Special Gainsbourg Screenings in Prague

Good news for the lucky people of Prague! The Czech Republic's capital city will host 4 special screenings of Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) at the end of April.  There will be two screenings at both the Kino Aero and Bio Oko cinemas. See the details for the showtimes below.

Kino Aero:

Biskupcova 31

130 00, Prague

Czech republic

Dates/Times: April 27 - 10:00, April 29 - 20:45

Click here for details/tickets

Bio Oko: 

Křížka 15 Františka 

170 00, Prague

Czech Republic

Dates/Times:  April 29 - 10:00, April 30 - 20:30

Click here for details/tickets

Gainsbourg Birthday Party In San Francisco

French pop-music site Bardot a Go-Go is throwing a birthday celebration for "l'homme a tête de chou" this Saturday, April 3, 2010 at Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco.  

 "Just imagine you drove up with God, close your eyes halfway, add alcohol, and dance like you’re wearing a French tickler" is how SF Weekly is describing this weekend's upcoming birthday party.  Gainsbourg's birthday actually occurs on April 2 and he would've been 82 years old.

"Join us for our semi-annual celebration of France's naughtiest garcon: Serge Gainsbourg! Co-founders Brother Grimm, Pink Frankenstein, and Cali Kid will be playing Serge's greatest hits and the best in '60s French pop, as well as Northern Soul, shagadelic electro, and mod pop. There'll also be drink specials, go-go girls, and Frenchie visuals. Shagadelic attire encouraged." (via Rickshaw Stop)

BARDOT A GO GO
Called "Best Substitute for a Parisian Disco" by the Bay Guardian and "carbonated, contagious" by SF Weekly, "Bardot a Go Go" celebrates its 12th year of playing swinging '60s French pop from the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc, and of course Brigitte Bardot.

Rickshaw Stop 
155 Fell St 
San Francisco, CA 94102
$10
CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Joann Sfar Documentary At Toronto Jewish Film Festival

"Joann Sfar Draws From Memory" a new documentary about Illustrator / Graphic Novelist / Gainsbourg (vie héroïque)-Director, Joann Sfar, by Sam Ball is screening on April 24th at 7:00 PM at the Bloor Cinema as part of this years 18th Toronto Jewish Film Festival.   

"This work-in-progress, part of a special spotlight programme on documentary filmmaker Sam Ball (see also Balancing Acts), tracks Joann Sfar, author of The Rabbi’s Cat and Klezmer, on an odyssey through the dual Algerian and Eastern European family heritage that is the wellspring of his work. Co-produced by Sophie Constantinou, Estelle Fialon and Valerie Joseph. French comic-book artist/director Joann Sfar’s Le Chat du Rabbin (The Rabbi’s Cat) is slated to be released as a feature film in June 2010." (via TJFF)

Guests at this screening will include Director Sam Ball, Executive Producer Valerie Joseph, and Producer Liam Romalis.

Click here for a full list of films playing at this year's festival, which runs from April 17-25, 2010.

 

Visit the Official Toronto Jewish Film Festival Website for more info and to purchase tickets.

Hollywood Premiere of Gainsbourg: Je t'aime...moi non plus

Another US premiere of Joann Sfar's Gainsbourg film has been announced, this time on the west coast in sunny Hollywood. Between April 19-25, patrons of this year's ColCoa Film Festival in Los Angeles, Califoria will get a first look at Gainsbourg: Je t'aime...moi non plus (known as Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) in French-speaking countries).

The films premiering in Hollywood as part of this year's festival include (click each title for film info from the Official ColCoa Film Festival Website):

• Farewell
• Gainsbourg : Je t’aime… moi non plus
• Heartbreaker
• Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno
• Hidden Diary
• High Lane
• I Am Glad That My Mother is Alive
• Immaculate
• In the Beginning
• In Their Sleep
• Irene
• Love is in the Air
• Mademoiselle Chambon
• Making Plans For Lena
• My Father’s Guests
• Pauline at the Beach
• Pierrot le Fou
• Please, Please Me!
• Rapt
• Round Da Way
• Silent Voices
• Sphinx
• Tête de Turc
• The Concert
• The Father of My Children
• The French Kissers
• The Hedgehog
• The Horde
• The Little Thief
• The Villain
• Two in the Wave

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) Premieres in Norway on Friday: Trailer

Distributed by SF Norge, Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) is set to open in theaters across Norway on Friday, March 26, 2010.  For any Norwegians looking for info about the film in their native language, click here for a full synopsis at FilmWeb.no and read a review by Kjetil Lismoen at Oslopuls Film by clicking here.  Also, you can purchase tickets for local screenings of the film at Aurora kino Fokus by clicking here.  Check out the trailer below with Norwegian subtitles (double-click to play).

Soirée Gainsbourg Amsterdam Photos

Igor from Freeke.net snapped some great photos from last week's Soirée Gainsbourg at Bitterzoet in Amsterdam (3/17/2010) which took place the evening before Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) opened in theaters across Holland.  Some of my favorites are below but make sure to check out the full album over on the Freeke.net Photo Page.

Natasha Cloutier from Oh-La-La

Paris-Maastricht

La Secte Citron

 

Serge van Duijnhoven

  

The Spinshots

 

VJ Blackbird Badger

(all photos courtesy of Igor at Freeke.net)

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) opens in UK on July 30

Many thanks to our friend, Will Kane from The World of Kane, for the tip that Launching Films recently posted on their schedule that a film entitled "Gainsbourg" will open across theaters in the UK on July 30.

After a little more digging, I discovered that it is indeed Joann Sfar's Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) and will be released via distributor, Optimum Releasing.

"From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. GAINSBOURG is an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940s Nazi- occupied Paris, and through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s until his death in 1991. Taking the best from LA VIE EN ROSE and AMELIE, GAINSBOURG is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most beloved graphic artists of our time and the team behind the magical creatures of PAN’S LABYRINTH." (via Optimum Releasing).

As for details on the official UK/London premiere, I'll have to do a little more digging, but hopefully for now UK fans can rejoice after this 2-month bump up in release date (originally slated for September 30, 2010).

CHEERS!!!

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) In Turkey: Istanbul International Film Festival

From April 3-18, 2010, Istanbul will transform into a hub of international film culture as the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts will hold the annual Istanbul International Film Festival.

There are 217 films screening as a part of this year's event including the Turkish premiere and four screenings of Gainsbourg (vie héroïque), which is competing in the International Film Competition.

There is no word about continued screenings throughout Turkey after the festival, so catch it in Istanbul while you can.  To learn more about the festival, click here.

Win A Trip For 2 To NYC For The Tribeca Film Festival

Our friends at MOFILM and a number of big brands like Best Buy, Nokia, and Nature Valley among many others are teaming up to offer a free trip for 2 to New York City and the Tribeca Film Festival where you can be one of the first people in the US to catch the premiere of Gainsbourg (vie héroïque).  All you have to do is create an advertisement for the brand and submit it by April 6, 2010.  Click here for all the official details. THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEST!!! OPEN TO ALL COUNTRIES!!!

Get your flip-cams out and go for it! The winners are promised "to experience a red carpet treatment" for the festival, and this is an amazing opportunity for any aspiring filmmakers as they'll be showing the winning entries prior to various screenings.

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) Amsterdam: Party Tonight, Opening Tomorrow

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) premiered Monday night in Amsterdam at the Rialto (click here for full schedule of screenings). Writer/Director Joann Sfar was in attendance and also held a question and answer session in English (see clip below). I've learned that our friends over at Oh-La-La were able to spend some time with him, so look out for an interview, premiere pics and a new podcast from them coming soon.

The film officially opens to the public throughout The Netherlands tomorrow, but the festivities get started tonight at Bitterzoet with Soirée Gainsbourg (click here for details).

Soirée Gainsbourg
Bitterzoet 
2 Spuistraat
1012 TS Amsterdam
020 - 42 123 18
Entry: €10

UniFrance Rendez-Vous Kicks Off In New York Minus Gainsbourg

RENDEZ-VOUS UPDATE

As reported in Variety back in January, UniFrance's 15th Rendez-Vous with French Cinema kicked off earlier this week in New York City and runs through March 21. However, one film one noticeably absent from the bill. In the original coverage, it was reported that Joann Sfar's Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) would be one of sixteen films showing, but it's nowhere to be found on the official line-up.

Regardless, I'm still going to swing through the Rendez-Vous events and check out a few films over the next week, notably "OSS 117, Lost In Rio" (with cinematography by Gainsbourg's own Guillaume Schiffman) and "The French Kissers"(Les Beaux gosses) by illustrator (and friend of Joann Sfar), Riad Sattouf.

15th Rendez-Vous with French Cinema

OSS 117, Lost In Rio

Riad Sattouf

It would've been great to preview Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) this weekend, but we really can't complain after the announcement of a US premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.  A few more weeks seems like nothing after the past few months. Plus, it gives us time to plan a little soirée of our own ;)

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) US Premiere Announced

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque)/(known internationally as "Je t’Aime… Moi Non Plus") will premiere in the United States at the Tribeca Film Festival between April 21 and May 2 in New York City!!!

It was one of the first 34 films announced this week which are screening at this year's festival. Others include James Franco-starring William Vincent; Irish psychological drama Snap;  Korean story Paju directed by Chan-ok Park; Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek’s Loose Cannons; and My Brothers, the directorial debut of Shane Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser. (source: EW)

"The lineup will include 85 feature-length films and 47 short films, including 45 world premieres, 7 International premieres, 14 North American premieres, 6 U.S. premieres and 12 New York premieres. Seven of the latter are part of the fourth annual Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival."

The festival will include a documentary about disgraced former New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer, by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney and a 45th anniversary showing of David Lean's "Dr. Zhivago."(source: The Wrap)

(Serge Gainsbourg - New York, USA)

Click here for more details from Variety.com
Click here for the Official Tribeca Film Festival Website

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) Screening In UK In April!

Don't wait until September 30th if you don't have to! A select few will be able to see Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) when it's playing in London between Saturday, April 17th – Monday, April 19th as part of the ICO Screening Days!

ICO Screening Days is a 3-day event of industry screenings for staff of independent cinemas, film societies, mixed arts venues and film festivals to choose programming and develop marketing for their upcoming seasons. It includes pre-release titles from all the major film distributors where viewers can choose from 20+ films (see trailers below) that will be hitting the screens in the months ahead. The event is meant for industry folks to meet and network with fellow colleagues and there will be a reception on Saturday evening full of all sorts of professionals from various parts of the film industry to chit-chat with

Confirmed films include:

Gainsbourg – Joann Sfar

Bad Lieutenant – Werner Herzog

Lebanon – Samuel Maoz, Winner of the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival 2009

Mother – Joon-ho Bong

White Material – Claire Denis

Independent Cinema Office - ICO Screening Days

BFI Southbank, London
Saturday 17 April – Monday 19 April 2010
Prices: 

• 1 day pass: £24.00     
• 2 day pass: £42.00     
• 3 day pass: £57.00     
• 1 day student pass: £12.00     
• 2 day student pass: £21.00     
• 3 day student pass £28.50

Click here for full details.

Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) in Andorra!

Aliança Andorrano-Francesa has organized a special screening of Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) in Andorra on Thursday March 18th (9:30 pm - Andorra la Vella Municipal Theatre, Andorra la Vella - AD500). If you are anywhere near this beautiful region in the eastern Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, you should check it out! I can only imagine how breathtaking the views are out there during this time of the year.  If only I weren't 2000 miles away, I'd be there in a heartbeat!

For full details of this special event, click here.

Joann Sfar in Amsterdam for Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) Premiere

On March 15, 2010 Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) will premiere in Amsterdam in the presence of Writer/Director Joann Sfar. There will be an exhibition at District V prior to the film's premiere screening, in addition to a question/answer session, at the Rialto.  See the flyer below for all the details.

 

Please e-mail ingeborg.tuinman@gmail.com with any questions and don't forget about Soirée Gainsbourg (click here for details)!

Fan Portraits of Serge Gainsbourg

French painter, Jean-Luc Bellini has crafted two portraits of Serge Gainsbourg based on the actors who play him in Gainsbourg (vie héroïque), Éric Elmosnino and Kacey Mottet Klein.  Enjoy!

Kacey Mottet Klein as young Lucien Ginsburg

Éric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg

To see more portraits of famous stars by Jean-Luc Bellini, click here.