While the Cannes Film festival has yet to announced the full slate of films that will be showcased at the event, the festival organizers have revealed that "Party Girls" will open the Un Certain Regard sidebar.
The festival announced in a press release that the film will mark the feature film debut of directors Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis. The three met at the French film school Fémis where they studied screenwriting and editing and began their collaboration.
The three filmmakers are not strangers to Cannes as they produced short films which were part of Cannes and also won a number of awards. These included "Forbach" (Cinéfondation Second Prize, Festival de Cannes 2008 and Grand Prix at the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival), "C'est gratuit pour les filles" (Semaine de la Critique 2009 - César Award for Best Short Film, 2010), and "Demolition Party" (2013).
"Party Girl" was produced by Elzévir Films and distributed by Pyramide Films. According to the press release, the film tell the story of "Angélique, a 60 year-old night club hostess who still loves men and enjoys partying, but now as the senior member on staff, feels she has reached the end of the line. On an impulse, she agrees to marry her regular client, Michel. The film is a portrait of a free woman who has chosen to live on the margins of conventional society, and delves deep into a France that is often underrepresented. With total realism, the lead role is played by the real-life Angélique."
This is the second announcement about the Un Certain Regard sidebar this week. Earlier, the Festival announced that Pablo Trapero who be President of the Jury for Un Certain Regard 2014. The sidebar's mission is to discover new talents, and provide excellent exposure for a collective first work that is innovative both in its form and its subject.
"Party Girls" follows "The Bling Ring" by the American, Sofia Coppola, which was presented as the opening of the sidebar in 2013.
The new film will be screened as the opening of Un Certain Regard, Thursday 15th May 2014. However the Festival will open with Oiver Dahan's "Grace of Monaco" starring Nicole Kidman ("The Railway Man"), Tim Roth ("The Hulk") and Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"). Meanwhile, Jane Campion ("Bright Star") is slated to serve as president of the competition slate while Andrea Arnold ("Fish Tank," "Wuthering Heights") will also serve as the president of the Critics Week sidebar while Lambert Wilson ("Of Gods and Men") will be the Master of ceremonies. The short competition's jury will be headed by Abbas Kiarostami (Iran), supported by directors Noémie Lvovsky (France), Daniela Thomas (Brazil), Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad), and Joachim Trier (Norway).
The full program for Un Certain Regard will be announced, together with the full category of official selections, on Thursday 17th April in Paris.
The winner of the prize for Un Certain Regard will be announced May 23, a day before the closing night awards ceremony of the 67th festival.
The Cannes Film Festival will be held May 14 to 25.