June
26th
2004: Caché
is being prepared, In my country's US release is postponed etc...
Produced
by Les films du Losange, Michael Haneke's upcoming "Caché" (aka
"Hidden"), starring Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteuil, Maurice
Benichou, François Berleand and Denis Podalydes, must officially start filming
within 10 days, in early July, in Paris. In the meantime, the film is actively
being prepared. Two adverts, notably published on ParisCasting.com, reveal that
the "children-kids" extras casting took place in the French capital
last June 23th and 24th, which seems to confirm the imminence of the shooting
Furthermore,
the original title of "Country of my skull", already used in its
festival run, has been cleaned up a bit to remove references to bones, as
"In My Country". This change had already been achieved for its Italian
release, last May 7th, it is now extensive worldwide (thanks Donal)
Originally
scheduled to start its platform release on September 3rd, 2004, in the USA, Sony
Pictures Classics has besides bumped it back a month until October 1st, 2004.
John Boorman's movie is then scheduled to be distributed by Mongrel Media in
Canada, on October 15th (or Oct. 8 in limited release), and by DeA Planeta S.L.
in Spain, on November 5th 2004. In my country is also sure, today, to be
released in Australia, New Zeland, Sweden, Denmark, and in Norway (Columbia
TriStar), in Switzerland (Frenetic Films), in Greece (Spentzos Films) as well as
in the UK and in Ireland (Icon Entertainment) but still not in France, no French
distributor having acquired the film rights yet
June
11th
2004: Variety
confirms that Juliette Binoche will star in Barry Levinson's next film
Variety
confirmed what Barry Levinson had told the Istituto Luce in Rome last April,
i.e. that Juliette Binoche should star in his next movie, "My Italian
story", and announced that the film was due to start filming in Rome and
Sicily (Italy) this fall.
Based on a
true tale, "My Italian story" is being produced by Hollywood-based
Gary Foster and Ethan Silverman, who penned the script, in association with
Rome's Buskin Film and Italo state-film entity Istituto Luce, German's Zephir
Film and French producer André Djaoui.
Juliette
Binoche must play the mother of a Jewish boy in nazi-occupied Italy during World
War 2 on a quest for a rabbi to perform his bar mitzvah.
As a result,
first scheduled to begin in February, then postponed to September-October, Brian
De Palma's Toyer is now expected to start shooting in November, with Colin Firth
in the title role, finally, and not Jeremy Northam, as previously announced
May
17th
2004: In
my country holds strong at the Italian box office
In
my country had a good hold in Italy, for its 2nd week of release, while only one
new opener entered the box office top 10 (Phone, at No 2). John
Boorman's movie is now 7th with an estimated weekend gross of €195.960 at 167
dates (May 14-16), off 35% from last weekend. The 10-day cume is €773.476
(132.220 admissions). Although Van Helsing tumbled 53%, it remained No 1
with €1.389.304 from 441 screens, ahead of Phone (€559.138 at 235 dates),
Monster (€330.209 at 171 dates), Honey (€316.814 - 228 dates), Taking lives
(€276.086 - 178 dates) and Kill Bill Vol.2 (€206.664 - 168 dates). Luther
(€126.078 - 103 screens), Dopo mezzanotte (€109.590 - 56 screens) and Secret
window (€95.467 at 93 dates) are respectively 8th, 9th and 10th, behind In my
country.
A good score
for Juliette Binoche, whose film should however suffer from Troy's May 21st
opening, in Italy. Just like Van Helsing's debut of last weekend, Troy opened in
47 markets this week, ranking No 1 everywhere
May
11th
2004: Juliette
Binoche poses in tennis shoes for sick children
Yesterday
in Switzerland, at the medico-surgical Genolier Clinic, Zinedine Zidane
promoted the release of a book in aid of the
ELA association which he supports, the European Leukodystrophy Association.
Within the context of the national "All in tennis shoes to defeat the
disease" day they organize each year, a photo book featuring 86
personnalities in sneakers has been edited by Flammarion in order to finance the
research against this illness of genetic origin, that mainly affects
4-5-year-old children (the age from which the disease starts in its infantile
form, the most widespread). Among the celebrities reunited in this book titled
"Tous en baskets" (All in tennis shoes), Juliette Binoche, Catherine
Deneuve, Jean Rochefort, Charlotte Rampling or Jean Louis Trintignant have
joined Zinedine Zidane to be photographed in trainers by Georges-André Cretton,
in sometimes surprising poses.
Sold for
€30 (or 50 Swiss francs), the book is available at all Fnac stores, which
retrocede 30% of the price to ELA, from all good bookshops (for a retrocession
of 3.5% of the selling price to ELA) or directly from the association (which
then receives the selling price in its entirety) at ELA Suisse, Case postale 53,
1228 Plan-Les-Ouates (tel: 022 7560940) or by e-mail at ela.suisse@bluewin.ch.
Inquiries: www.ela-asso.com
May
10th
2004: In
my country (original title: Country of my skull) is 6th at the Italian box
office
In
my country opened No. 6 in Italy with an estimated €301.859 (51.600
admissions) at 170 dates for the weekend (May 7-9). Van Helsing opened No. 1
with €2.984.468 at 403 dates, which is Universal's 3rd biggest opening of all
time in that market. Van Helsing is currently the No. 1 film around the world
(No 1 in USA, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, Mexico, Netherlands...)
with a record-breaking $53 million at 5.000 playdates in 41 countries. Behind
the newest sure-fire blockbuster, Honey (€605.720 - 2nd week of release),
Monster (€531.071 - 2nd week of release), Taking lives (€445.415 - 2nd week)
and Kill Bill Vol.2 (€401.284 - 3rd week) also precede the last Juliette
Binoche film. The passion of the Christ follows with €187.166 for a €20
million total (5th week), ahead of Secret window (€176.254 - 4th week), Luther
(€175.632 - 2nd week) and Dawn of the dead (€146.608 - 3rd week) which
closes the Italian top 10.
In my
country is therefore the 2nd best opener of the weekend, behind Van Helsing, but
must cope with a tough competition that prevents it from having a very good
start. To be continued
May
6th
2004: Juliette
Binoche is again in the movie theatres, in Italy and in Canada
Before
its release tomorrow on 170 Italian screens, In my country will premiere tonight
at the cinema
Adriano, 16-23 Piazza Cavour, Quartiere Prati, in Rome, at 8:30 pm. The
invitations have been closed for several days but tickets for the next
screenings can be booked or bought online. Information: infoadriano@cecchigori.com.
Tel: 06 36004988
Overseas, as
Denis Lavant is visiting Montreal, for the 10th international festival of
literature, the Cinémathèque
québecoise presents until May 15 five important films of his carreer, among
which Mauvais sang (aka "Bad blood"), with Juliette
Binoche and Michel Piccoli, and Les amants du pont neuf (aka "Lovers on the
bridge"), with Juliette Binoche and Klaus Michael Gruber. Mauvais
sang will be screened on May 14 at 8:30 pm, salle (screening room) Claude
Jutra, Les amants du pont neuf on May 15 at 8:30 pm also salle Claude
Jutra. The Cinémathèque
is situated 335 boulevard de Maisonneuve Est, Montreal, Quebec H2X 1K1. Tel:
(514) 842-9763
May
2nd
2004:Juliette
Binoche is in Rome for the Italian release of Country of my skull
Juliette
Binoche has arrived at Rome to support the release of her last film,
Country of my skull, renamed In my country, in Italy, next May 7. Interviewed by Giovanna Grassi
for El
Corriere della sera, she has notably declared that "we are all a little
bit racist". She also reveals having been contacted by Nanni
Moretti to star in The son's room, Palme d'or in Cannes in 2001 and notably
winner of 3 David Di Donatello (Italian Oscars) among which those of Best
film and Best actress for Laura Morante. You can read the interview in English
in its entirety by clicking
here, or in Italian, on the site of the newspaper
Furthermore,
the Italian version of the official site of Country of my skull, www.inmycountry.it
, has now been completed and offers, among other things, photos, wallpapers,
a forum and the trailer of the film (in Italian)
April
8th
2004:Country
of my skull opens in Italy (thanks Donal)
Lucky
Red will release "Country of my skull" on May 7th, in Italy, under
the name of "In my country". A website is besides under construction (www.inmycountry.it)
Furthermore,
"Country of my skull" will be shown in Dublin at the Irish
Film Institute on May 14th at 8pm. Director John Boorman and cinematographer
Seamus Deasy will be attending the screening and a questions and answers session
after. Attendance is strictly by invite only
The film is
then scheduled to open in Ireland and in the UK in August (distributed by Icon
Production), and in the USA on September 17th (under the banner of Sony Pictures
Classics, in limited release). "Country of My Skull" stars Juliette
Binoche and Samuel L. Jackson in a political love story set against the backdrop
of South Africa's post Apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings
April
5th
2004:Brian
De Palma denies having entrusted the title role of Toyer to Jeremy Northam
(thanks Geoff)
Brian
De Palma told De
Palma a la Mod that much of the information about Toyer reported recently on
the web has been off the mark. "Who is ever giving you information on Toyer
is all wrong," said De Palma. "I'm talking to Colin Firth about
playing opposite Juliette Binoche and hope to do it right after The Black Dahlia",
his next film. Which lets it be understood that Jeremy Northam should not play
Toyer's role, but also that plans would be in place to proceed with the movie
later this year, as expected, despite recent changes in British tax law. Colin
Firth (Love actually, Bridget Jones' diary, Shakespeare in Love...) already
costarred with Juliette Binoche in Anthony Minghella's The English patient, in
1996 (as Geoffrey Clifton)
April
2nd
2004:Barry
Levinson says that Juliette
Binoche should star in his next film, My Italian story
Barry
Levinson (Rain Man, Good morning Vietnam, Sphere...) has announced that Juliette
Binoche should star in his next film, My Italian story, at the Istituto Luce, in
Rome. Barry Levinson has come to
an agreement with the Istituto Luce and the Jewish Community of Rome to
access the respective archives of both institutions. My Italian story will tell
the story of a young Jewish refugee who goes in search of a rabbi to perform his
bar mitzvah, in the fascist Italy, during world war two.
Besides, as
the french monthly magazine Studio is celebrating its 200th issue (in 200 pages
and 500 photos), numerous cinema personalities from the whole world have sent
some dedications or some presents (scripts, photos...) to the editorial staff of
the magazine. Interviewed numerous times by Studio, which has devoted several
covers to her, Juliette Binoche has had a drawing sent from San Francisco, to
say "I think of you" (Je pense à vous). Furthermore, the mag looks
back over its 17 years of existence through a little retrospective, by
publishing notably 2 ancient Juliette Binoche photos, and promises to reunite
Emmanuelle Béart, Juliette Binoche and Sandrine Bonnaire in an upcoming issue
(who, it says, are like "three sisters of the french cinema", all
three being of the same generation, having started at the same period or having
all worked with André Téchiné)
Produced
by Les films du Losange, Michael Haneke's upcoming "Caché" (aka
"Hidden"), starring Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteuil, Maurice
Benichou, François Berleand and Denis Podalydes, must officially start filming
within 10 days, in early July, in Paris. In the meantime, the film is actively
being prepared. Two adverts, notably published on ParisCasting.com, reveal that
the "children-kids" extras casting took place in the French capital
last June 23th and 24th, which seems to confirm the imminence of the shooting 
Variety
confirmed what Barry Levinson had told the Istituto Luce in Rome last April,
i.e. that Juliette Binoche should star in his next movie, "My Italian
story", and announced that the film was due to start filming in Rome and
Sicily (Italy) this fall. 
Before
its release tomorrow on 170 Italian screens, In my country will premiere tonight
at the 
Juliette
Binoche has arrived at Rome to support the release of her last film,
Country of my skull, renamed In my country, in Italy, next May 7. Interviewed by Giovanna Grassi
for 
