Universal Pictures International to Release Three French-Language Titles

Universal Pictures International will release three French-language titles in 2013, including Amour et Turbulences, The Real Life of Teachers and A Coup Sur.

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The studio, a unit of Comcast-controlled NBCUniversal, will team with Reverence to co-produce Alexandre Castagnetti’s French-accented romantic comedy Amour et Turbulences that stars Ludivine Sagnier and Nicolas Bedos in the story about exes who run into each other on a flight from New York to Paris and reignite their volatile relationship. Mathieu Robinet and Julien Ralanto from Reverence are producing the film that will start shooting on July 16. UPI France will release the title in Gaul and Kinology is handling international sales.

UPI will continue in the vein of Gallic humor with two more comedies set for release next year. Emmanuel Klotz and Albert Pereira-Lazaro’s The Real Life of Teachers is a family adventure drama that takes place at a school in Marseille where five teens launch a controversial website that exposes their teachers’ lives outside of the classroom. Produced by 2.4.7 Films’ Xavier Rigault and Marc-Antoine Robert, Teachers will hit French-speaking territories in 2013 via UPI.

Eric Elmosnino, the eponymous star of hit French biopic Serge Gainsbourg, will be back on screen alongside Laurence Arne and Valerie Bonneton in Delphine de Vigan’s A Coup Sur, a comedy about a career-driven woman on a mission to become the best lover in Paris after an ex-boyfriend tells her she is terrible in bed. A Coup Sur is produced by Epithete Films’ Frederic Brillion and Gilles Legrand and will start shooting in the Fall with UPI France to roll out the title in French-speaking territories also in 2013.  UPI’s VP of International Production JJ Lousberg and Manager of International Production Isabelle Stewart will oversee production.

“France is one of the most innovative and dynamic markets in the world. We are very excited to be working with filmmakers there, who have each brought us highly authentic takes on commercial material,” Lousberg said.

UPI France’s managing director Stephane Huard added:  “We, at UPI France, feel very privileged to keep on co-producing and distributing such great local projects in 2013 led by solid production teams and amazing French talent.”

UPI France will release Pascal Chaumeil’s Un Plan Parfait starring Diane Kruger and Dany Boon in October. Last time UPI partnered with Chaumeil on French-language title Heartbreaker starring Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis, the film made $29.8 million at the French box office in 2010.