Le Havre wins the 69th annual Louis Delluc Prize!
PARIS – Awards season officially kicked off in France on Friday when Aki Kaurismaki’s Le Havre won the 69th annual Louis Delluc Prize at a ceremony in Paris.
The whimsical modern day fairytale about a town coming together to reunite an immigrant child with his mother premiered at May’s Festival de Cannes in Competition. Le Havre is also Finland’s official entry for an Oscar this year.
The title was shot in French and stars Andre Wilms, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Kati Outinen. Le Havre was produced by Kaurismaki’s Sputnik Oy with France’s Pyramide Productions and Germany’s Pandora Films. The Match Factory is handling international sales for the critic and crowd-pleasing film that has been a favorite on the festival circuit, taking prizes at the Chicago Film Festival, the Munich Film Festival and scoring a nomination at the European Film Awards.
Le Havre swam to victory in a pool of high-profile contenders this year including Golden Globes sweetheart The Artist, Festival de Cannes favorites Alain Cavalier’s Pater and Bertrand Bonello’s House of Tolerance and Bruno Dumont’s Hors Satan, France’s bid for an Oscar Valerie Donzelli’s Declaration of War, Robert Guediguian’s The Snows of Kilimandjaro, Celine Sciamma’s Tomboy and Pierre Schoeller’s politically-charged The Minister.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/aki-kaurismaki-s-le-havre-274660
Sharmill Films acquires Kaurismäki’s Le Havre
June 01 , 2011 Press Release – For immediate release
Sharmill Films acquires Kaurismäki’s Le Havre
Sharmill Films is delighted to announce their new acquisition, Le Havre, a film by Aki Kaurismäki, which screened in the official competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Le Havre was a favourite among the critics, and was the winner of the FIPRESCI International Federation of Film Critics Award 2011. The film was given special mentions by the Ecumenical Jury, as well as by the Palm Dog jury for Laika the dog.
Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki shot the French-language film in the seaside town of Le Havre, France.
Sharmill Films has distributed previous Kaurismäki titles Man Without a Past and Leningrad Cowboys.
Le Havre follows Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a former author who has retreated into a voluntary exile in the port city of Le Havre to become a shoe-shiner. Marx’s life takes an interesting turn when fate suddenly throws in his path an underage immigrant refugee from Africa.
Le Havre features a principally French cast, including André Wilms, Jean-Pierre Daroussin and Jean-Pierre Léaud, as well as Kaurismäki regular Kati Outinen and newcomer Blondin Miguel.
‘One of the warmest responses [at Cannes] was for Aki Kaurismäki’s film Le Havre…it’s beautifully done, beautifully performed and it’s full of heart. He’s just such a lovely filmmaker.’
– Margaret Pomeranz, At The Movies
‘And then we had the well-nigh perfect film of this festival, from Aki Kaurismäki…Le Havre – half Ealing-style caper, half straight-faced Nordic irony, funny and touching by turns’ – Stephanie Bunbury, The Age
‘As always, some very good films were ignored by the jury. These included Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s Le Havre… As with all Kaurismäki’s films, this one is deeply humane…and thoroughly charming.’ – David Stratton, The Australian
‘New Kaurismäki is a cracker…superbly staged and composed and boasting a marvellous cast’
– Screen International
‘A total treat…Le Havre is a joy’ – Jonathan Romney, The Independent on Sunday
‘An intensely loveable film’ – Peter Bradshow, The Guardian
‘I loved Aki Kaurismäki’s Le Havre…a kind of faux-naif enchantment, a magical madness, the screen equivalent of a Chagall painting’ – Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
For more information please contact Kate McCurdy, Marketing Manager
03 9826 9077
kate@sharmillfilms.com.au