SPY (IES) Espion(s) North American Premiere Drama/Romance/Thriller France, 2009 In French with English subtitles 35mm/1:1.85/Color/Dolby SR SRD and DTS/99 min Written & Directed by: Nicolas Saada Cinematography by: Stéphane Fontaine Editing by: Juliette Welfling Original Music by: Cliff Martinez Produced by: Michaël Gentile Production Company: The Film Co-produced by: Studio 37, France 2 Cinéma, Mars films International sales: KINOLOGY 65 rue de Clichy 75009 Paris Tel: +33 9 51 47 43 44 With: Guillaume Canet (Vincent), Géraldine Pailhas (Claire), Stephen Rea (Palmer), Hippolyte Girardot (Simon), Hiam Abbass (Wafa), Bruno Blairet (Gérard) Jamie Harding (Fouad), Archie Panjabi (Anna), Vincent Regan (Peter Burton), Alexander Siddig (Malik) Art house thriller Spy(ies) stars French heart-throb Guillaume Canet (Tell No One (COL•COA 2007), Hunting and Gathering (COL•COA 2007), The Beach) as Vincent, a baggage handler at a Paris airport recruited by the French counterintelligence. Vincent and his colleague Gérard often commit petty theft on the job, an unfortunate habit that proves fatal for Gérard, who dies in the explosion of a perfume bottle found in a Syrian diplomatic suitcase. Accused of being an accessory to the crime, Vincent is forced to cooperate and go on a mission to London in exchange for amnesty. Upon arrival, his local MI5 contact Palmer (Stephen Rea, V For Vendetta, The Confessor) instructs him to seduce the wife of a pharmaceutical executive suspected to be linked with the terrorists. Vincent follows orders but quickly becomes emotionally involved and confused about his feelings for her. ABOUT NICOLAS SAADA A renowned film critic for Les Cahiers du Cinéma, Nicolas Saada is well-known for his radio show dedicated to film soundtracks on Radio Nova, "Nova fait son cinema." He started writing for film and television in 2000 with Le Détour and The Sandmen, two films directed by Pierre Salvadori. In 2004, he wrote and directed his first short film Les Parallèles, starring Géraldine Pailhas and Mathieu Amalric (Munich, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). He worked with Arnaud Desplechin on the adaptation of a play by Edward Bond, In the Company of Men and collaborated with Jean-Pierre Salomé on the screenplay for Arsène Lupin (COL•COA 2005). From 1992 to 1998, he was also in charge of fiction programs for French TV channel Arte, in collaboration with Pierre Chevalier. His first film as Writer-Director, Spy(ies) was released in early 2009 to rave reviews and box office success. PRESS "As a throwback to atmospheric '70s thrillers like "The Parallax View" and "Three Days of the Condor," pic scores with its bluesy tone, somber setpieces and existentially downtrodden protags. (...) Both Canet and Pailhas provide powerful turns that underline the loneliness of their characters, with Canet adding a few welcome touches of humor. As the main brain behind the terrorists, Sudanese-born actor Alexander Siddig ("Syriana") offers a strong supporting presence." (Variety) "For his first feature, Nicolas Saada delivers a film noir proving that French Cinema can give birth to subtle and inventive genre films. From manipulation to seduction, Spy (ies) takes us on a captivating journey and shows a rare command for a first opus. Géraldine Pailhas and Guillaume Canet are excellent and up to par with this film, fascinating both for its aesthetics and its content." (Le Point)