'The Class' wins top prize at Lumiere Awards

Laurent Cantet's acclaimed drama "Entre les murs" (The Class) picked up the award for best picture Monday at France's Lumiere Awards.

Based on the book by François Bégaudeau, the film documents daily life in a junior high school classroom. "Entre les murs" also won the presitious Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

The award for best director went to François Dupeyron for his comedy "Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera" (With a Little Help from Myself), about a family of immigrants living outside of Paris.

Meanwhile, the prize for best screenplay was awarded to Samuel Benchetrit for "J'ai toujours rêvé d'être un gangster" (I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster), which also took home the World Cinema Screenwriting Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Vincent Cassell was named best actor for "Mesrine," while Yolande Moreau won best actress for "Séraphine." Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne won the award for the best francophone movie for "Le Silence de Lorna."

Source: AP

Daily news dose: Nine films competing for foreign Oscar; Summit to adapt 'If I Stay'

Here's your dose of quick news bits for Jan. 14, 2009...

• Here are the nine semifinalists for the best foreign-language Oscar: "Revanche" from Austria; "The Necessities of Life" from Canada; "Entre les murs" (The Class) from France; "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex" from Germany; "Waltz With Bashir" from Israel; "Departures" from Japan; "Tear This Heart Out" from Mexico; "Everlasting Moments" from Sweden; and "3 Monkeys" from Turkey. (Academy Awards)

• Summit Entertainment has aquired the big-screen rights to Gayle Forman's novel "If I Stay." The story focuses on a musician and her boyfriend whose lives change when they get caught up in a tragic train wreck.

• Emmanuelle Chriqui has joined the cast of Géla Babluani’s remake "13." Michael Shannon, Ben Gazzara and Alex Skarsgard also recently jumped on board. The film follows a man who gets a hold of a mysterious package with a set of instructions leading to a fortune. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Alex Holmes is set to write "The Infiltrator" for 2929 Prods. The film is based on Robert Mazur's upcoming memoir "The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel," which follows a Customs official who had a hand in uncovering a money laundering scheme involving Escobar. (Variety)

2008 Norwegian International Film Festival Awards

Laurent Cantet’s French drama “The Class” ("Entre les murs"), a film based on François Bégaudeau's book about life in a junior high-school classroom, took home the Film Critics Award Thursday at the 2008 edition of the Norwegian International Film Festival at Haugesund.

Cantet's film won several prestigious awards at festivals all over the world in the past months. After winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, "The Class" also picked up the One Future Prize at the 25th Munich Film Festival.

The Ray of Sunshine Award went to Mike Leigh's dramedy "Happy-Go-Lucky," about the ups and downs in the life of a London teacher. The film stars Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan and Andrea Riseborough.

Meanwhile, Thomas Vinterberg's "A Man Comes Home" ("En Mand kommer hjem") won the festival's audience prize. The comedy follows a famous opera singer who returns home to find his hometown drowning in chaos.

Erik Poppe's "Troubled Water" won the Andreas Award. For the complete list of winners, head over to the festivals official Web site.