| Scottish company lands top film title
A French film which won three prizes at the 2009
Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), including
the Audience Prize, has been acquired for distribution
in the UK and Ireland by the Scottish based distributor
CineFile, it has been announced at the Edinburgh International
Film Festival.
The ironically titled Welcome has been unanimously
acclaimed by the critics and applauded by audiences.
It has taken more than one million admissions in France
since it was released in March.
Set in Calais it traces the relationship between
a Kurdish youngster (newcomer Firat Ayverdi) who seeks
to try to reach London and his girlfriend, and a French
swimming instructor (played by Vincent Lindon). He
is persuaded to coach the youngster to swim across
to Dover after he makes a couple of abortive attempts
at illegally smuggling himself away on lorries.
Richard Mowe, communications director of CineFile
who saw the film at the Berlin Film Festival, said:
“It portrays with brutal honesty the lives of
refugees trying to reach the UK from France - the
cold, hunger, casual violence from police and the
risks run by some to help them. It’s a human
story that seems certain to become an art-house hit
and will cross over into multiplex cinemas. It could
be another Slumdog Millionaire. The context of the
Edinburgh International Film Festival is the perfect
place to make this announcement.”
Allison Gardner, a director of the company who have
acquired a reputation for releasing French titles
(including Conversations with My Gardener and Pot
Luck) as well as indigenous Scottish productions such
as True North and Rivers and Tides, said: “This
a film that everyone in the company appreciates and
we are looking forwarding to help it find an equally
appreciative audience.”
Ilona Morison, acquisitions director of the company,
added: "There was keen interest in the title
and we are delighted that the French sales agents
and producers decided to trust CineFile's expertise
in distribution in the UK and Ireland. Our rights
include theatrical, television and eventually DVD."
The film’s director Philippe Lioret said that
the plight of the migrants shocked him: "There
was no need to dramatise anything for the film."
In seven months last year, the Border Agency dealt
with almost 1,200 stowaways in trucks at Dover. Stringent
new security measures imposed by the British government
at the Channel ports mean that refugees, once concentrated
on Calais, have now dispersed far and wide. The result
is that an estimated 1,500 are living in makeshift
camps alongside motorways or in squats from Cherbourg
to the Belgian border. In Calais, aid workers were
able to find and help the migrants. Dispersed, they
are much harder to assist.
CineFile plan to release the film in the autumn on
a mixture of digital and 35mm prints.
What the
critics said:
Welcome has won critical
acclaim and seems certain to become an art-house hit
... Another example of gritty French cinema that will
provoke a storm of controversy. - The
Observer
A superb director of actors,
Lioret blends French professionals with Kurdish amateurs
in a seamless mix... A beautiful sense of rhythm and
structure generally mark Lioret’s style. Variety
Vincent Lindon's gruff,
hangdog persona limns Simon as a hard-bitten type
guy with a soft, needy core. The actor's no-nonsense
turn – in rusty English as well as French –
confirms Lindon as French cinema's current incumbent
of the Jean Gabin niche of bullish-but-sensitive blue-collar
roles. He is well matched by up-and-comer Dana as
Marion, while newcomer Ayverdi is a significant discovery,
his tough, candid ease persuading us of Bilal's reckless
determination. Screen International
More than an intimate drama
as well as a deeply moving manifesto: the best film
of the moment! Julien Barcillon -Télé
7 Jours
Welcome is an outstanding
film - Carlos Gome - Le Journal du Dimanche
This intense and beautiful
film gives shivers. Pierre Murat - Télérama
Director: Philippe Lioret Screenplay: Olivier Adma,
Emmanuel Courcol & Philippe Lioret 110 min
Certificate: Not yet rated
Distributor: CinéFile
Cast: Vincent Lindon: Simon; Firat Ayverdi: Bilal;
Audrey Dana: Marion; Derva Ayverdi: Mina; and Thierry
Godard: Bruno
Synopsis:
Bilal (Firat Ayverdi), a young 17 year old Kurdish
boy, has travelled through the Middle East and Europe
to join his girlfriend, freshly immigrated to England.
But his journey comes to an abrupt end when he is
stopped on the French side of the Channel. Having
decided to swim across, Bilal goes to the local swimming
pool to train. There he meets Simon (Vincent Lindon),
a swimming instructor in the midst of a divorce. To
impress his estranged wife (Audrey Dana) and win back
her heart, Simon decides to risk everything by taking
Bilal under his wing, and give him shelter and swimming
lessons.
An ode to the abandoned immigrants trapped on the
shores of Calais and the good Samaritans who take
risks to help them, the ironically titled Welcome
stars popular French actor Vincent Lindon as Simon
and talented newcomer Firat Ayverdi as Bilal, in his
first role. Although Simon and Bilal develop a sincere
father-son relationship, Simon takes the risk of being
arrested for helping an illegal immigrant.
Released in March 2009 in France after premiering
at the Berlin Film Festival, Welcome has fuelled many
debates with its politically controversial stance.
Unanimously critically acclaimed it also became a
box-office success. Lioret's previous film, Don't
Worry I'm Fine was presented at the French Film Festival
UK in 2008.
|