As previously announced Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy were awarded Media prize of the European Union earlier today for their upcoming project. I haven’t been able to find an extensive report about it but here are bits and pieces I found:

“I’m very pleased that Marion Cotillard has joined us in this amazing adventure,” Mallet-Guy said in an exclusive announcement with French film trade Le FilmFrançais. Details of the storyline are under wraps while Farhadi finalises the script. Mallet-Guy revealed, however, that the film will be an emotional social thriller in the vein of A Separation, with multiple twists aimed at keeping the audience in suspense from the first frame to the last. (ScreenDaily).

Tahar Rahim is confirmed as co-star and an Iranian actor, whose deal is still being finalized, will also join the cast (Variety).

It will be filmed next fall in Paris and the suburbs. The release is planned for Spring 2013 (Le Figaro).

Farhadi didn’t provide any more details. He said that “when asked about a film that has already been made I haven’t much to say. But I now realize it’s even harder to talk about a film that hasn’t even been made yet.” (Yahoo).

“Marion Cotillard accepted the part in my next film at our first meeting. My script will be finalized the day before shooting starts. Afterwards not a line will be changed” (EcranNoir 1, 2).

“She is one of the few actresses who can express complex emotions” (Focus.de).

Of course Marion Cotillard also attended the press conference for ‘De rouille et d’os‘ (Rust & Bone) ahead of its premiere last Thursday. Also present were co-star Matthias Schoenaerts, director Jacques Audiard and co-writer Thomas Bidegain. It’s really an interesting watch (again, with simultaneous translation into English) on the official Festival website. Or watch the edited version above to only see Marion’s bits.

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034 Events in 2012 > ‘De rouille et d’os’ Press Conference – 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival
388 Award Shows & Premieres etc > ‘De rouille et d’os’ Press Conference – Cannes Film Festival – 2012

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001 Other Public Appearances > Cannes Film Festival

Director Jacques Audiard together with Marion Cotillard & Matthias Schoenaerts were interviewed on Thursday on the official Festival TV channel about ‘De rouille et d’os‘ (Rust & Bone). Contrary to recent interviews posted on this site this one has was simultaneously translated into English so also non-French speakers understand what they’re saying.

Gallery: 097 TV Appearances etc > Specials > TV Festival de Cannes (Canal+) – 17/05/2012
Video: 001 Interviews > TV Festival de Cannes

2 more clips from ‘De Rouille et d’os‘ (Rust & Bone) have recently been released. I added them to our video archive. So far I haven’t been able to find Clip 4 with English subtitles yet but I found the trailer with English subtitles. Enjoy!

Gallery: 093 De rouille et d’os (Rust and Bone) – 2012 > Screencaptures > Movie Clips
Video: 003 Movies & TV Clips > De Rouille et d’os (Rust & Bone) watch in HD clip 3, clip 4

Yesterday, Le Figaro mentioned in their Cannes article that Marion Cotillard will be filming the new movie by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi in Paris in the fall. What do we know about it?

Back in January The Daily Beast reported:

Farhadi is currently working on a screenplay with acclaimed writer Yazmina Reza, who penned the play God of Carnage, that he hopes to shoot in France soon; he has approached Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) and Marion Cotillard for leads.

Various casting sites posted an ad on Saturday looking for 2 girls (10 and 14 years old) to play the daughters of Marion’s character.

Payvand Iran News reported:

The acclaimed Iranian director Asghar Farhadi will shoot a French-language film in Paris next fall. The news was announced by Memento Films’ Alexandre Mallet-Guy, who told the press that further details about the film will be released at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Mallet-Guy did say, however, that the film is not the previously announced love story between an Iranian girl and a North African boy set in Paris.

And finally, director Asghar Farhadi will be awarded first EU MEDIA prize on Sunday, May 20, during the Cannes Film Festival for this mystery project. Hopefully, this is when we’ll get more information.

“I am proud to give this award to Mr Farhadi today for this film project which has a strong cultural identity and illustrates the openness of European culture, which I defend daily.After the worldwide success of his masterpiece “A Separation”, he gives us a project which is committed and moving in equal measure and above all draws on universality” said Ms Vassiliou.

Asghar Farhadi said, “In these times when certain politicians are trying to turn the beautiful rainbow of cultural diversity in the world into differences and confrontations, I believe that this MEDIA award for my next film project is a very encouraging sign. I would therefore like to warmly thank the MEDIA programme, and commend it for its lucid and open vision of mutual and respectful exchanges between cultures.”

2 clips from ‘De Rouille et d’os‘ (Rust & Bone) were released earlier today. Watch them in our video archive (with English subtitles) or check out our HD screencaptures. I can’t wait to see this movie!

Gallery: 100 De rouille et d’os (Rust and Bone) – 2012 > Screencaptures > Movie Clips
Video: 002 Movies & TV Clips > De Rouille et d’os (Rust & Bone) watch in HD clip 1, clip 2

A new trailer for ‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ was released earlier this week. It features an even briefer look at Marion Cotillard as mysterious Miranda Tate than the last trailer.

Gallery: 009 The Dark Knight Rises (2012) > Screencaptures > Trailers

Video: 002 Trailers > The Dark Knight Rises

Walter Salles’ On the Road, Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy and Michael Haneke’s Amour will join Rust and Bone by Jacques Audiard and David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis for a trip to the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival.

Also screening in the competition are Holy Motors by Leos Carax, The Angels’ Share by Ken Loach, John Hillcoat’s Lawless, which stars Shia LaBoeuf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman alongside Jessica Chastain in a Prohibition-era drama, and more U.S. titles such as Jeff Nichols’ Mud and Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt and Ray Liotta. All in all, U.S. filmmakers will have a strong presence on the Croisette this year.

President Gilles Jacob and artistic director Thierry Fremaux announced the official selection for the May 16-27 festival at a press conference in Paris late Thursday morning.

While the 2011 competition lineup was light on U.S. directors and star power, the Cannes team certainly made up for it this year. “American cinema has come back relatively en force,” Fremaux said.

Pitt, Robert Pattinson, Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard and Matthew McConaughey — who both have multiple projects in Cannes — will add glam to the fest as they make their way down the world’s most famous cinema catwalk.

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Ahead of its French theatrical release on May 17 the first stills and a French trailer has been released for ‘De Rouille et d’Os‘ (Rust & Bone). Doesn’t it look very promising? Go here for an English synopsis.

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002 De rouille et d’os (Rust and Bone) – 2012 > Stills
049 De rouille et d’os (Rust and Bone) – 2012 > Screencaptures > Trailer

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001 Trailers > De Rouille et d’Os

Filming for ‘Low Life‘ (Untitled James Gray Project) wrapped earlier this month and a wrap party was held at The Electric Room on March 18. NY Post Page Six reports:

Marion Cotillard handed out gifts to fellow cast and crew at a wrap party Sunday night for the untitled, 1920s James Gray-directed project she filmed with Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner. Cotillard, who came with partner Guillaume Canet, fashioned giant clothespins for each cast and crew member with his or her name and unique decorations, and passed them out all night during the party at Nur Khan’s Electric Room in the Dream Downtown.

The movie is currently in post-production for 15 weeks and director James Gray hopes to have it ready for the Toronto International Film Festival when he spoke to The Playlist:

I think it’s going to be my best work. What I shot was not just my best work, but the actors doing their best and I’m very excited about it for that reason. I’m extremely excited, like I said it’s the best thing I’ve done.

The French theatrical release date for ‘Un goût de rouille et d’os ‘ (Rust & Bone) has been pushed forward from October to May 17, 2012 – the day after the Cannes Film Festival opens. This is most likely confirmation of the rumours that the movie will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Earlier this month new casting for Guillaume Canet’s upcoming movie ‘Blood Ties‘ was announced via The Hollywood Reporter. Mark Wahlberg is no longer attached to the project but Clive Owen came on board the adaptation of the French novel Les liens du sang. Additionally to Zoe Saldana and Marion Cotillard her ‘Big Fish‘ co-star Billy Crudup and fellow Dior muse Mila Kunis were cast. And Marion’s ‘Rust & Bone‘ co-star Matthias Schoenaerts has an offer for a role while ‘Low Life‘ director James Gray helped Guillaume Canet write the screenplay.

The story centers on a younger brother (Crudup) who has to ask his convict older brother (Owen) to go back into the underworld to help out the family. Kunis and Cotillard play love interests. If the finanacing comes together, the movie will head for an April start in New York.