THE KILLER (Le Tueur) West Coast Premiere Film Noir France, 2008 In French with English subtitles 35mm/1.85/Color/DTS Stereo Sound/90 min Official Selection: Rotterdam international Film Festival (2008) Written and directed by: Cédric Anger Cinematography: Caroline Champetier Editor: Julien Leloup Music: Grégoire Hetzel Produced by: Thomas Klotz, Saïd Ben Saïd Production Company: Sunrise Films, SBS Films Co-production: Canal +, CineCinema With: Gilbert Melki (Leo), Grégoire Colin (Kopas), Melanie Laurent (Stella), Sophie Cattani (Sylvia), Xavier Beauvois (Franzen), Jeanne Allard (Alana) The Killer is a classic film noir a la Melville, about the unusual relationship developing between Léo Zimmerman (Gilbert Melki, Intimate Strangers, Changing Times, The Right of The Weakest (COLCOA 2007)) a seemingly exemplary businessman, and professional killer Dimitri Kopas (Grégoire Colin, Beau Travail, The Intruder, The Dreamlife of Angels) who has been sent to kill him. Knowing that there is a price on his head, Léo meets with Dimitri to cut a strange deal with him: he will stay in town so that Dimitri can accomplish his mission, but he wants something else in return... CEDRIC ANGER Cédric Anger is a young writer/director. In 2000, he co-wrote his first short To Mathieu with Xavier Beauvois, nominated for a Golden Lion at the Venice Mostra. His subsequent works include the short film Novela (2002), Two (2002), a feature film co-written with Werner Schroeter and shown at the Directors Fortnight in Cannes. In 2005, he teamed up with Xavier Beauvois again and co-wrote the award-winning Le Petit Lieutenant, nominated for a 2005 César Award in Best Writing category. The Killer is his first feature as writer/director. PRESS “A creepily symbiotic relationship develops between a professional assassin and his mark in "The Killer"... Strong performances make what sounds, on paper, like an improbable drama actually work on the big screen...” (Variety) “With The Killer, [Cédric Anger] directs his first feature film, and takes on an elegant pedigree, from Kitano’s first Noir films (cold humor, delayed action) to Michael Mann (a taste for the contemporary architecture of large cities).” (Libération) “Cédric Anger succeeds in inventing an auteur cinema nurtured with the milk of American cinema, like the filmmakers of the Nouvelle Vague fifty years ago. The Killer is also a touching film, where flows a great tenderness.” (Le Monde)