New York, NY – February 13, 2012 – After in-demand screenings during this year’s EFM (European Film Market), currently taking place in connection to the 2012 Berlinale, Kino Lorber is proud to announce the acquisition of all US rights to Daniel Auteuil’s beloved directorial debut The Well-Digger’s Daughter (La Fille Du Puisatier).
This already celebrated remake of Marcel Pagnol’s eponymous 1940 film stars Mr. Auteuil (Caché) as well as Astrid Berges-Frisbey (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Jean-Pierre Darroussin (Le Havre), Sabine Azéma (Private Fears in Public Places) and Nicolas Duvauchelle (White Material, Beau Travail), among others.
Recently selected to premiere at the 17th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema,the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Unifrance Films’ celebrated annual showcase of the best in contemporary French cinema, The Well-Digger’s Daughter is set for a June commercial run at New York’s Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and will expand to other major markets during the summer of 2012. The film’s VOD and home video releases are set for later in the year. Moreover, actor Jean-Pierre Daroussin is scheduled to attend the film’s premiere in early March, during Rendez-Vous with French Cinema.
The Well-Digger’s Daughter also marks Daniel Auteuil’s returns to the Pagnol universe; Mr. Auteuil also starred in the Marcel Pagnol adaptations Jean de Florette (1986) and Manon des Sources (1986), both directed by Claude Berri.
Set in pre-WWII France, The Well-Digger’s Daughter tells the moving story of Pascal Amoretti (Daniel Auteuil), a hardscrabble well digger who is forced to come to terms with his 18-year-old daughter’s early pregnancy. “Imbued with the bucolic charm and the conspicuous lack of villains that is typical of Pagnol’s work,” (Variety) the film begins with Patricia Amoretti’s (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) first romantic encounters with 26-year-old fighter pilot Jacques Mazel (Nicolas Duvauchelle); Mr. Auteuil and cinematographer Jean-François Robin depict their intense romance with both beauty and sensibility.
However, as is often the case with Pagnol, class struggle and social norms get in the way of a happy life. As Jacques Mazel is drafted to war and Patricia Amoretti finds herself pregnant, the wealthy Mazels accuse the working-class Amorettis of trying to steal their fortune. The situation worsens when Jacques goes missing on the frontlines, and the Mazels have a change of hearts about their son’s only child.
“Daniel Auteuil’s outstanding career has reached a new height with this incredibly perceptive and humanist directorial debut,” says Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber. “The Well-Digger’s Daughter combines our company’s love for Pagnol’s oeuvre with our profound admiration of Mr. Auteuil’s career, so we’re incredibly lucky to be releasing this film in the United States. I’m certain that American audiences will be deeply moved by this universal story of love, loss and family unity.”
This acquisition was negotiated between Kino Lorber’s CEO Richard Lorber and Pathé International’s Executive VP, International Sales, Muriel Sauzay.
About Kino Lorber:
With a library of 700 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent distribution for over 30 years and releases over 20 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Classics and Alive Mind Cinema banners. In addition, the Company brings over 60 titles each year to the home entertainment market on over 15 internet platforms and VOD services.