I recently fixed one of the videos of Marion Cotillard joining Maud Fontenoy & 300 kids on high sea as godmother of the Maud Fontenoy Fondation. Also La Chaîne de Cœur released a more extensive video about the successful collaboration between the Public Aid Association, the municipality of La Rochelle and the Maud Fontenoy Fondation – in fact they will repeat the experience next summer. I added screencaptures from the video as well as more photos from the event.

Gallery:
009 Public Appearances > Events in 2012 > La Journée des oubliés des vacances
041 Award Shows & Premieres etc > La Journée des oubliés des vacances – 2012

Video:
001 Other Public Appearances > Maud Fontenoy

On another note, there are rumours that ‘Rust & Bone‘ will screen during the notoriously secretive Telluride Film Festival this weekend (August 31 – September 3) ever since Hollywood Elsewhere reported that there will be festival tributes for Mads Mikkelsen and Marion Cotillard. How exciting would that be?!

Marion Cotillard has said in recent interviews that she needs a break and that she had to say no to some very good projects. It seems Iranian director’s Ashgar Farhadi upcoming first French movie is one of them. The Playlist reports via Allocine that Bérénice Bejo replaces Marion Cotillard in the social thriller which starts filming in October and is scheduled for release next spring.

Last Tuesday the Toronto International Film Festival released the full schedule and a guest list. ‘Rust & Bone‘ will screen on the first & second days of the festival:

Thursday, September 6, Visa Screening Room (Elgin), 9:30 PM
Friday, September 7, Ryerson Theatre, 12:00 PM

And Marion Cotillard together with director Jacques Audiard and costar Matthias Schoenaerts are expected to attend as they’re on the released guest list.

If you enjoyed NY Mag’s short summary of Marion’s latest interview you’ll no doubt enjoy Vulture‘s more extensive notes from the full transcript, which I added a while ago:

• Marion Cotillard on Rust and Bone, Playing a Double Amputee, and Hating the Zoo, Vulture, August 21

[edit:] They released some more quotes from the same interview today:

• Plastic Surgery Makes Marion Cotillard Sad, The Cut, August 23

After many ads and online movies for Dior Marion Cotillard will once again be seen in an online short film for the fashion house:

Next up, starting Sept. 3, the house plans to launch its “Lady Dior, a Web Documentary” series on its site, diormag.com, geared to depict Cotillard’s adventures with the house over the years. The actress can be seen getting ready for the Met Ball, signing autographs at the Cannes International Film Festival and visiting the house’s couture atelier to watch a dress commission being made.

Sources: Vogue Germany, WWD

Gallery:
007 Other Work > Dior > Lady Dior: A Web Documentary > Stills

‘Rust and Bone‘ – which premiered during the Cannes Film Festival under its original title ‘De rouille et d’os‘ – will have its North American premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival which takes place September 6-16. The schedule will be announced on August 21.

On the Variety Weblog The Vote Jon Weisman published an interesting review of ‘Rust and Bone‘ comparing it to its Cannes competitor (and winner) Amour.

I also added another outtake from the ‘Rust and Bone‘-themed shoot for Obsession magazine as well as many more movie stills and replaced some existing ones with HQ versions. (Since I changed some of the filenames to change the order you may need to refresh the gallery to see it properly).

Gallery
010 Movies > De rouille et d’os (Rust and Bone) – 2012 > Stills
001 Portraits > Sessions from 2012 > Obsession

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ was released this week in most territories with France following next week. Marion attended the premieres  in New York and also London. Photos will be added to the gallery shortly.

There was a premiere planned for Paris this weekend but due to the shooting in Denver, Warner Bros has cancelled the premiere and all media interviews as a result.

Our thoughts go out to the victims’ families and friends.

Source: Premiere.fr

Rumour on twitter has it that Marion Cotillard has arrived back in Cannes today, as has ‘De rouille et d’os‘ (Rust & Bone) director Jacques Audiard. Tonight is the closing ceremony where the awards will be handed out. Can we see this as a sign that Marion Cotillard will be awarded the Best Actress award?

In the past weeks critics have praised her performance as Stéphanie, the French calling it her best performance yet and the English speaking press saying it’s up there with La Vie en Rose. Many have also praised the movie itself. Go here for a summary for English reviews and here for French reviews. On numerous occasions, the press has given the movie good chances for tonight’s ceremony or even for Awards Season early next year (Huffington Pot, Indiwire, Hollywood.com, Toronto.com).

In these scenes, Cotillard shows she doesn’t need the validation of Cannes or the Academy. Her strong, subtle performance is gloriously winning on its own.
• Source: Time Entertainment

Its candour and force are matched by the commitment and intelligence of its two leading players. These factors, linked with the glowing sunlit images captured by cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine and emotion-grabbing music from Alexandre Desplat make for a powerful spectacle. It is a passionate and moving love story which surges out of the screen like a flood tide.
• Source: The Guardian

The movie, out in theatres throughout France and French-speaking Switzerland since its premiere at Cannes, is also doing well financially. In its first week it was #1 a the box office with 652,000 entries at 394 cinemas (Ozap.com) – putting ‘Dark Shadows‘ and ‘Avengers‘ on second and third places. UGC has thus increased the number of screens (Le Parisien). In French-speaking Switzerland it made the #5 spot with 5,901 visitors on 9 screens (Hitparade.ch).

I myself went to see ‘De rouille et d’os‘ on May 18 and was deeply impressed. On paper it seems like a traditional love story with some Lifetime-movie-elements thrown in. However, it is so much more. In fact, the reason for it being so good lay in the wonderful combination of performance, cinematography and soundtrack. Things beyond words, which is why I can’t really find the right words to explain why I loved it and why I was so moved. Let me just say that Jacques Audiard is really a genius for never letting any scene become cheesy. And Marion Cotillard’s performance is indeed very strong. While its powerful, daring and out there it is a the same time also quiet and subtle. Really magnifique. If she wins something tonight it will be well-deserved!

Tribute Entertainment is running a contest where you can win free passes to the Canadian premiere of Marion Cotillard’s new movie “The Dark Knight Rises.” All you have to do is design a new movie poster and submit it online to entered. There are also secondary prizes available. The contest is open to all legal residents of Canada (including Quebec). Click this link to enter!

The above new still is from a sneak peak for the new issue of Empire, on sale May 31 – which will feature a 23-page spread on all things ‘The Dark Knight Rises‘, hopefully there will be more Marion-related material in the issue.

Gallery:
001 Movies > The Dark Knight Rises – 2012 > Stills

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).

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.”