The Francophone presence in Berlin

HFrench-speaking territories are well represented within this year’s Berlin International Film Festival competition selection, featuring a bevy of international co-productions.

All in all, there are 18 films competing for the Golden Bear this year, 6 of which are female directors. Eleven of the directors have been on-site at the Berlin International film festival before, and 8 of them have films in competition. 15 out of 18 of the titles in selection are world premieres, featuring Makoto Shinkai’s anime title Suzume , which has already been a massive success at the Japanese box office and has most recently picked up international distribution thanks to French Svod service and prodco Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Wild Bunch International, and Eurozoom, who will handle the film’s distribution in France. Furthermore, the anime title is the first of its kind to be in competition at the Berlinale in over a decade.

The film break-down

French-speaking territories are well represented within this year’s Berlin International Film Festival competition selection. Including Giacomo Abbruzzese’s Disco Boy (Films Grand Huit), in co-production with Italy, Poland, and Belgium; Philippe Garrel’s The Plough (Rectangle Productions), in co-production with Switzerland; Joao Canijo’s Bad Living (Les Films de l’Après-Midi), in co-production with Portugal, Angela Schanelec’s Music , a German film in coproduction with France’s Les Films de l’Après-Midi and Serbia’s; Nicolas Philibert’s On the Adamant (TS Productions - France 3 Cinéma), in coproduction with Japan; and Lila Avilés’s Totem (Alpha Violet), in co-production with Mexico and Denmark. Most notably, Les Films de l’AprèsMidi has two titles in the official selec- tion, demonstrating the French prodcos savoir-faire and smart decisionmaking when it comes to the titles they produce.

Giacomo Abbruzzese’s Disco Boy is the first fiction feature for the Italian director and has already achieved critical acclaim, taking home the Arte Prize for Development at the Village des Coproductions during the Les Arcs Film Festival. Executively produced by Lionel Massol and Pauline Seigland for Films Grand Huit, coproducers include Arno Moria for Division (FR), Juliette Sol for Stromboli Films (FR), André Logie for Belgium’s Panache Productions, Giulia Ach for Italy’s Dugong Films and Poland’s Donten & Lacroix. This giant co-production received financial support from the CNC, the support fund for Franco-Italian co-productions (treaty between the CNC and Italy’s Ministry of Culture), the Eurimages fund, as well as the Ile-de-France and Ile de la Réunion regions. KMBO is handling distribution in France whiles Charades is in charge of international sales.

Philippe Garrel’s The Plough, supported by the CNC, is perhaps one of the most emotional titles on the slate, telling the story of a grieving family as they try to keep their patriarch’s memory alive. Starring the director’s own family, Esther Garrel, Louis Garrel, and Léna Garrel, the film’s executive producer is Édouard Weil, of Rectangle Productions, behind Gaspar Noé’s Vortex. On the Swiss side, acting as co-producers are Close up Films and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse.

Next up, Joao Canijo’s Living Bad, a minority French co-production with Portugal’s Midas Films taking the production lead. Produced by Pedro Borges for the Portuguese prodco, with co-production from Les Films de L’Après-Midi’s François D’Artemare, the film has a bevy of support behind it, including Portugal’s national fim body. Telling the story of an all-female family-run hotel on the brink of decay by the northern shores of Portugal, “The film stems from the idea of how mothers determine their daughters’ disgrace, and how they, in turn, will determine their granddaughters’ disgrace. It’s a film about the anxiety of being a mother and how it undermines the ability for unconditional love,” explained the director. Also from

Les Films de L’Après-Midi is Angela Schanelec’s French minority co-production Music, with Shellac handling international distribution. Finally, within the French selection we find Nicolas Philibert’s On the Adamant, a majority French Franco-Japanese coproduction from TS Productions, and Lila Avilés’s Totem, a majority French Franco-Danish-Mexican co-production from France’s Alpha Violet, Denmark’s Paloma Productions, and Mexico’s Limerencia Films.

Zoe Hofmann

French films in competition:

Giacomo Abbruzzese’s Disco Boy (France, Italy, Poland, Belgium)

Philippe Garrel's The Plough (France, Switzerland)

Joao Canijo’s Bad Living (Portugal, France)

Angela Schanelec’s Music (Germany, France, Serbia - minority French co-production)

Nicolas Philibert’s On the Adamant (France, Japan)

Lila Avilés’s Totem (Mexico, Denmark, France)