Sneak Preview: DECLARATION OF WAR (Valérie Donzelli, 2011)
Event Date: January 24, 2012 - 7:30pm
Location: The James Bridges Theater, Melnitz Hall 1409, UCLA
The opening night film at this year's Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival, this exuberant and deeply moving film follows a new couple, Romeo (Jérémie Elkaïm) and Juliette (Valérie Donzelli), who must face the ultimate test when they discover their newborn child is very ill. Gathering their friends and family together, they confront this ordeal together as a form of warfare. Donzelli infuses the story with unexpected verve using a host of cinematic techniques, music and heartbreaking performances that results in a film about a contemporary couple who surprises even themselves with their ability to fight not only for the life of their child, but for each other. Drawing on the real life experiences of Donzelli and co-star/co-writer Elkaïm and what they went through when their own son fell ill, the film will bring tears to your eyes and dazzle you with its contagious vitality.
A critical and box office hit at home, DECLARATION OF WAR is France's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2012 Academy Awards.
Co-sponsored by the French Film & TV Office of Los Angeles.
Winner, Grand Prix Asturias, Gijón International Film Festival
Official Selection, Cannes International Film Festival
Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival
Official Selection, Cabourg Film Festival
Official Selection, Athens Film Festival
Official Selection, Pusan International Film Festival
Official Selection, Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival
Official Selection, Turin Film Festival
“It sounds like a crazy risk to make a film about a young couple whose baby is diagnosed as suffering from a brain tumor – and to make it funny and romantic, with musical interludes, so that it plays like something Jacques Demy and François Truffaut might have cooked up together. But actor-director Valérie Donzelli's second film after the micro-budgeted romantic comedy THE QUEEN OF HEARTS is a joy to watch.” –Lee Marshall, Screen International
“Bold scenes, dazzling musicals, strong humour despite the gravity of the subject, incredible energy and perfect acting make DECLARATION OF WAR an ideal alchemy between strong emotions and stylistic lightness, a combination reminiscent of Truffaut but revisited in a starkly modern form.” - Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa
DIRECTOR: Valérie Donzelli
WRITERS: Valérie Donzelli & Jérémie Elkaïm
CAST: Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm, César Desseix, Brigitte Sy, Elina Löwensohn, Michèle Moretti
IFC Films
35mm, 100 min.
