Cannes Film Festival

The international Festival de Cannes is one of the world’s most widely publicized events and certainly the most important film festival in terms of worldwide impact. “In order to achieve this level of longevity, the Festival de Cannes has remained faithful to its founding purpose: to draw attention to and raise the profile of films, with the aim of contributing towards the development of cinema, boosting the film industry worldwide and celebrating cinema at an international level. And to this day, this profession of faith constitutes the first article of the Festival regulations.
” -Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate

Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) started in 1946 and takes place in Cannes, France, Europe

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Shahrbanoo Sadat’s WOLF AND SHEEP Wins Director’s Fortnight at Cannes Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_14024" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] WOLF AND SHEEP[/caption] Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat is the winner the 2016 Director’s Fortnight’s top prize, the Art Cinema Award, at the Cannes Film Festival for her debut feature WOLF AND SHEEP. In an interview with the Danish Film Institute, Sadat notes that the Danish-produced Wolf and Sheep, was inspired by her feeling of being an outsider during her childhood in a small isolated village in Central Afghanistan. Her goal was to tell a story that doesn’t revolve around war, the election, or other political issues dominating the media, but depicts Afghan everyday life as she knows it. “When I watched other films about Afghanistan, I always missed something. I know it’s a cliché, but I wanted to show the real Afghanistan. I wasn’t sure how to make a good film, but I knew what I didn’t want to make a film about. Women’s rights, the election and bombings were all on my blacklist. I wanted a local to see it and say, ‘That’s my life’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz0aCZJha9w “Wolf and Sheep,” takes place in a rural village like the one Sadat grew up in and follows a group of shepherd children in the mountains. The boys practice with their slings to fight wolves, while the girls smoke secretly and play wedding. They gossip about 11-year-old Sediqa, an outsider, whom they think is cursed. Finally, she makes friends with 11-year Qodrat, who becomes a gossip topic, after his mother remarries with an old man with two wives. The story is inspired by a combination of Sadat’s own childhood and the childhood of her best friend, Anwar Hashimi, who lived in the same village before Sadat and had a similar experience of becoming an outsider after his mother remarried. Winners and Awards of 2016 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight / Quinzaine des Realisateurs Art Cinema Award to a feature film “Wolf & Sheep,” dir. Shahrbanoo Sadat SACD Award to a French-language feature film “The Together Project” (aka “L’Effet Aquatique”) dir. Solveig Anspach SACD special mention “Divines” dir. Houda Benyamina The Europa Cinemas Label to a European feature film “Mercenary” (aka “Mercenaire”) dir. Sacha Wolff Illy Prize to a short film “Chasse Royal” dirs. Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret Illy special mention “The Beast” (aka “Zvir”) dir. Miroslav Sikavica
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The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mä Wins 2016 Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_14016" align="aligncenter" width="926"] The Jury and the Winners – Un Certain Regard Awards (Cannes Film Festival)[/caption] HYMYILEVÄ MIES (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki) by Juho Kuosmanen won the 2016 Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Summer 1962, Olli Mäki has a shot at the world championship title in featherweight boxing. From the Finnish countryside to the bright lights of Helsinki, everything has been prepared for his fame and fortune. All Olli has to do is lose weight and concentrate. But there is a problem – he has fallen in love with Raija. [caption id="attachment_14018" align="aligncenter" width="1296"] FUCHI NI TATSU (Harmonium) by Fukada Kôji[/caption] FUCHI NI TATSU (Harmonium) by Fukada Kôji is the winner of Jury Prize. Toshio hires Yasaka in his workshop. This old acquaintance, who has just been released from prison, begins to meddle in Toshio’s family life… Un Certain Regard 2016 presented in competition 18 films hailing from 20 different countries. Seven of the works were first films. The Opening film was ESHTEBAK (Clash) by Mohamed Diab. Under the presidency of Marthe Keller (actress – Switzerland), the Jury was comprised of Jessica Hausner (director, producer – Austria), Diego Luna (actor, director, producer – Mexico), Ruben Östlund (director – Sweden) and Céline Sallette (actress – France). [caption id="attachment_14017" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] HYMYILEVÄ MIES (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki) by Juho Kuosmanen[/caption] Prize of Un Certain Regard HYMYILEVÄ MIES (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki) by Juho Kuosmanen Jury Prize FUCHI NI TATSU (Harmonium) by Fukada Kôji Prize for Best Director Matt Ross for CAPTAIN FANTASTIC [caption id="attachment_13531" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Captain Fantastic[/caption] Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, isolated from society, a devoted father dedicates his life to transforming his six young children into extraordinary adults. But when a tragedy strikes the family, they are forced to leave this self-created paradise and begin a journey into the outside world that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent and brings into question everything he’s taught them. Prize for Best Screenplay Delphine Coulin & Muriel Coulin for VOIR DU PAYS (The Stopover) At the end of their tour of duty in Afghanistan, two young military women, Aurore and Marine, are given three days of decompression leave with their unit at a five-star resort in Cyprus, among tourists. But it’s not that easy to forget the war and leave the violence behind. Un Certain Regard Special Prize LA TORTUE ROUGE (The Red Turtle) by Michael Dudok de Wit [caption id="attachment_14000" align="aligncenter" width="1213"] THE RED TURTLE[/caption] Through the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds, THE RED TURTLE recounts the milestones in the life of a human being.
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HELL OR HIGH WATER Starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine Sets August Release Date

[caption id="attachment_13861" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] HELL OR HIGH WATER[/caption] The action drama HELL OR HIGH WATER starring Academy Award®-winner Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine, will open in limited release on August 12, followed by nationwide release on August 19, after World Premiering at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Hell Or High Water is directed by David Mackenzie (“Young Adam,” “Starred Up”) and in addition to Bridges (“Crazy Heart,” “True Grit”), and Pine (“Star Trek,” “Into The Woods”), also stars Ben Foster (“3:10 To Yuma,” “The Messenger”) and Gil Birmingham (“The Lone Ranger,” “Twilight”). A story about the collision of the Old and New West, two brothers — Toby (Chris Pine), a straight-living, divorced father trying to make a better life for his son; and Tanner (Ben Foster), a short-tempered ex-con with a loose trigger finger — come together to rob branch after branch of the bank that is foreclosing on their family land. The hold-ups are part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that powerful forces beyond their control have stolen from under their feet. Vengeance seems to be theirs until they find themselves in the crosshairs of a relentless, foul-mouthed Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last triumph on the eve of his retirement. As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their plan, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the last honest law man and a pair of brothers with nothing to live for except family collide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQoqsKoJVDw
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French Actor Jean-Pierre Léaud to Receive Honorary Palme d’or at Cannes Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_13835" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Jean-Pierre Léaud[/caption] French actor/comedian Jean-Pierre Léaud will receive the honorary Palme d’or at the upcoming 69th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Jean-Pierre Léaud is part of the Cannes legend. He was discovered by François Truffaut who made him the young hero of his first film, Les 400 Coups (The 400 Blows), and made his first appearance on the Croisette in 1959 as an extrovert, unruly 14-year-old. His spontaneity was representative of the wind of freedom that the French New Wave brought to cinema. Antoine Doinel and François Truffaut continued to support him with Antoine et Colette (Antoine and Colette) (1962), Baisers volés (Stolen Kisses) (1968), Domicile conjugal (Bed and Board) (1970) and L’Amour en fuite (Love on the Run) (1979). As early as 1965, he began what was to be a long partnership with Jean-Luc Godard; Masculin féminin (1966) and La Chinoise (1967) are considered to be committed and forward-thinking highlights of their collaboration. Fascinated by cinematographic language, Jean-Pierre Léaud was even assistant director for several films by Godard (Pierrot le fou (Crazy Pete), Alphaville) and Truffaut (La Peau douce) (The Soft Skin). He can also be found in films by Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango in Paris) or Jacques Rivette (Out 1). In La Maman et la Putain (The Mother and the Whore) (1973), his offbeat acting, between poetry and flippancy, was offered an unequalled setting and consecrated him once and for all. The film by Jean Eustache was emblematic for a whole generation and received the Jury’s Special Grand Prix at the Festival de Cannes before becoming a cult film. Since then, the passionate and clumsy, idealistic and disenchanted or enigmatic characters he plays are part of the universes of Aki Kaurismäki (I Hired a Contract Killer), Olivier Assayas (Paris s’éveille (Paris Awakes), Irma Vep), Lucas Belvaux (Pour rire) (Just for Laughs), Philippe Garrel (La Naissance de l’amour) (The Birth of Love), Bertrand Bonello (Le Pornographe) (The Pornographer) or even Tsai Ming-liang (Et là-bas quelle heure est-il ? (What Time is it There?) or Visage (Face), presented in Competition at Cannes in 2009). Jean-Pierre Léaud is forever daring and surprising, as when embodying the Sun King in the new film by the Spanish director Albert Serra, La Mort de Louis XIV (The Death of Louis XIV), to be shown as a Special Screenings and with both of them present, on Thursday May 19th at 5 pm.
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HANDS OF STONE Starring Robert De Niro Added to Cannes Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_13611" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Hands of Stone[/caption] Robert De Niro will attend the upcoming 2016 Cannes Film Festival for the screening in Official Selection of his latest film Hands of Stone by Venezuelan director Jonathan Jakubowicz. The movie is about the common history of Panamanian boxer Roberto Duràn (Edgar Ramírez) and manager and coach Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro) who is going to take him to the highest worldwide successes of the ring in the ’70s and ’80s, including legendary fights against Sugar Ray Leonard. “I’m excited to be coming back to Cannes especially with this movie Hands of Stone that I’m so proud of, said Robert De Niro. This movie is uplifting, triumphant and a good time for audiences, so I’m looking forward to seeing my friends from across the world of cinema in joining us for this fun event.” Hands of Stone is produced and distributed by the Weinstein Company. Harvey Weinstein declared: “Hands of Stone is vintage De Niro. Anyone wh‎o knows Bob, knows what a passion he has for boxing and his huge input into this movie made it very realistic and smart. On behalf of the company, we are thrilled that the Festival deCannes chose to honor Bob this year with a special screening. It promises to be a fun time and a fantastic night to pay tribute to one of the great men of our industry.”
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Official Poster of 2016 Cannes Film Festival

The official poster is released for the 69th Festival de Cannes, taking place from May 11 to 22, 2016, and presided over by Australian director George Miller. The poster was designed using stills from Jean-Luc Godard’s film Contempt. It’s all there. The steps, the sea, the horizon: a man’s ascent towards his dream, in a warm Mediterranean light that turns to gold. As an image it is reminiscent of a timeless quote used at the beginning of Contempt: “Cinema replaces our gaze with a world in harmony with our desires”. And so it is Michel Piccoli who in 2016, from the roof of the famous villa designed by the writer Curzio Malaparte, will open the red carpet for the 69th Festival de Cannes. It’s a symbolic choice, since this film about the making of a film – regarded by many as one of the finest ever made in CinemaScope (the Piccoli/Bardot pairing along with Fritz Lang, Raoul Coutard’s cinematography, Georges Delerue’s music, and so on and so forth) – had such a considerable impact on the history of film and cinephilia. On the eve of its 70th anniversary, by choosing to represent itself under the symbol of this simultaneously palimpsest and unambiguous film, the Festival is reiterating its founding commitment: to pay tribute to the history of film, and to welcome new ways of creating and seeing. The steps represent a kind of ascension towards the infinite horizon of a cinema screen. This 69th Festival de Cannes poster has been designed by Hervé Chigioni and his graphic designer Gilles Frappier. The 2016 visual identity has been created by Philippe Savoir (Filifox).
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See Poster, and Watch Trailer for Amy Whinehouse Documentary AMY

The poster and trailer are released for the Amy Winehouse documentary, AMY, which world premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and is scheduled to open in New York & Los Angeles on July 3, 2015 followed by nationwide on July 10, 2015. From BAFTA award-winning director Asif Kapadia (SENNA), AMY tells the incredible story of six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse – in her own words. Featuring extensive unseen archive footage and previously unheard tracks, this strikingly modern, moving and vital film shines a light on the world we live in, in a way that very few can. A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse was a musician that captured the world’s attention. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense – she wrote and sung from the heart using her musical gifts to analyse her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty and supreme talent resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of the modern era. Her huge success, however, resulted in relentless and invasive media attention which coupled with Amy’s troubled relationships and precarious lifestyle saw her life tragically begin to unravel. Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE
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The Orchard to Release Joachim Trier’s drama Louder Than Bombs from 2015 Cannes

Joachim Trier’s drama Louder Than Bombs, an official selection of this year’s, 2015 Cannes Film Festival, is set for release in the U.S. via The Orchard. Louder Than Bombs is Trier’s follow-up to Reprise and Oslo, and August 31st. The film stars Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne (Miller’s Crossing, The Usual Suspects), Academy Award® nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), and Isabelle Huppert (two-time Best Actress Cannes winner: in 1978 for Violette and 2001 for The Piano Teacher). The ensemble cast is rounded out by the Academy Award® nominated actors Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) and David Strathairn (Good Night, And Good Luck) and newcomerDevin Druid. Louder Than Bombs was co-written by Eskil Vogt. The pair collaborated on Trier’s two previous, critically heralded features. Three years after the death of his wife, acclaimed photographer Isabelle Reed (Huppert), Gene (Byrne) keeps everyday life going with his shy teenage son, Conrad (Druid). A planned exhibition of Isabelle’s photographs prompts Gene’s older son, Jonah (Eisenberg), to return to the house he grew up in – and for the first time in a very long time, the father and the two brothers are living under the same roof. Underneath the affection and friction that is a part of restored family life between these three, we feel the striking loss that marks each of them. At the same time, the three have markedly different memories of their wife and mother. The film observes these three men as they find ways to live together and reconcile themselves both to the loss of – and each other’s sense of – the exceptional woman who influenced their lives so profoundly. Grief, mixed with surprising humor, informs all that happens – as each of these three men take meaningful steps forward both as individuals and as a renewed but forever changed family. Director Joachim Trier stated, “I’m thrilled to be working with a company as innovative and forward thinking as The Orchard in bringing our film to North American audiences. We shot the film in the U.S., so it’s particularly meaningful to have found this great partner for our release.”
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Cannes Award Winning Film THE MEASURE OF A MAN to BE Released in the U.S.

Kino Lorber will release in the U.S. and Canada, Stephane Brizé’s (Mademoiselle Chambon) THE MEASURE OF A MAN, starring Vincent Lindon (Mademoiselle Chambon, Bastards, Friday Night, La Moustache), winner of the Best Actor award at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The film was directed by Mr. Brizé and co-written by Brizé and Olivier Gorce. This is Stephane Brizé’s sixth feature film. The film, stars Vincent Lindon as a working-class man struggling with unemployment and then, facing a difficult moral choice as a security guard in a supermarket, Brizé supports his lead with a brilliantly directed cast of non-professional performers playing dramatized versions of themselves. Kino Lorber, which released Stephane Brizé’s Mademoiselle Chambon in the United States to both critical acclaim and box office success (grossing over $530,000 in theaters alone), is planning to release the film in theatres in the fall of 2015, after prestigious North American festival dates. Home media and digital releases will follow in 2016. Richard Lorber comments: “Cannes brought us the gift to work again with Stephane Brizé and Vincent Lindon, after our great success with their Mademoiselle Chambon. With THE MEASURE OF A MAN’s hugely deserved Best Actor honor, we’re keen to share this gift with North American audiences. This deeply moving performance and uniquely framed tale delivers a profound new humanistic insight into questions of economic justice.”
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#DopeMovie Starring Zoë Kravitz, Rapper A$AP Rocky at 2015 Cannes Film Festival

Front row (left to right): Actors Chanel Iman, Shameik Moore / Second row (left to right): Executive Producer Pharrell Williams, Actors Zoë Kravitz, Quincy Brown, Amin Joseph, Director Rick Famuyiwa, Actors A$AP Rocky, Tony Revolori and Kiersey Clemons celebrate Open Road Films’ DOPE in Cannes. DOPE was the closing night film of the Directors’ Fortnight, screening on the evening of May 22nd. DOPE will be released in the United States on June 19, 2015. #DopeMovie. Executive Producer Pharrell Williams and actress Zoë Kravitz celebrate Open Road Films’ DOPE in Cannes.
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2015 Cannes Film Festival Awards, DHEEPAN by Jacques Audiard Wins Palme d’or

The Jury of the 68th Cannes Film Festival, presided by Joel and Ethan Coen picked DHEEPAN by Jacques Audiard (pictured above) the winner of Palme d’or award. In the film, “to escape the civil war in Sri Lanka, a former soldier, a young woman and a little girl pose as a family. They end up settling in a housing project outside Paris. They barely know one another, but try to build a life together.” After receiving the prize, presented by the actress Cécile de France and the two Presidents of the Feature Films Jury, Joel and Ethan Coen, Jacques Audiard said: “I am very moved. I knew it would have an effect on me. I’d like to thank Michael Haneke for not filming this year. I’d also like to thank my actors, without whom there would be no film, nor a Palme d’or. Receiving a prize from the Coen brothers is just incredible! Alexandre Dumas’ son spoke about his father as “this child I had so young”. Tonight, I’m thinking of my father”. The Grand Prix, considered the runner up prize, was awarded to Saul Fia (Son of Saul) by László Nemes. Described as “October 1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis in the machinery of large-scale extermination. While working in one of the crematoriums, Saul discovers the corpse of a boy he takes for his son. As the Sonderkommando plans a rebellion, Saul decides to carry out an impossible task: save the child’s body from the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner’s Kaddish and offer the boy a proper burial.” After he had received the prize from the Danish actor, Mads Mikkelsen, László Nemes declared: ” This was my first time in Cannes. We wanted this film to tell the new generation about the destruction of European Jews, I’m happy to have made this film using roll. It’s the magic of cinema! ” The complete list of winners of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival awards FEATURE FILMS – COMPETITION Palme d’or DHEEPAN by Jacques Audiard Grand Prix SAUL FIA (Son of Saul) by László Nemes Best Director Award Hou Hsiao-Hsien for NIE YINNIANG (The Assassin) Jury Prize THE LOBSTER by Yorgos Lanthimos Best Actress Award Rooney Mara in CAROL by Todd Haynes Emmanuelle Bercot in MON ROI by MAÏWENN Best Actor Award Vincent Lindon in LA LOI DU MARCHÉ (The Measure of a Man) by Stéphane Brizé Best Screenplay Award Michel Franco for CHRONIC SHORT FILMS – COMPETITION Palme d’or WAVES ’98 by Ely Dagher UN CERTAIN REGARD UN CERTAIN REGARD AWARD HRÚTAR (Rams) by Grímur Hákonarson JURY PRIZE ZVIZDAN (The High Sun) by Dalibor Matanić BEST DIRECTOR PRIZE Kiyoshi Kurosawa for KISHIBE NO TABI (Journey to the Shore) UN CERTAIN TALENT PRIZE COMOARA (Treasure) by Corneliu Porumboiu Joint PROMISING FUTURE PRIZE MASAAN (Fly Away Solo) by Neeraj Ghaywan NAHID by Ida Panahandeh CAMÉRA D’OR LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA (Land and Shade) by César Augusto Acevedo CINÉFONDATION First Prize SHARE by Pippa Bianco AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, USA Second Prize LOCAS PERDIDAS (Lost Queens) by Ignacio Juricic Merillán Carrera de Cine y TV Universidad de Chile, Chile Joint Third Prize THE RETURN OF ERKIN by Maria Guskova High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors, Russia Joint Third Prize VICTOR XX by Ian Garrido López ESCAC, Spain The Jury of the CST awarded the VULCAN AWARD OF THE TECHNICAL ARTIST to: Tamas ZANYI, sound engineer, for the outstanding contribution of sound to the narration of SAUL FIA (Son of Saul) by László NEMES.
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French actress Sabine Azéma to Preside Over Caméra d’or Jury at 2015 Cannes Film Festival

Following in the footsteps of Bong Joon-Ho, Gael García Bernal, Carlos Diegues and Nicole Garcia, French actress Sabine Azéma will preside over the Caméra d’or Jury at this year’s 2015 Cannes Film Festival. She will be accompanied by the director Delphine Gleize, the actor Melvil Poupaud, Claude Garnier representing the AFC (French Association for Cinematographers), Didier Huck, representing the FICAM (Federation of Cinema, Audiovisual and Multimedia Industries), Yann Gonzalez, representing the SRF (Society of Film Directors) and Bernard Payen, representing the SFCC (French Union of Cinema Critique). The Caméra d’or, created in 1978, is awarded to the best first film presented in the Official Selection (In Competition, Out of Competition and Un Certain Regard), during La Semaine de la Critique or the Directors’ Fortnight, which represents a total of 26 films in 2015. The Caméra d’or boosts a film-maker’s career by offering him exemplary visibility and international opportunities. Jim Jarmusch, Mira Nair, Naomi Kawase, Bahman Ghobadi and Steve McQueen were awarded this in the past. In 2014, the award went to the French film Party Girl, presented in the Official Selection, Un Certain Regard. The Caméra d’or 2015 will be awarded by the Jury President during the Awards Ceremony on Sunday May 24th. Sabine Azéma stood out in the theatre acting the parts of leading lady before playing the daughter of Louis de Funès in La Valse des toréadors (1974). She received many proposals after this role and thus began her cinema career. As early as 1985, she won her first César for her role in Bertrand Tavernier’s Un dimanche à la campagne (A Sunday in the Country), presented in Competition at the Festival de Cannes. In 1989, Tavernier gave her another major part in La Vie et rien d’autre (Life and Nothing But). Her career took a decisive turn when she met Alain Resnais. Their collaboration has lasted for nearly three decades, with the film-maker enabling the actress to reveal the various sides to her talent: she was the tragic heroine in L’Amour à mort (Love unto Death) (1984), then in Mélo (Melo) (1986) for which she was awarded a César for Best Actress. She then went on to interpret very different characters, in Smoking / No Smoking (1993), On connaît la chanson (Same Old Song) (1997), Pas sur la bouche (Not on the Lips) (2003), Cœurs (Private Fears in Public Places) (2006) or Les Herbes folles (Wild Grass) (2009) and Vous n’avez encore rien vu (You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet) (2012), both selected in Competition at the Festival de Cannes. Alain Resnais’ muse, she has also starred in films directed by Doillon, Mocky, Blier, Etienne Chatiliez who made her a popular actress with Le Bonheur est dans le pré (1995). Sabine Azéma’s acting literally ignites the screen and inspires young directors: Le Mystère de la chambre jaune (The Mystery of the Yellow Room) by Denis Podalydès, L’Ami de Fred Astaire (Let’s Dance) by Noémie Lvovsky, Peindre ou faire l’amour (To Paint or Make Love) and Le Voyage aux Pyrénées by the Larrieu brothers.
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