WELCOME Official Selection: Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Panorama Special Selection) Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival North American Premiere Drama France, 2009 In French with English subtitles 35mm/Scope 2.35:1/Color/Dolby Digital DTS/115min Directed by: Philippe Lioret Written by: Philippe Lioret, Emmanuel Courcol, Olivier Adam Cinematography by: Laurent Dailland Editing by: Andréa Sedlackova Original Music by: Nicola Piovani, Wojciech Kilar, Armand Amar Produced by: Christophe Rossignon Production Company: Nord-Ouest Films Co-produced by: Studio 37, France 3 Cinéma, CRRAV - Centre Régional de Ressources Audiovisuelles International sales: FILMS DISTRIBUTION 34, rue du Louvre 75001 Paris Tel : +33 1 53 10 33 99 www.filmsdistribution.com With: Vincent Lindon (Simon), Firat Ayverdi (Bilal), Audrey Dana (Marion), Selim Akgül (Zoran), Derya Ayverdi (Mina), Jean-Pol Brissart (The Judge), Firat Celik (Koban), Behi Djanati Atai (Mina’s mother), Thierry Godard (Bruno), Murat Subasi (Mirko), Olivier Rabourdin (the police lieutenant), Yannick Renier (Alain), Mouafaq Rushdie (Mina’s father) An ode to the abandoned immigrants trapped on the shores of Calais and the good Samaritans who take risks to help them, the ironically titled Welcome stars popular French actor Vincent Lindon (Betty Blue, The School of Flesh, Seventh Heaven) as Simon and talented newcomer Firat Ayverdi as Bilal, in his first role. Simon gives shelter and swimming lessons to illegal Kurd immigrant Bilal, who wants to cross the channel and join his fiancée in England. Although Simon and Bilal develop a sincere father-son relationship, Simon takes the risk of being arrested for helping an illegal immigrant in the desperate hope of impressing his estranged wife Marion (Audrey Dana, Roman de Gare (COL•COA 2008)), with whom he is still deeply in love. Released in March 2009 in France after premiering at the Berlinale, Welcome has already fueled many debates with its politically controversial stance. ABOUT PHILIPPE LIORET A former sound engineer, Philippe Lioret turned to filmmaking in 1993 with a first feature Lost in Transit, for which he won a Silver Seashell award for Best Director and OCIC Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. He followed with the comedy Tenue Correcte Exigée (1997) and two critically-acclaimed feature films starring Sandrine Bonnaire: Mademoiselle (2001) and The Light (COL•COA 2005). In 2007, his adaptation of a novel by Olivier Adam, Don’t Worry, I’m Fine, became a critical and commercial success in France, winning many awards including an Étoile d’Or for Best Screenplay and revealing the talent of young actress Mélanie Laurent (César, Lumière award and Étoile d’Or for Most Promising Actress). PRESS "A superb director of actors, Lioret blends French professionals with Kurdish amateurs in a seamless mix....A beautiful sense of rhythm and structure generally mark Lioret’s style (most recently "Don’t Worry, I’m Fine"), and Laurent Dailland’s lensing often goes beyond a certain unprepossessing handsomeness to something transcendent. Trucks crisscrossing Calais harbor form a memorable image, but an overhead sequence of the choppy, dark channel waters is the kind of scene that grabs hold of the gut as well as the brain." (Variety) "Vincent Lindon's gruff, hangdog persona limns Simon as a hard-bitten type guy with a soft, needy core. The actor's no-nonsense turn – in rusty English as well as French – confirms Lindon as French cinema's current incumbent of the Jean Gabin niche of bullish-but-sensitive blue-collar roles. He is well matched by up-and-comer Dana as Marion, while newcomer Ayverdi is a significant discovery, his tough, candid ease persuading us of Bilal's reckless determination." (Screen International)