Deauville American Film Festival To Step Up Its Industry Angle

Deauville may be a popular vacation spot, but the Normandy seaside town will be getting down to business at the 38th annual Deauville American Film Festival as organizers add a professional twist to the traditionally audience-focused event.

Paula Wagner will be honored with a career homage for her work as an agent to top talents like Tom Cruise, Sean Penn and Demi Moore and as Cruise/Wagner founder and producer who brought top titles like Mission Impossible, The Last Samurai and Vanilla Sky to screens across the globe.

Industry pros can also rendezvous at the Film Corner that was launched last year to bring together buyers and sellers in a relaxed setting.

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Organizers hope the initiative will give US indie titles without French distribution deals a chance –  or, in some cases, a second chance – to find homes in Gallic theaters. The Film Corner was launched in partnership with Cinando.com, the Marche du Film’s online database.

On September 3rd, French and US producers will rendez-vous for a discussion around the topic “Producing in the USA today.” Mandarin Cinema’s Eric Altmayer and Les Productions du Tresor’s Alain Attal are confirmed among the French participants.  Professionals in town for the day can also take advantage of both official festival screenings and screenings at the Film Corner in addition to a special lunch and cocktail.

Other confirmed public events include a conference on September 6 about Jean-Pierre Melville’s influence on US cinema and a “film analysis” on September 7 that will focus on last year’s big festival winner Take Shelter hosted by professor of film at Columbia University David McKenna.

A press conference announcing the fest’s full lineup will be held in Deauville on July 25.