Xavier Giannoli Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Studiocanal, part of Vivendi’s Canal+ Group, has rolled out robust sales on Xavier Dolan’s Sundance-selected psychological thriller “The Night Logan Woke Up,” Spanish period drama “The Vow” and a bevy of first documentaries. The deals underscore the continuing upside for Studiocanal of illustrious cinema talent exploring premium TV direction, as well as the company’s beneficial diversification into documentary sales and daily series.

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s strand in which, each fortnight, we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.

Xavier Giannoli is one of those rare French directors who has a stronger relationship with the Venice Film Festival than Cannes back home.

Leading French producer Marc Missonnier, who had his Cannes Film Festival accreditation revoked after he publicly criticized its selection of Catherine Corsini’s Homecoming, has finally received a badge.

The European Producers Club (EPC) has issued a statement expressing solidarity for French producer Marc Missonnier who has had his Cannes accreditation revoked for criticizing the festival on social media.

A French producer who called for a boycott of the Cannes Film Festival over its selection of Catherine Corsini’s Competition film Homecoming, claims his accreditation has been cancelled in retaliation.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent After “Midnight in Paris,” Woody Allen will return to the French capital for his 50th movie which he’s described as a “poisonous romantic thriller” with a pair of French stars, Valerie Lemercier (“Aline”) and Niels Schneider (“Love Affair(s))”. The untitled film, the plot of which is being kept under wraps, will start filming next month and will be entirely in French with a budget in the $10-million range. Allen has described the film to be similar to “Match Point,” in that it would be “exciting, dramatic and also very sinister.”  Allen sparked headlines earlier this week after Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia ran a story reporting that the New York-based filmmaker had told them he was planning on retiring. Allen’s representative then issued a statement saying that the director had “no intention of retiring.”

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFrench actor Judith Chemla posted photos of her bruised face on her Instagram account on Sunday and said they were taken a year ago after she was allegedly assaulted by her then-boyfriend Yohan Manca, a filmmaker with whom she shares a daughter.In her emotional post, Chemla said she was finally revealing these photos because she was still being harassed by Manca, a year after the alleged incident involving Manca throwing a cell phone at her. The alleged domestic abuse occurred on June 3 near the Theatre du Rond-Point in Paris. The next day, Chemla filed a police complaint and canceled her trip to Cannes where she was expected to present “Mes freres et moi,” a film directed by Manca in which she had a role.

Following its Venice Film Festival bow and seven César Awards including for Best Film, Lost Illusions was the top weekend title at two core NYC arthouses — taking $10,850 of its estimated $13,579 three-day gross from Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentOne of the hottest European projects on sale at Cannes, “The Pot Au Feu,” Tran Anh Hung’s period romance starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel has already been nabbed by major international distributors. Gaumont is handling sales on the movie.The movie, which is currently shooting in a French castle, is set in the world of French gastronomy in 1885 and charts the relationship between Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the gourmet she has been working for over the last 20 years.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentIn the run up to Cannes, Gaumont is launching sales on “The Pot of Feu,” Tran Anh Hung’s period romance starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel. The movie is currently shooting in a French castle.Set in the world of French gastronomy in 1885, “The Pot of Feu” charts the relationship between Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the fine gourmet she has been working for over the last 20 years.

French actor Gérard Depardieu has lost an appeal in a case of alleged rape and sexual assault, and remains under investigation, the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed today according to Paris Attorney General Rémy Heitz, local media is reporting.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentVeteran French actor Gerard Depardieu will remain under formal investigation for alleged rape after losing an appeal.The decision, which was announced on Thursday (March 10) by the Paris Court of Appeal, said it won’t drop Depardieu’s indictment, which stems from accusations of rape and sexual assault filed to authorities by actor Charlotte Arnould in August 2018.Depardieu, who previously said through his lawyer that he “firmly rejected” Arnould’s accusations, has been under formal investigation since Dec. 16, 2020, and filed an appeal in May 2021.“The Paris Court of Appeal considers that there remains, at this point, some grave and consistent clues that justify that Gerard Depardieu remains indicted,” said the French court in a statement sent to Variety.

Refresh for latest…: The César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, are just getting under way at an in-person ceremony at Paris’ Olympia concert hall with screenwriter/director Danièle Thompson presiding over the proceedings and Antoine de Caunes as host, the latter marking his tenth time as emcee.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFrance’s equivalent to the Oscars, the Cesar Awards, are taking place this evening in Paris. Among the nominees, and in attendance, are “Annette” star Adam Driver and Cate Blanchett, who will receive the Honorary Cesar Award.The in-person ceremony is being hosted at the Olympia theater in Paris under tight COVID restrictions, as all guests have to wear a mask, be vaccinated and present a test dating from less than 24 hours.Driver is up for best actor for his performance as a tormented comedian opposite Marion Cotillard in Leos Carax’s drama musical “Annette.” Only two other American actors have been previously nominated at the Cesar Awards — Kristen Stewart for Olivier Assayas’ “Clouds of Sils Maria” and Adrien Brody for Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning “The Pianist.” Both actors won, in 2015 and 2003, respectively.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentEdouard Weil and Alice Girard, the producers of Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening” and Valerie Lemercier’s Celine Dion movie “Aline,” won the Toscan du Plantier Award at a fancy Paris ceremony hosted by the Cesar Academie. Weil and Girard, who run the Paris-based production banner Rectangle Productions, were selected by 1,557 voters, including all the artists and crew members who have been nominated at the Cesar Awards since 2008, as well as the 164 members of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema.Besides “Happening” and “Aline,” Rectangle Productions delivered several other critically acclaimed films within the last year, including Jean-Christophe Meurisse’s “Bloody Oranges,” Gaspar Noé’s “Vortex” which played at Cannes.

Refresh for latest…: Xavier Giannoli’s Illusions Perdues (Lost Illusions) leads nominations for the 2022 César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscar. The Venice premiere scored 15 mentions, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette, which opened the Cannes Film Festival last year and has 11 nominations. They are followed by Valérie Lemercier’s Aline, the musical dramedy inspired by the life of Céline Dion which also debuted in Cannes and has 10 nods. (Scroll down for the full list of nominations which is being updated.)

Ben Croll Though local theatrical exhibitors have yet to find their pre-pandemic footing, the myriad technicians making up Paris’ 160,000-strong production workforce have never had so much to do. Buoyed by the local industry and sent to the stratosphere by the demand of international streamers, audiovisual production has soared in Paris and its surrounding region.As film production has returned to its 2019 level, the rate of television work has more than doubled between 2020 and 2021, and the reasons for this boom come with little mystery.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAudrey Diwan’s “Happening” won best film and actress for Anamaria Vartolome at France’s Lumière Awards on Monday evening. “Happening,” which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was acquired by IFC Films, beat out Leos Carax’s “Annette,” Emmanuelle Bercot’s “Living,” Xavier Giannoli’s “Lost Illusions” and Arthur Harari’s “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle.” Julia Ducournau’s Cannes’ Palme d’Or winning “Titane” was surprisingly snubbed from the best film and director categories.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMusic Box has acquired Xavier Giannoli’s “Lost Illusions,” a sprawling costume drama with Benjamin Voisin (“Summer of 85”) and Xavier Dolan (“Mommy”), that competed at the Venice Film Festival and played at San Sebastian.A critically acclaimed film adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s literary masterpiece, “Les Illusions perdues,” the movie has now been sold in key markets by Gaumont.

Period drama has a bad name, especially period drama drawn from literary classics, but there is a European tradition of grand historical films that match their sources’ canonical status with the cinematic strengths of narrative sweep and visual opulence. Think The Leopard as a peerless example: Visconti’s masterpiece is a tribute to Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s novel, but a tribute paid between equals.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMatt Dillon (“The House That Jack Built”) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (“Antichrist,” “Nymphomaniac”) are attached to star in Fred Garson’s “An Ocean Apart,” a period drama about the romantic affair between French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir and American writer Nelson Algren.The film is being developed by French producer Olivier Delbosc at Curiosa Films, which is presenting Xavier Giannoli’s Venice competition player “Lost Illusions” and Yvan Attal’s “Les

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAhead of its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival, “Lost Illusions,” Xavier Giannoli’s $17.5 million period film, has already lured major buyers in key territories for Gaumont.Produced by Olivier Delbosc (“Renoir,” “The Midwife”), “Lost Illusions” is a modern adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s masterpiece starring Benjamin Voisin (“Summer of 85”), Cecile de France (“The Young Pope”), Vincent Lacoste (“Victoria”), Gerard Depardieu,