The above image is the first “official” one released for Woody Allen’s upcoming film, “Coup de Chance,” which roughly translates to “Stroke of Luck” in English.
Allen’s latest film was screened at the EFM market in Berlin just a week ago and one buyer emailed me this past week saying that it was “his best film in years”.
Ok, so Allen might have a winner here. Where does the film land now? The obvious answer, given that it is set to be Allen’s first French-language movie, set in Paris, would be a Cannes premiere, but if only it was that easy.
It’s very hard gathering intel on this one, but from what I understand, “Coup de Chance” was indeed submitted to Cannes. This comes from someone who worked on the movie.
I don’t particularly think Cannes boss Theirry Fremaux would be averse in selecting Allen’s film, despite the inevitable backlash that might occur. Unlike, say, Roman Polanski, Allen is still very well-liked by the French media.
Of note, Polanski’s “The Palace” was also submitted for Cannes.
Allen’s film has been described, by the man himself, as a spiritual successor to “Match Point.” It’s his 50th film, a contemporary romantic thriller “charting the story of two young people whose bond leads to marital infidelity and ultimately crime.”
Another lure to push Fremaux in selecting the film is the cast Allen has assembled. A who’s who of Cesar-nominated and winning actors, such as Lou de Laage, Melvil Poupaud, Valerie Lemercier, Niels Schneider, Elsa Zylberstein, Bárbara Goenaga, Grégory Gadebois, Anne Loiret, Sara Martins, Guillaume de Tonquédec and Arnaud Viard.
Now that the film has been submitted, it’s up to Fremaux to decide what he wants to do with it. Of course, Allen could get cold feet and, even if his film gets accepted, might opt to bring “Coup de Chance” to Venice or a more subdued and relaxing environment like San Sebastien. We’ll know the answer in a month’s time.