France’s Nightly Curfew Won’t Apply to Film, TV Shoots

Tom Grater International Film ReporterAmazon Prime Video has taken a swathe of international rights on Palm Springs, the Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti-starring comedy that caused a splash at Sundance this year when Hulu and Neon sealed a record-breaking $17.5M world rights deal.Deadline broke the news that FilmNation was selling international rights to the pic, and several of those key territories have now sold to Amazon, which will launch the film in Australia and New Zealand (November 20),

The same Romain Gary novel that became the Oscar-winning 1977 French drama, Madame Rosa, earning a César Award for Simone Signoret in the title role, gets relocated from Paris to a Southern Italian coastal town in The Life Ahead. This sensitive contemporary remake, set in one of the hubs of the Euro-Mediterranean migrant crisis, reshapes the work as a vehicle for director Edoardo Ponti's celebrated mother, Sophia Loren, back on the screen after a 10-year absence.

Paris’ newly imposed coronavirus curfew by adopting a decidedly taboo custom — eating as early as the English.“We said to ourselves we have two options: close in the evenings and turn off the lights, or do something positive,” said Pascal Mousset, whose restaurant, Chez Françoise, is a favorite among local lawmakers.In accordance, he’s offering a lavish “After Work” special until 8 p.m., an hour before the lockdown takes effect, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentCéline Petit, a revered French publicist who worked at the Public Systeme Cinema on a number of festivals, died on Friday due to illness. She was 45.Petit’s death was confirmed by Bruno Barde, the managing director of the Public Systeme Cinema, where she worked for 18 years.

Ed Meza @edmezavarSandra den Hamer, president of the Association of European Film Archives and Cinematheques (ACE) and director of the Netherlands’ Eye Filmmuseum, has called on a European framework to facilitate the sharing of European film heritage with the public.In a lively online discussion between several representatives of European film institutes at the Lumière Film Festival’s International Classic Films Market (MIFC) in Lyon, France, on Thursday, den Hamer pointed out that many small

Lise Pedersen While the global pandemic caused cinema theaters in France to close for the first time ever (“Even the war didn’t close down cinemas!” exclaimed Lumière Festival director Thierry Frémaux on opening night), it did mean people had more time to watch movies.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentDealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases, France has imposed a nightly curfew in Paris and eight other cities, which could potentially put some film releases and shoots on ice.Announced by President Emmanuel Macron during a televised address on Wednesday, the curfew will kick off on Saturday and remain in place for six weeks, running from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorIn another blow to the industry, the French government has ordered a curfew in several major cities across the country. From Saturday, residents of L’Ile de France (which includes Paris and its environs), Lyon, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Lille, Grenoble, Montpellier, Rouen, Toulouse and Saint-Etienne will be under a strict curfew from 9PM to 6AM.

Joaquin Phoenix is set to reunite with Ridley Scott for a new film about Napoleon.The actor and the filmmaker, who previously teamed up for the 1999 epic Gladiator, will join forces again for Kitbag, which explores the French Emperor’s origins.The film’s title is inspired by the saying “There is a general’s staff hidden in every soldier’s kitbag”.The script will be written by David Scarpa.Scott has just wrapped production on another historical epic, The Last Duel, in Ireland, and he is set to

Netflix boss Ted Sarandos has defended Cuties, calling the film “misunderstood”.Following an indictment from a Texas grand jury for the film’s “lewd” depiction of children, Sarandos said Cuties was “very misunderstood” in the US.The film, released last month, focuses on 11-year-old Amy who finds herself caught between the traditional Muslim values of her family and her newfound ambition to join an all-girls dance troupe.Speaking at the virtual Mipcom market, Sarandos said, per Deadline: “It’s a

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMK2, a family-owned French film company boasting a prominent arthouse cinema chain in Paris and in Spain, is staging various events to turn the spotlight on classics from Charles Chaplin to Claude Chabrol and Abbas Kiarostami which are part of its impressive library of 600 movies.MK2’s CEO Nathanael Karmitz has been invited by Thierry Fremaux, the chief of Cannes Film Festival and the ongoing Lumiere Festival in Lyon, to deliver a masterclass on Tuesday

Dave McNary Film ReporterThe 43rd Denver Film Festival will open on Oct. 22 with a drive-in showing of Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland,” starring Frances McDormand, at the Red Rocks Park.The festival will be mostly virtual but will also hold drive-in showings of “Nine Days” as its Centerpiece title on Oct.

Playing a 65-year-old New York high-society widow who burns through her savings and moves to Paris with her son in Azazel Jacobs'French Exit, Michelle Pfeiffer sucks the juice from each line like a Louisianan devouring a crawfish. It's a full-on diva turn — a smorgasbord of side-eye and shade, of lacerating one-liners dispatched between drags on cigarettes and slurps of martinis.

Also Read: 'The War With Grandpa' Film Review: Robert De Niro Mildly Kills Time, So Audiences Can Do Likewise“I don’t like these people,” says one character after spending a bit too long in Frances’ parlor. “They’re not normal people!”He’s right, of course — they’re not normal people.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBeta Film has closed multiple pre-sales deals on “Atlantic Crossing,” the prestige Norwegian period drama starring Sofia Helin (“The Bridge”) as Crown Princess Märtha, and Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”) as U.S. President Franklin D.

The New York Film Festival comes to a close with the world premiere of “French Exit”, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges.