The Gilles Bourdos-directed Renoir debuted in Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year where Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired it for the States. It's been dated for a March 29 release, but before that Renoir will screen at the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema which kicks off tonight in New York. Celebrating its 18th year, the Rendez-Vous, presented by Unifrance and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, will screen 21 movies including A Lady In Paris with Jeanne Moreau, François Ozon's In The House and tonight's opener, Populaire which The Weinstein Co. has in the U.S. Renoir is set on the Côte d'Azur in 1915 and centers on Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jean Renoir and the woman who becomes the painter's model and the filmmaker's lover. Veteran French actor Michel Bouquet stars with Vincent Rottiers and Christa Theret. The trailer is below; click over for the Rendez-Vous promo:
Get Deadline news and alerts FREE to your inbox...
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar- and Emmy-winning producer Eva Orner makes her documentary directing debut with The Network, which world premieres March 11 at SXSW. Orner produced Alex Gibney's 2007 Oscar-winning docu Taxi To The Dark Side and returned to Afghanistan for Network, which profiles TOLO TV, the first independent broadcast station to spring up in the country where televisions were outlawed by the Taliban between 1996-2001. The Australia/UK co-production will court buyers at the Austin fest next month, with XYZ Films handling North American sales. The Network screens out of competition in SXSW's Documentary Spotlight section. Here's the first look at the trailer:
I put an asterisk in the title there because I can't promise this will be a massive breakout from the market stalls of the European Film Market. But I will say that the story of a giant arachnid (à la Ray Harryhausen) terrorizing Los Angeles, and sold here by Epic Pictures, looks fun and also somewhat reminiscent of Iron Sky, a movie that kicked off its career here last year and went on to have a cult life. Big Ass Spider does not have Nazis on the moon as did Iron Sky, but it was just selected for SXSW's Midnighters section where it will have its world premiere and features such actors as Ray Wise and Greg Grunberg ' and there's even a cameo by Troma chieftan Lloyd Kaufman. As needed, I'll report back during the week on the spider's international bite. The trailer is below (with a short intro from director Mike Mendez):