Festivals >> French >> 2009 >> Panorama

Bellamy (Country: France; Director: Claude Chabrol; Writer: Odile Barski, Claude Chabrol; Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Clovis Cornillac, Vahina Giocante, Jacques Gamblin, Marie Bunel, Yves Verhoeven, Adrienne Pauly, Rodolphe Pauly, Marie Matheron)
Trouble brews for a holidaying police commissioner. Full Review

La Belle Personne (Country: France; Director: Christophe Honoré; Writer: Christophe Honoré, Madame de La Fayette, Gilles Taurand; Cast: Louis Garrel, Léa Seydoux, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Esteban Carvajal-Alegria, Simon Truxillo, Agathe Bonitzer, Anaïs Demoustier, Valerie Lang, Jacob Lyon, Jean-Michel Portal, Martin Siméon)
Romantic shenanigans in a Parisian high school.

Crime Is Our Business (Le crime est notre affaire) (Country: France; Director: Pascal Thomas; Writer: François Caviglioli, Pascal Thomas, based on the story by Agatha Christie; Cast: Catherine Frot, André Dussollier, Claude Rich, Chiara Mastroianni, Melvil Poupaud, Alexandre Lafaurie, Christian Vadim, Hippolyte Girardot, Yves Afonso, Annie Cordy, Valériane de Villeneuve, Marie-Lorna Vaconsin, Laura Benson, Florence Maury, Agathe Hazard)
Based primarily on Christie's short story The House of Lurking Death, Belisaire and Prudence Beresford find themselves drawn into a mystery after their aunt arrives and claims to have witnessed a murder on a train.

A French Gigolo (Cliente) (Country: France; Director: Josiane Balasko; Writer: Josiane Balasko, Josiane Balasko; Cast: Nathalie Baye, Eric Caravaca, Isabelle Carré, Josiane Balasko, Catherine Hiegel, Marilou Berry, Félicité Wouassi, George Aguilar, Sandrine Le Berre, David Rousseau)
An attractive, successful 50-something woman regularly treats herself to the sexual services of young men selected from internet sites. When one particular escort becomes a habit, the relationship gets a bit more complicated. Full Review Official Site, View Trailer

The Girl From Monaco (La Fille De Monaco) (Country: France; Director: Anne Fontaine; Writer: Anne Fontaine, Benoît Graffin; Cast: Fabrice Luchini, Roschdy Zem, Louise Bourgoin, Stéphane Audran)
A lawyer in a high-profile trial falls for a local weathergirl... much to the concern of the bodyguard who has been hired to protect him. Full Review See: French Film Festival preview

I Always Wanted To Be A Gangster (J'ai Toujours Rêvé D'être Un Gangster) (Country: France; Director: Samuel Benchetrit; Cast: Sergi López, Jean Rochefort, Alain Bashung, Anna Mouglalis)
Told in four vignettes, this existential comedy relates the exploits of four aspiring criminals who hope to improve their lot, but find that they might not have what it takes for a life of crime. Full Review See: French Film Festival preview View Trailer

The Joy Of Singing (Le Plaisir De Chanter) (Country: France; Director: Ilan Duran Cohen; Writer: Ilan Duran Cohen, Philippe Lasry; Cast: Marina Foïs, Lorànt Deutsch, Jeanne Balibar, Julien Baumgartner, Nathalie Richard, Caroline Ducey, Guillaume Quatravaux, Evelyne Kirschenbaum, Frédéric Karakozian, Dominique Reymond, Antoine Gouy, Pierre Maillet, Vernon Dobtcheff, Pierre Palmade, Nicolas Pignon)
Spy-caper musical about a pair of secret agents sent to recover a USB key.

Lady Jane (Country: France; Director: Robert Guédiguian; Writer: Jean-Louis Milesi, Robert Guédiguian; Cast: Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gérard Meylan, Yann Trégouët, Frédérique Bonnal, Pascale Roberts, Jacques Boudet, Pascal Cervo, Giuseppe Selimo, Anna Ostby, Pierre Banderet, Jacques Reboud, Christine Brücher, François Agali, Tom Alexanian)
Three childhood friends - and erstwhile partners in crime - reunite after one of their sons is kidnapped.

Louise Michel (Country: France; Director: Gustave de Kervern, Benoît Delépine; Writer: Gustave Kervern, Benoît Delépine; Cast: Yolande Moreau, Bouli Lanners, Robert Dehoux, Albert Dupontel, Philippe Katerine, Kafka, Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Hosmalin, Christophe Salengro, Pierre Renverseau, Siné)
Odd-couple comedy about a factory worker out for revenge and the inept hitman she bonds with.

Please, Please Me! (Fais-moi plaisir!) (Country: France; Director: Emmanuel Mouret; Writer: Emmanuel Mouret; Cast: Emmanuel Mouret, Judith Godrèche, Déborah François, Frédérique Bel, Jacques Weber, Dany Brillant, Mikaël Gaudin-Lech, Frédéric Epaud, Frédéric Niedermayer, Karine Ventalon, Olivier Galfione, Jean-François Fagour, Yongsou Cho, Akihiko Nishida, Philippe Sol)
Comedy sees a woman who, believing her partner is fantasising about another femme, urges him to have an affair with her to break his obssession... the only catch being, she is the French president's daughter.

Public Benches (Bancs publics (Versailles rive droite)) (Country: France; Director: Bruno Podalydès; Writer: Bruno Podalydès; Cast: Sabine Azema, Emmanuelle Devos, Pierre Arditi, Chiara Mastroianni, Josiane Balasko, Bruno Podalydès, Denis Podalydès Olivier Gourmet, Hippolyte Girardot, Thierry Lhermitte, Julie Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Elbaz, Amira Casar, Michael Lonsdale, Florence Muller, Claude Rich, Catherine Deneuve, Benoît Poelvoorde)
Ensemble film that sees a regular day at the office shattered when the staff notice a banner on the building opposite reading: Man Alone. Full Review Official Site

Special Correspondents (Envoyés très spéciaux) (Country: France; Director: Frédéric Auburtin; Writer: Jacques Labib, Simon Michaël; Cast: Gérard Lanvin, Gérard Jugnot, Omar Sy, Valérie Kaprisky, Anne Marivin, Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Gerra, Eric Naggar, Frédérique Tirmont, Guillaume Durand, Bertrand Lacy, Farouk Benalleg, Niddal El Mellouhi, Matthew Géczy, Jean-Louis Tilburg)
A pair of journalists bound for Iraq lose their plane tickets... but rather than admit to it they hole up in Paris while pretending to report from Baghdad.

Box office and information