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| Jean Dujardin stars, with his suede jacket, in Deerskin, opening title of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Photo: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs |
Star of The Artist Jean Dujardin alongside Adèle Haenel, feature in the black comedy Deerskin (Le Daim), Quentin Dupieux’s seventh feature, which will open Cannes Directors’ Fortnight for the 51st edition on 15 May, it was announced today (4 April).
Dupieux is also a screenwriter, director of photography, film editor and composer of electronic music, known internationally as Mr Oizo.
Deerskin, intriguingly tagged as being about a man obsessed with owning a designer suede jacket, marks the return to Cannes of Dujardin in a leading role after The Artist in 2011, for which he won Best Actor awards both at Cannes and at the Oscars. Haenel is said to "show the breadth and fluidity of her range” in the film. She attended the Festival last year to promote Pierre Salvadori’s The Trouble With You.
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| Director Quentin Dupieux began career with music videos Photo: Unifrance |
Dujardin’s character finds that his obsession leads him to turn his back on his humdrum life in the suburbs, blow his life savings and even turn to crime.
Dupieux began his career with music videos and advertising clips, working with Michel Gondry. In 2001, he directed his first film, Nonfilm, a disturbing and disjointed telling of the film shoot itself. Next came Steak, starring the well-known comic duo Éric and Ramzy; then Rubber, selected for Critics’ Week in 2010.
In 2012 he directed Wrong, which was followed a year later by the short film Wrong Cops, selected at the Directors' Fortnight, the first chapter of the feature film of the same name presented in 2013 at Sundance. In Reality, (Venice Film Festival 2015) Alain Chabat has 48 hours to find the best whimper in the history of filmmaking. Keep an Eye Out, a surrealist absurdist and grating film starring the extraordinary Benoît Poelvoorde, Grégoire Ludig and Anaïs Demoustier, was released to considerable success last year.
After its world premiere on 15 May, Deerskin will be released in French cinemas on 19 June 19.
