Their selections are often baffling because they tend to ignore festival winners and critically acclaimed films to pick obscure titles that rarely connect with voters. In recent years outstanding films such as “Like Father, Like Son” have been overlooked. Having said this, one can only hope that this time around they will chose more wisely. This year another film by Hirokazu Koreeda, “Our Little Sister,” debuted at Cannes and has been picked up for U.S. distribution by Sony Pictures Classic – a powerhouse distributor in the Best Foreign Language Film race. Based on a manga series, the film revolves around a group of young women who decide to adopt their stepsister after their father dies. “Our Little Sister” was also a financial success in its homeland. Even with all these positive qualities on its side, Japan might refuse to submit Koreeda’s film and look elsewhere. Other options from the festival circuit include Naomi Kawase's “An- Sweet Red Bean Paste,” which less positive reviews; “Journey to the Shore,” though it opens on October 1; “Kabukicho Love Hotel,” which screened at Tiff last year, and “Cape Nostalgia.”

Jordan

"Theeb" (ذيب)

Dir. Naji Abu Nowar

Isa: Fortissimo Films

U.S. Distribution: Film Movement

Jordanian Release Date: March 19th, 2015

In 2008 Jordan submitted their first-ever Oscar submission, and the first feature film made in the country in half a century. That film, “Captain Abu Raed,” did very well in festivals like Sundance and Dubai. Since then, Jordanian cinema has been scarce forcing the country to be absent from the race. That could change this year with “Theeb” by UK-born filmmaker Naji Abu Nowar. His period piece about a Bedouin boy during World War I has played at numerous festivals and will have a U.S. theatrical release via Film Movement.

Lithuania

"The Summer of Sangailé" (Sangaile)

Dir. Alanté Kavaïté

Isa: Films Distribution

U.S. Distribution: Strand Releasing

Lithuanian Release Date: August 21st, 2015

The Sundance Film Festival screened its first-ever Lithuanian feature this past January, “The Summer of Sangailé” by Alanté Kavaïté. This Lgbt coming-of-age story showcases captivating cinematography and nuanced performances. “Sangailé” went on to win the Directing Award in the World Cinema Competition at the Park City festival. It will also become one of the very few Lithuanian films to have been distributed in the U.S. when Strand Releasing schedules its theatrical release. Being the most awarded narrative film from the Baltic nation, it should be a shoo-in. "Sangailé" also won three Silver Crane Awards (Lithuanian Oscars): Best Film, Best Actress for Julija Steponaityte and best set design for Ramunas Rastauskas. Its only realistic adversary is the documentary “Master and Tatyana,” which won the Best Documentary, Best Director, and Best Cinematography prizes at the Silver Crane. Lithuania has shown to be fond of submitting documentaries, but one could presume that “Sangaile’s” wider international appeal will help it succeed.

Mexico

"The Thin Yellow Line" (La Delgada Línea Amarilla)

Dir. Celso R. García

Isa: Latido Films

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Mexican Release Date: Unknown

Among the 14 films that the Mexican Academy announced as candidates to become the official Oscar submission, only a handful of them have a real chance at representing Mexico. It’s really a three-way race between “600 Miles,” “La Tirisia,” and “The Thin Yellow Line.” Each of these has distinctive assets as well as factors that could play against them. Gabriel Ripstein's “600 Miles” stars Tim Roth, which could be beneficial because Academy voters would see a familiar face on screen. At the same time Roth’s participation means that there is a considerable amount of English dialogue that could make the film feel less authentic when considered as a “foreign language film” representing a country. Then there is Jorge Pérez Solano's art house marvel, “La Tirisia,” about the role of women in a very traditional Mexican community. This is a film that truly showcases an unseen aspect of Mexican culture and has garnered international recognition, but it might be too small in scope to be selected.

Lastly, “The Yellow Thin Line,” which was awarded at the Guadalajara Film Festival but hasn’t travel much. It will screen at the Chicago International Film Festival in October. “The Thin Yellow Line” tells the story of a group of men working on a deserted road as they are forced to come to terms with their yearnings and failures. The premise seems unique; the cast includes some of Mexico’s most recognizable talents, and it’s partly produced my Guillermo del Toro. That last fact is what could set the film apart from the rest because the general public and Academy voters will be intrigued to see what was it about this story that interested Del Toro, who hasn’t been involved in a Mexican project in several years. It’s a tough race, but having someone like the “Pan’s Labyrinth’s” director supporting the film could be a deal breaker.

Peru

"The Vanished Elephant" (El Elefante Desaparecido)

Dir. Javier Fuentes-León

Isa: Mundial

U.S. Distribution: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Peruvian Release Date: October 9th, 2015

Javier Fuentes-Leon’s “The Vanished Elephant” premiered at last year’s Tiff and was also part of this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival making it the highest profile Peruvian film of the year. At home, the critical response was very positive and the quality of the film, in comparison to other Peruvian works released in the last 12 months, is undeniable. “The Vanished Elephant” tells the cryptic story of a writer whose girlfriend disappears without a trace. After receiving a series of strange photographs, he delves into deceitful conspiracy that defies the lines between reality and fiction. Fuentes-Leon debut feature “Undertow” was submitted to the Academy back in 2010. Enrica Perez’ “Climas” about three Peruvian women from different walks of life and Héctor Gálvez forensic mystery “Nn” have both screened at several international festivals, and though they are much smaller film’s than “The Vanished Elephant,”either of them could be the next best choice to become Peru’s Oscar entry. Less likely titles include “Videophilia,” “Solos,” and historical drama “Gloria del Pacífico.”

The Philippines

"Trap" (Taklub)

Dir. Brillante Mendoza

Isa: Films Distribution

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Filipino Release Date: Unknown

Brillante Mendoza is one the Philippines most acclaimed auteurs and yet none of his films have ever been selected to represent the Southeast Asian nation at the Oscars. His latest work, “Trap,” won Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury at Cannes and it’s the prime contender to travel to L.A. this year. “Trap” follows a group of survivors soon after Typhoon Haiyan devastated a great part of the country. The film stars Filipino actress Nora Aunor, who also the lead in Mendoza’s “Thy Womb,” which was the Filipino entry at the Golden Globes a couple years back. Given that Mendoza’s work has never been selected, there is a chance he might miss out once more. If that happens, the film that could benefit is Paul Soriano's Manny Pacquiao biopic titled “Kid Kulafo,” which would evidently ring a bell with Americans. Other films to be considered include “Justice,” also starring Aunor, “Crocodile,” or even lighthearted comedy “English Only, Please.”

Russia

"Sunstroke"

Dir. Nikita Mikhalkov

Isa: Wild Bunch

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Russian Release Date: October 4th, 2014

Even after winning the Golden Globe and being nominated for an Academy Awards, Andrey Zvyagintsev “Leviathan” couldn’t get the Best Film award from the Russian Academy. Instead, they decided to bestow that honor on veteran filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov's period piece "Sunstroke.” This is the type of film that Russia loves to submit: patriotic, historical, and epic. Even though last year the Russian selection committee showed they could overlook their political agenda to ensure the best film represented the country, this year they will go back to their old ways. This is not to say “Sunstroke” is a bad film, as hardly anyone outside of Russia has seen, but it does mean that other more daring offers like Yuriy Bykov's festival darling “The Fool” and Aleksey German's “Under Electric Clouds" have little hope at becoming the country’s entry and getting the exposure that comes with it. Mikhalkov won the Oscar in for “Burnt by the Sun” in 1995 and was nominated again for "12" in 2008, which means he will be hard to beat this year. "The Fool" would be a much more interesting selection but its story about a regular citizen fighting the corrupt system might prove too controversial. There is also another war epic titled "Batalion" by Dmitriy Meskhiev, which could pull off a surprise.

Serbia

"Enclave" (Enklava)

Dir. Goran Radovanovic

PC: Nana Filam

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Serbian Eelease Date: March 19, 2015

Serbia’s 6-film shortlist includes worlds that deal with a variety of subjects, from the recurrent tales of war and its aftermath, triumphant sports stories, and even the peculiar case of a boy who grew up wild in the woods. Of all these possibilities, the film that seems to have the most gravitas is Goran Radovanovic's “Enclave,” a film about the ethnic divide in Kosovo and the atrocities that perpetuates. This is definitely not the film with the most international exposure, but the story might be enough to warrant its submission. Films that deal with similar issues like, “Circles,” have been previous selected. But the Serbian committee wants to stay away from both war and sports dramas, they might go with Vuk Rsumovic “No One’s Child” which did very well at a few festivals including Venice and Palm Springs. It could either way. Original comedy "Monument to Michael Jackson" could also be a more lighthearted choice. The shortlist is completed by "We Will Be the World Champions"," The Man Who Defended Gavrilo Princip," and "The Disobedient" (Sundance 2014).

Spain

"Ma Ma"

Dir. Julio Medem

Isa: Seville International

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Spanish Release Date: September 11, 2015

For a long time I had hope that Spain would find a loophole and submit their most honored film at this year’s Goya Awards, “Marshland” (La Isla Minima), but that seems like a farfetched hope now. Luckily, another film that looks like a winner will be released just in time. “Ma Ma” directed by Julio Medem and starring Academy Award-winner Penelope Cruz has Oscar written all over it. Cruz plays a mother diagnosed with cancer and whose ferocious battle with the disease will reinvigorate her love for life. The actress also served as a producer in what has become one of the most anticipated films of the year. The only films that could challenge are coming-of-ager “A Cambio de Nada” and Basque-language drama “Loreak.” The former appears to be feel-good story that might seem slight in comparison to both “Ma Ma” and “Loreak,” which deals with a woman who starts receiving flowers from a mysterious sender. “Magical Girl” is a brilliantly twisty film, but being so edgy it will probably be considered to risky for the Oscar race. Penelope Cruz’ star power will decide this race.

Sweden

"A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence" (En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron)

Dir. Roy Andersson

Isa: Coproduction Office (Paris)

U.S. Distribution: Magnolia Pictures

Swedish Release Date: November 14th, 2014

The two previous chapters sin Andersson’s trilogy about being human were submitted to AMPAS, and even if they didn’t get a nomination, it’s hard to imagine them not submitting “A Pigeon.” The film has been critically acclaimed and it won the Golden Lion at last year’s Venice Film festival. Furthermore, it has already been released in the U.S. by Magnolia, the company that handled last year’s Swedish submission, “Force Majeure.” While I’d love to see Andersson be selected, there are several other films that could prevent that from happening. Kay Pollack, who earned Sweden’s most recent nomination for “As It Is in Heaven,” has a new film opening in early September titled “Heaven on Earth.” Depending on how that film is received the tables may or may not turn. The third strongest option is the romantic costume drama “Gentlemen,” which won several awards from the Swedish Academy and has already been picked up for U.S. distribution by, of course, Magnolia. Smaller, yet worthy candidates, include “My Skinny Sister” and “Flocking,” both of which premiered in Berlin.

Switzerland

"Vanity" (La Vanité)

Dir. Lionel Baier

Isa: Wide

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Swiss Release Date: September 2, 2015

Out of the 7 films shortlisted by the Swiss, the one that immediately stands out is dark comedy “Vanity.” The film just premiered at Locarno and it stars Spanish actress, and one of Almodovar’s favorites, Carmen Maura, as well as Patrick Lapp. Although the film deals with suicide, the approach seems to be very comedic. In a list of several obscure titles, “Vanity” should come out on top. A second option could be Stina Werenfels' “Dora or the Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents,” which screened in Berlin’s Panorama section and tells the story of a mentally disabled woman discovering her sexuality. “War” by Simon Jaquemet, about a rebellious teenager, had some festival play as well but is less likely to be chosen. The other four titles in the shortlist are: “Pause,” doc “Iraqi Odyssey,” “Chubby,” and “L’oasis des mendiants.”

Taiwan

"The Assassin" (聶隱娘)

Dir. Hsiao-hsien Hou

Isa: Wild Bunch

U.S. Distribution: Well Go USA Entertainment

Taiwanese Release Date: August 28th, 2015

There is really no race here. “The Assassin” will be Taiwan’s entry almost certainly. Winner of the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival and clearly one of the best reviewed films of the year, this martial arts epic, which is said to showcase marvelous imagery, should be consider a strong contender. I can’t see Taiwan not choosing the film, but there are still other films that could be considered. Of those the most viable, but very distant, second choice could be Tso-chi Chang's “Thanatos, Drunk,” which was awarded in Berlin and received six prizes at the Taipei Film Festival. The film revolves around to brothers in Taipei trying to find jobs.

Thailand

"Cemetery of Splendor" (รักที่ขอนแก่น)

Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Isa: The Match Factory

U.S. Distribution: Strand Releasing

Thai Release Date: Unknown

It was a great year for Thai art house cinema, which means the country has several prominent titles to choose from. Strangely enough, even when there are films with international recognition, Thailand often decides to submit a quirky romantic comedy or a random horror film. The reasons behind their selections are unknown. Still, assuming that they will pay attention to their most respected filmmakers, the number one choice should be "Cemetery of Splendor." However, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's films are not as well liked in his homeland are they are abroad, but it seems irrational for them not consider the film. It might be too abstract for AMPAS’ taste, but it’s still the most prestigious work. Other possibilities include “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)," which is partially in English, “The Blue Hours” (Berlin’s Panorama), and Rotterdam’s “Vanishing Point.” Of course, there are scores of more commercial titles from which the committee might pick.

Turkey

"Mustang"

Dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Isa: Kinology

U.S. Distribution: Cohen Media Group

Turkish Release Date: Unknown

Last year Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Palme d’Or-winning film “Winter Sleep” failed to receive a nomination, perhaps due to it’s length and cerebral screenplay. This year another title out of Cannes shows more promise. “Mustang” tells the story of five sisters living in a small village and subjected to the sexist prejudices of the townspeople. With extensive festival play and in the hands of Cohen Media Group - the company behind this year’s nominee “Timbuktu" - Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s film is the ideal pick. Sundance’s “Ivy” by Tolga Karaçelik, about a group of men trapped aboard a ship could definitely be a top contender. Kutlug Ataman's “Kuzu,” winner of the C.I.C.A.E. Award in Berlin’s Panorama section would be the third most likely film to represent Turkey at the Oscars. Lastly, “The Miracle,” a romantic period piece, is a large local production that could be considered, but lacks the festival exposure of the other three.

Venezuela

"Gone With the River" (Dauna, Lo que lleva el río)

Dir. Mario Crespo

Isa: Centro Nacional Autonomo de Cinematografía

U.S. Distribution: None Yet

Venezuelan Release Date: March 20, 2015

With Alberto Arvelo’s “The Liberator,” the South American nation got as close as it’s ever been to Oscar glory this year. The biopic about Simón Bolívar starring Edgar Ramírez managed to become one of the 9 shortlisted finalists out of 83 submissions. Venezuela has several options to submit for the 88th Academy Awards, but they are much smaller in magnitude on this occasion. Appearing at the NATIVe sidebar of the Berlinale, “Dauna, lo que lleva el río” or “ Gone with the River” is the most important Venezuelan film of the year and gives voice to the country’s indigenous people by telling story that rarely gets seen on screen. On the other hand, the film “3 Beauties,” about another of Venezuelan’s most well-known obsessions, beauty pageants, has received critical praise at home but it seems to be a lighter satirical comedy. Their Oscar entry could be either one of the two, but I think they will go with the more socially relevant story. A smaller film, “Espejos,” could be part of the conversation but is possibilities are very limited.

The 2015 Outfest Los Angeles Lgbt Film Festival ran July 9-19, closing Sunday with Francois Ozon's gender-bending melodrama “The New Girlfriend," starring Romain Duris and Anais Demoustier. The festival gives out audiences awards and three juries voted on shorts, narrative features and documentary awards (I voted on the doc jury). Read More: John Cameron Mitchell Gets Outfest Achievement Award. The Outfest Los Angeles 2015 Award Winners are listed below: Read More: Outfest 2015 Lineup has Nick Jonas, Christine Vachon, 'Beaver Trilogy' and More. Audience Awards: Documentary Short A Place in the Middle, Directed by Dean Hamer Dramatic Short The Letter, Directed by Angeles Cruz Documentary Feature The Glamour and the Squalor, Directed by Marq Evans Dramatic Feature Fourth Man Out, Directed by Andrew Nackman First Us Dramatic Feature Those People, Directed by Joey Kuhn Grand Jury Awards Documentary Feature Special Recognition For Excellence in Filmmaking we award a...

Parvez Sharma’s pilgrimmage to Mecca shot on an iPhone picked up a prize as the Lgbt festival in Los Angeles came to a close on Sunday night.

2015 Outfest ran from July 9-19 and closed with François Ozon’s The New Girlfriend.

Audience Awards

Dramatic Feature

Fourth Man Out, dir Andrew Nackman

Documentary Feature

The Glamour And The Squalor, dir Marq Evans

First Us Dramatic Feature

Those People, dir Joey Kuhn

Documentary Short

A Place In The Middle, dir Dean Hamer

Dramatic Short

The Letter, dir Angeles Cruz

Grand Jury Awards

Citations appear below as formulated by the juries

Documentary Feature Special Recognition

For Excellence in Filmmaking we award a Special Jury mention to Tchindas, a masterfully crafted intimate portrait of the courageous Cape Verdian trans community

Documentary Feature Winner

We award Best Documentary Feature to A Sinner In Mecca for gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma’s daring iPhone journey of acceptance into the heart of Islam.

Actor...

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.

"A love story for the modern age." Cohen Media Group has debuted the official Us trailer for the upcoming release of François Ozon latest film, The New Girlfriend, starring Romain Duris, Anaïs Demoustier and Raphaël Personnaz. This first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year, and also played at the London, Stockholm, Zurich, Hong Kong, Seattle, Glasgow, and Montclair Film Festivals. The story follows a woman who discovers her late friend's husband, played by Romain Duris (seen in The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Mood Indigo, Chinese Puzzle), likes to dress like a woman. It looks like an interesting film, almost like something from Xavier Dolan or Wong Kar Wai, with beautiful cinematography and vivid performances. Here's the official Us trailer for François Ozon's The New Girlfriend, in high def from Apple: Claire (Anais Demoustier) discovers a secret about the husband of her late best friend, Laura. Following Laura's death,...

Francois Ozon likes to change things up from project to project, and his last few films have seen him move from broad stylish comedy "Potiche" to intense erotic drama "Young & Beautiful," and now to the playful and psychological "The New Girlfriend." And the first U.S. trailer for the film has arrived. Read More: Tiff Review: Francois Ozon's 'The New Girlfriend' Starring Romain Duris & Anaise Demoustier Romain Duris, Anaïs Demoustier, and Raphaël Personnaz star in the movie about a woman who reaches out to comfort her dead friend's widowed husband, only to discover a shocking secret. Here's the official synopsis: Claire (rising French star Anais Demoustier) discovers a secret about the husband of her late best friend, Laura. Following Laura's death, Claire reaches out to comfort bereaved David (Romain Duris), only to discover his secret: he enjoys dressing as a woman. In acclaimed writer-director Francois Ozon’s...

The prolific François Ozon's latest feature is so Gallic in tone that it comes as a surprise to learn it is actually adapted from a Ruth Rendell story. The New Girlfriend begins superbly. It is not just the visual inventiveness that impresses but the sheer narrative economy. In a matter of only minutes, we've had a funeral of a beautiful woman followed by flashbacks which give us the entire history of her life. Her grief-stricken husband (Romain Duris) and her best friend Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) react in a very surprising way to her death.

★★★★☆ François Ozon's cinematic eye yet again shines very distinctively in The New Girlfriend (2014). He returns to familiar thematic stomping grounds: the rules of gender and identity, immanent sexuality and the propriety of certain constructions of family life. Ozon has always been able to craft sleek, tongue-in-cheek films that span a number of genres. In The New Girlfriend viewers are given a piece that walks the tightrope between drama and comedy, thriller and thinkpiece. This is a film that artfully ponders the process of grief while also finding rebirth from within. Its an emotionally complex cannonball that is immensely watchable.

Ahead of the UK release of The New Girlfriend, Francois Ozon and Romain Duris made the trip to London to discuss their latest film. Now bearded, Duris was clearly back on the masculine side of the spectrum, but both were keen to explore the significance of the film's gender politics and what they mean for France today.TwitchFilm: You've adapted a number of books, including The New Girlfriend. How do you chose which ones to adapt?Francois Ozon: I choose stories that stimulate my imagination. When they make me want to see those characters on screen. When the idea of creating it in terms of mise-en-scene excites me. But it takes a long time to know for certain. It takes time for me to know how to...

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Festival organisers announced its gala screenings ahead of the Los Angeles event set to run from July 9-19.

Tig is a documentary about stand-up comedienne Tig Notaro who became an overnight sensation when she turned her cancer diagnosis into a stand-up set. François Ozon’s melodrama The New Girlfriend closes the festival.

Additional gala screenings include Sebastián Silva’s Berlin Teddy Award winner and Us Dramatic Centerpiece Nasty Baby starring Silva and Kristin Wiig as well as Alanté Kavaïté’s Sundance selection and International Centerpiece The Summer Of Sangaile.

Peter Greenaway’s Eisenstein In Guanajuato is also an International Centerpiece and the Documentary Centerpieces are Best Of Enemies by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon and Malcolm Ingram’s Out To Win.

“This year’s gala selections underline the fact that our community is empowered openly identifying as Lgbt,” said Outfest interim executive director Christopher Racster.

“The programme truly represents Outfest’s commitment to use the power of film...

Outfest, the nation’s largest Lgbt film festival, announced its 2015 gala screenings Thursday. The Festival will open with “Tig,” a documentary about comedian Tig Notaro, who turned her cancer diagnosis into a stand-up comedy set. Co-starring Sarah Silverman, Zach Galifianakis and Louis C.K, it will screen at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on July 9. The Film Festival will close on July 19 with a screening of “The New Girlfriend,” a melodrama by Francois Ozon. Also Read: Outfest's Kirsten Schaffer Joins Women in Film as Executive Director Other gala screenings include Sebastian Silva‘s Berlin Teddy Award winner “Nasty Baby,...

Chicago – Friday, May 1st, kicks off one of 2015 Chicago’s most special events, the Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) – a film festival as programmed by the members of the Chicago Film Critics Association. The place to be is at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, and the titles included are an exciting batch of movies making their premiere here.

Many of the films had their world premiere at festivals like Sundance, Toronto and South X Southwest, and HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the best of the festival, and offer this preview of the kick-off weekend. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald) – to indicate the author – or encapsulates the official synopsis from the festival.

Be sure to check back with HollywoodChicago.com on Monday, when we finish our preview of the festival by looking ahead to the weekday schedule,...

Courtesy of the San Francisco Film Society.

The New Girlfriend

Written & Directed by François Ozon

France, 2014

The latest from prolific French auteur François Ozon opens on a somber note as Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) recounts her lifelong friendship with the deceased Laura (Isild Le Besco), whose untimely death has left her grieving husband David (Romain Duris) alone with their infant daughter. Shortly after the funeral, Claire checks in on the widower and finds him all made up, wearing Laura’s dress and a blonde wig to boot. Promising not to tell her husband Gilles (Raphaël Personnaz) about David’s cross-dressing, Claire finds herself entering uncharted territory with her late friend’s husband and no one to confide in. Beautifully shot with an eye for the little details that we associate with femininity, the film is as much an exploration of the rituals and meanings of female friendships as it is of gender,...

Ten films in today's MPAA ratings bulletin and ten R-ratings beginning with Todd Haynes' Carol starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, which will be heading to Cannes before hitting theaters later this year, most likely late as I expect the Weinsteins to milk this one, especially if it plays well on the Croisette. We also have Seth MacFarlane's Ted 2, which, unsurprisingly, received and R-rating, alongside a slew of smaller features including Results starring Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders; Samba starring Omar Sy and Charlotte Gainsbourg and Robert Duvall's Wild Horses, which Duvall directed and stars in alongside James Franco, Josh Hartnett, Luciana Duvall, Adriana Barraza and Jim Parrack. Check out the complete bulletin below. Carol Rated R For a scene of sexuality/nudity and brief language. Release Date: TB 2015 In The Courtyard Rated R For drug use and language. Last Shift Rated R For bloody horror violence,...

Title: Une Nouvelle Amie (The New Girl Friend) Director: François Ozon Starring:Romain Duris, Anaïs Demoustier, Raphaël Personnaz, Isild Le Besco Francois Ozon’s humorous psychological drama ‘Une Nouvelle Amie’ (intended as the new female friend) explores the complexity of sexuality, transcending stereotypes. ‘The New Girl Friend’ adapts a Ruth Rendell short story where Ozon plays freely with gender cliches, to suggest that the male-female dichotomy is only an abstract concept. Anaïs Demoustier stars as Claire, a young woman whose closest friend since childhood, Laura (Isilde Le Besco), passes away leaving behind a husband, David (Romain Duris) and their newborn baby Lucie. One day she drops by David’s house unexpectedly, and finds [ Read More ]

The post Une Nouvelle Amie (The New Girl Friend) Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

The New Girlfriend continues director Francoise Ozon's investigations into womanhood and fragmented social mores. His prior work, the epic Young & Beautiful and to an extent In The House were attempts to depict sexuality in different socio-political spheres and generations, but with his latest film, these ideals are as transparent as ever.Billing itself as a psychological drama, the film follows married woman Claire (the extremely talented Anais Demoustier) who has lost her lifelong friend too early. A chance encounter one day reveals something shocking about her friend's widower, and Claire's passion for life and her refusal to accept her friend's death are driven to unpredictable obsession.It is quickly revealed that aforementioned widower David (Romain Duris) is a cross-dresser. When Claire sees him in her dead...

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Exclusive: Deals with Wild Bunch, Memento, Submarine include doc The Seventh Fire, presented by Terrence Malick.

UK distributor Metrodome has finalised deals on five titles out of the European Film Market (Efm) (Feb 5-13) in Berlin, including well-received Berlinale Special documentary The Seventh Fire and Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s drama Evolution from Wild Bunch.

Jack Pettibone Riccobono’s documentary The Seventh Fire, about the unseen world of Native American criminal gangs, is executive produced by Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and presented by Terrence Malick.

The deal was negotiated between Metrodome’s TV and new media manager Ella Field and Wide House’s Anais Clanet with Metrodome planning a theatrical release in late 2015.

Interview: Jack Pettibone Riccobono (dir), Shane Slattery-Quintanilla (pro)

From Wild Bunch, Metrodome inked a deal for Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s (Innocence) follow-up fantasy horror Evolution, which stars Max Brebant and Roxane Duran.

Evolution charts the story of a quiet seaside village where boys are forced to undergo...

Exclusive: Deals with Wild Bunch, Memento, Submarine include doc The Seventh Fire, presented by Terrence Malick.

UK distributor Metrodome has finalised deals on five titles out of the European Film Market (Efm) (Feb 5-13) in Berlin, including well-received Berlinale Special documentary The Seventh Fire and Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s drama Evolution from Wild Bunch.

Jack Pettibone Riccobono’s documentary The Seventh Fire, about the unseen world of Native American criminal gangs, is executive produced by Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and presented by Terrence Malick.

The deal was negotiated between Metrodome’s head of acquisitions Giles Edwards and Wide House’s Anais Clanet with Metrodome planning a theatrical release in late 2015.

Interview: Jack Pettibone Riccobono (dir), Shane Slattery-Quintanilla (pro)

From Wild Bunch, Metrodome inked a deal for Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s (Innocence) follow-up fantasy horror Evolution, which stars Max Brebant and Roxane Duran.

Evolution charts the story of a quiet seaside village where boys are forced to undergo strange...

★★★☆☆ Another year, another film from prolific French director and festival regular François Ozon. After the (intentional) inscrutability of the lead in Jeune et Jolie (2013), his latest film The New Girlfriend (2014) is thankfully a far deeper exploration of its two equally complex central characters. Based on a Ruth Rendell story - though inflected with considerably more humour by all accounts - it explores a burgeoning relationship between a widower and his departed wife's best friend on a sliding scale of gender and sexuality. Ozon's inconsistency of tone is once again present, but on this occasion he just about carries it off, crafting a thoughtful comic drama led by a pair of fine and nuanced performances.

It was a battle of Yves Saint Laurent biopics at the Césars (the French Oscars, if you will) this year as both the French foreign language Oscar submission "Saint Laurent" (leader of the pack with 10 nods) and "Yves Saint Laurent" picked up a ton of mentions. Oscar players that popped up include "Two Days, One Night" star Marion Cotillard and animated feature "Song of the Sea." Foreign film Oscar nominee "Timbuktu" also had a major showing. And of course, in the Césars' foreign category, films like "Boyhood," "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "12 Years a Slave" are duking it out. Check out the full list of nominees below, and remember to keep track of it all at The Circuit. Best Film "Les Combattants" "Eastern Boys" "La Famille Bélier" "Saint Laurent" "Hippocrate" "Sils Maria" "Timbuktu" Best Director Céline Sciamma, "Bande De Filles" Thomas Cailley, "Les Combattants" Robin Campillo, "Eastern Boys" Thomas Lilti,...

Designer biopic leads the pack with 10 nominations; Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche in the running for actress awards.Scroll down for full list of nominees

Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent and Olivier Assays’ Sils Maria are the hot favourites in France’s 40th annual Cesar awards.

France’s Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences unveiled the nominations for this year’s César Awards at its traditional news conference at Le Fouquet’s restaurant on the Champs Elysées on Friday morning.

Biopic Saint Laurent - exploring fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s life from 1967 to 1976 - led the pack with 10 nominations including best film, best director for Bonello, best actor for Gaspard Ulliel and best supporting actor for Louis Garrel.

Jalil Lespert’s rival biopic, Yves Saint Laurent, secured seven nominations. While it missed out in the best film and director categories, it scored nods with Pierre Niney for best actor, Charlotte Le Bon for best...

Update, 2:25 Am Pt: Last year’s dueling Yves Saint Laurent biopics each picked up several nominations this morning for France’s César Awards. Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent, the country’s entry for the Foreign Language Oscar, leads the pack with 10 mentions, followed by Thomas Cailley’s Directors’ Fortnight title Les Combattants with nine, and Oscar nominee Timbuktu with eight. Yves Saint Laurent, from helmer Jalil Lespert, took seven nods. Otherwise, there are a number of usual suspects in the batch including Best Actress Oscar nominee Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night, as well as Juliette Binoche for Olivier Assayas’ Sils Maria. In something of a departure — and a first — for the French Académie, they nominated American actress Kristen Stewart for her supporting turn in that Cannes competition entry. (Adrien Brody won the Best Actor prize in 2003 for The Pianist.) There are also six nominations for late 2014 release La Famille Bélier.

Duris left holding the baby in The New Girlfriend by François Ozon

That most hunky and hirsute of French actors, Romain Duris (40), gets in touch with his feminine side (and then some) in François Ozon’s The New Girlfriend (Une Nouvelle Amie). Adapted from a short story by British writer Ruth Rendell, it's turned in to a heady concoction of transformation, desire, sexuality and identity. Duris plays a bereaved husband, David, who on occasion turns in to cross-dressing Virginie. Shocked at first by David’s open admission of a long-standing cross-dressing habit, his late wife’s close childhood friend Claire (Anais Demoustier) is intrigued to be in on his secret. Duris had already demonstrated his feminine wiles in Christophe Honoré’s Seventeen Times Cecile Cassard, in a campy rendition of the eponymous cabaret dancer’s song from Jacques Demy’s Lola. But at Ozon’s behest the actor takes it to another level.

While We’re Young (Noah Baumbach)

The full line-up has been announced for this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, which runs from Wednesday 18th February to Sunday 1st March, and it features over 150 UK, Scottish or European premieres, as well as multiple rep screenings and special events.

The festival opens with the European premiere of While We’re Young, Noah Baumbach’s comedy follow-up to Frances Ha, starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried and Charles Grodin. The closing night gala on 1st March will be the UK premiere of Swedish director Ruben Östlund’s already much-vaunted darkly comic relationship drama Force Majeure.

Force Majeure (Ruben Östlund)

Additional UK premiere highlights include awards season darling Still Alice, Wim Wenders’ recently Oscar-nominated documentary The Salt of the Earth, Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria, starring Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart, and legendary Swedish director Roy Andersson’s A Pigeon...

The nominations for France's Lumière Awards were announced this morning, and leading the way was the film's Oscar foreign film entry "Saint Laurent" (which sadly didn't make it past the initial culling with the Academy). The film picked up four nominations and will compete for best film with Cannes hit "Girlhood," "La Famille Bélier," "Pas son genre," fellow Oscar foreign hopeful "Timbuktu" and "Three Hearts." Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be announced on Feb. 3. And oh yeah: The Circuit. Best Film "Girlhood" "La Famille Bélier" "Pas son genre" "Saint Laurent" "Timbuktu" "Three Hearts" Best Director Lucas Belvaux, "Pas son genre" Bertrand Bonello, "Saint Laurent" Benoît Jacquot, "Three Hearts" Cédric Kahn, "Wild Life" Céline Sciamma,"Girlhood" Abderrahmane Sissako, "Timbuktu" Best Actor Guillaume Canet, "La prochaine fois je viserai le cœur," "In The Name of My Daughter" Romain Duris, "The New Girlfriend" Mathieu Kassovitz, "Wild Life" Pierre Niney,...

Two Days, One Night, Mommy and Fevers nominated in French-language foreign film category.Scroll down for full list of nominations

The Lumière Awards, France’s version of the Golden Globes, has announced the nominations for its 20th anniversary edition. There is no clear front-runner this year.

Bertrand Bonello’s Yves Saint Laurent biopic Saint Laurent, Benoît Jacquot’s 3 Hearts, starring Gainsbourg and Chiara Mastroianni as sisters who unwittingly fall for the same man, and Eric Lartigau’s Christmas hit La Famille Bélier, about an aspiring singer growing up in deaf family, lead the field with four nominations each including best film.

Céline Sciamma’s gritty urban drama Girlhood (Bande de Fille) and Lucas Belvaux’s chalk-and-cheese romance Not My Type(Pas Mon Genre) and, which were also nominated in the best film category, followed behind with three nominations.

Franco-Mauritanian Abderrahmane Sissako Timbuktu about the impact of Islamic fundamentalism on a rural community in Mali, is the sixth...

Exclusive: New head of home entertainment among changes at UK distributor.

Metrodome Distribution has appointed Alistair Olley as head of home entertainment sales.

Olley, who joins from Anchor Bay and previously worked for HMV, begins in mid-January.

In other staff moves, Ella Field has taken on the new role of acquisitions, TV and new media manager; and Chris Lawrance will take on the new role of head of publicity and theatrical marketing, effective immediately.

Olley and Lawrance will report directly in to company MD Jezz Vernon.

Metrodome’s end of year results for 2013, which have just been made available, show a net profit for the year of £438,000 ($665,000) and a 15% increase in turnover from £6.8m ($10.34m) in 2012 to £7.8m ($11.86m).

The company’s 2015 slate includes Cannes titles White God and Mommy, Mia Hansen Love’s Eden, Francois Ozon’s The New Girlfriend and Carol Morley’s The Falling.

En équilibre

Director: Denis Dercourt // Writer: Denis Dercourt

French director Denis Dercourt is generally underappreciated in the Us, despite having helmed the superb 2006 film The Page Turner, which premiered at Cannes and is one of his only titles to receive Us distribution. In 2013, Dercourt helmed two titles, Flesh of My Flesh and the German production, A Pact, neither of which have been lucky enough to see play in the Us outside of minor festivals. We have high hopes for this project, which has been cited as the filmmaker’s biggest project yet and is headlined by Cecile de France (known to English speaking audiences for High Tension and Hereafter), as well as the very busy French actor/director Albert Dupontel. His seventh feature film (see set pic above) En équilibre (In Balance) concerns Marc, an equestrian who after a serious accident on a film shoot, loses all hope to mount back on.

Richard Moore has departed as Umbrella Entertainment.s theatrical distribution manager as the distributor reassess its approach to theatrical acquisitions.

Umbrella.s founder Jeff Harrison tells If, .We will still invest in theatrical films but are looking at things more carefully..

Like other independent distributors, Umbrella has grappled with a marked downturn in the market for indie films in the past two years as many Us, UK and foreign-language films have struggled to secure and to hold on to screens.

A former director of the Brisbane and Melbourne International Film Festivals, Moore spent the two past years at Umbrella working on titles including The Babadook, Backyard Ashes, When the Queen Came to Town, Words and Pictures, The Last Impresario and The Crossing.

Harrison frets that young people only go to cinemas now to see tentpoles and that quality films such as Nightcrawler,. Boyhood and Sony's Whiplash. are not resonating with mainstream audiences.

New Riga Meetings platform welcomes projects including two projects by Finnish film-maker Aku Louhimies.

Janis Nords’ second feature Mother I Love You and Juris Kursietis’ debut Modris were the big winners at the ¨Great Christopher¨ (¨Lielais Kristaps¨) National Film Competition held during the first edition of the Riga International Film Festival (December 2-12).

Nords, who graduated in film directing from the UK’s Nfts, received the top honour of best film as well as the trophy for best feature film director and best actress (for Vita Varpina’s performance as the single mother trying to make ends meet).

On presenting the direction prize to Nords, the competition jury’s chairman, veteran film director Janis Streics, said that he saw “a bright future ahead for Latvian cinema” on the strength of the line-up for this edition of the national film awards.

Mother I Love You, which is handled internationally by New Europe Film Sales, premiered at the...

Exclusive: UK distributor picks up The Town That Dreaded Sundown, finalises slate.

UK distributor Metrodome has finalised its release slate for the first half of 2015 with the acquisition of Jason Blum (Sinister) and Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story)-produced horror The Town That Dreaded Sundown, which is set for release next April.

Alfonso Gomez Rejon (American Horror Story) directs the remake of the seventies horror about the unsolved Moonlight Murders of 1946 that took place in the American border town of Texarkana.

The film stars Addison Timlin, Travis Tope, Gary Cole, Joshua Leonard, Anthony Anderson, Denis O’Hare, Edward Herrmann and Veronica Cartwright.

Metrodome’s Jezz Vernon said: “We were huge fans of the original film but the reboot is an altogether rarer beast – whip smart, terrifying and hugely cinematic. Jason and Ryan came together as huge fans of the original and have produced a truly inspired vision for a return to Texarkana”.

Metrodome has now finalised its theatrical...

Other winners include The Tribe, a documentary about Syria and Catch Me Daddy actress Sameena Jabeen Ahmed.

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan has been crowned Best Film at the 58th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19).

It saw off competition from the likes of Peter Strickland’s The Duke of Burgundy, François Ozon’s The New Girlfriend and Julius Avery’s Son of a Gun, starring Ewan McGregor (click here for full list).

Leviathan tells the tragic tale of conflict between an individual and a corrupt system in a small Russian town.

It marks the fourth feature from Zvyagintsev and is Russia’s submission for the Best Foreign-Language Oscar. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where many expected it to win the Palme d’Or, instead winning Best Screenplay.

It will be released in the UK by Curzon.

The award was announced at a glitzy ceremony held in London’s Banqueting Hall, Whitehall, and hosted...

The festival’s 25th edition will feature a contribution from Ai Weiwei and competition titles including Whiplash, Nightcrawler and Foxcatcher.

The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.

The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.

Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.

He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.

Brazil

The festival will focus this year on Brazil...

St Petersburg International Media Forum closes inaugural edition with world premiere of Serena.

Francois Ozon’s latest feature The New Girlfriend was voted as the Best of the Fest by the audience at the inaugural edition of the St Petersburg International Media Forum (Spimf) which closed on Friday evening with the world premiere of Susanne Bier’s Serena, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

However, neither director Bier, nor any of the talent were in St Petersburg for the film, which Volgafilm will be releasing in Russian cinemas on October 30.

Although there was no formal competition for Spimf’s film programme, a jury of local film critics was formed to give awards for what they regarded as the best film and TV series showing in the 2014 line-up.

Australian film-maker Anna Broinowsky’s documentary Aim High In Creation, which screened in the Kor-kor sidebar about North Korean cinema, was named best film, while the Press...

A roundup of news from the inaugural St Petersburg International Media Forum includes a busy French delegation and a local controversy brewing over Leviathan.

The King Of Madagascar, a kind of Russian answer to the pirate adventure films à la Pirates of the Caribbean, is being set up as a $ 16m international co-production by producer-director Oleg Ryaskov’s Moscow-based Bft Movie.

Speaking at the opening of St Petersburg International Media Forum’s (Spimf) co-production market this morning, producer Ryaskov revealed that the project - which is based on real historical events abouta Russian expedition by Peter The Great to the island of Madagascar in danger of being thwarted by Great Britain’s King George - has Spain’s Smartline Spain and the Us casting company Scott Carlson Entertainment on board as partners and is currently in talks with French and German production companies to join.

Ryaskov added that he intends to have American, European and Russian...

A roundup of news from the inaugural St Petersburg International Media Forum includes a busy French delegation and a local controversy brewing over Leviathan.

The King Of Madagascar, a kind of Russian answer to the pirate adventure films à la Pirates of the Caribbean, is being set up as a $ 16m international co-production by producer-director Oleg Ryaskov’s Moscow-based Bft Movie.

Speaking at the opening of St Petersburg International Media Forum’s (Spimf) co-production market this morning, producer Ryaskov revealed that the project - which is based on real historical events abouta Russian expedition by Peter The Great to the island of Madagascar in danger of being thwarted by Great Britain’s King George - has Spain’s Smartline Spain and the Us casting company Scott Carlson Entertainment on board as partners and is currently in talks with French and German production companies to join.

Ryaskov added that he intends to have American, European and Russian...

Valérie Donzelli, the actress-turned director who we most recently caught as a supporting player in the garishly dressed Saint Laurent, Bertrand Bonello’s stylized biopic might have found a taste for risky content as cameras are set to lense next week on her fourth feature film. The Cineuropa folks report that Donzelli has completed the casting on Marguerite et Julien, a project that François Truffaut flirted with but ultimately passed on. Completing the cast we find Aurélia Petit (The Science of Sleep), vet thesps Sami Frey and Geraldine Chaplin, reuniting with her fellow Declaration of War‘s Frédéric Pierrot and Bastien Bouillon who join the previously announced duo of Anaïs Demoustier (you can find her in Ozon’s latest, the recently acquired Cohen Media’s The New Girlfriend) and Jérémie Elkaïm (full-time collaborator with Donzelli who we also discovered in Declaration of War). Rectangle Productions’ Edouard Weil (Benoît Jacquot’s...