Kino Lorber nabs Juliette Binoche period drama “Camille Claudel 1915”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Kino Lorber has acquired all U.S. rights to Bruno Dumont’s French-language period drama Camille Claudel 1915, with plans to launch it in New York on October 16 before expanding the rollout later this winter, Deadline said.

Juliette Binoche stars in the story of Auguste Rodin’s protégé (and later his mistress), and sister of the Christian/mystic poet Paul Claudel. Inspired by the correspondence between brother and sister, the pic focuses on Camille’s struggles to find understanding and recognition as an artist — and to receive a visit from her beloved brother while confined to a mental institution where she stayed until her death.

Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber released Dumont’s first two films in the U.S. (The Life Of Jesus and Humanité); Lorber negotiated the current deal with Wild Bunch’s Head of International Sales Carole Baraton.

“The idea of severe French formalist Bruno Dumont taking on a costume biopic, and with a major star in the lead to boot, initially seemed an aberration, perhaps the auteur equivalent of Dylan going electric. As it turns out, “Camille Claudel 1915,” a measured, moving account of a brief period in the later life of the troubled sculptress, could hardly be the work of anyone else, with its sparseness of technique and persistent spiritual curiosity. Juliette Binoche’s mesmerizing lead turn may earn this wider distribution than Dumont’s last few films, but it remains a challenging arthouse property,” the film review published at Variety said.