Next week, organizers at the Cannes Film Festival will unveil their full slate of films sending cinephiles into a tizzy, but today they release a tease of what’s to come. They’ve announced that “Party Girl,” from the trio of directors Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis, will open up the Un Certain Regard sidebar. It’s the first feature for the trio, who all met at the French film school Fémis. Full press release below.
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PARTY GIRL, a first film written and directed by Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis, has been chosen to open the Official Selection of Un Certain Regard. It follows The Bling Ring by the American, Sofia Coppola, which was presented in 2013.
Produced by Elzévir Films and distributed by Pyramide Films, Party Girl shows the life of Angélique, a 60 year-old night club hostess who still loves men and enjoys partying, but now as the senior member on staff, feels she has reached the end of the line. On an impulse, she agrees to marry her regular client, Michel. The film is a portrait of a free woman who has chosen to live on the margins of conventional society, and delves deep into a France that is often underrepresented. With total realism, the lead role is played by the real-life Angélique.
The three co-directors met at Fémis, where they studied screenwriting and editing and began their collaboration. They produced short films that amassed awards at several festivals: Forbach (Cinéfondation Second Prize, Festival de Cannes 2008 and Grand Prix at the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival), C’est gratuit pour les filles (Semaine de la Critique 2009 – César Award for Best Short Film, 2010), and Demolition Party (2013).
With its mission to discover new talents, Un Certain Regard will provide excellent exposure for a collective first work that is innovative both in its form and its subject. The choice reflects the wish of Pablo Trapero, President of the Jury for Un Certain Regard 2014, “to present a passionate selection of established masters, young talents and new forms of cinema.”
PARTY GIRL will be screened as the opening of Un Certain Regard, Thursday 15th May 2014. The full programme for Un Certain Regard will be announced, together with the full category of Official Selection, on Thursday 17th April in Paris.