TECHNICOLOR SUPPORTS SIXTEEN FEATURES PREMIERING AT 61st EDITON OF CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
Technicolor, the Services division of Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS), today announced that it has provided services for sixteen theatrical features and documentaries premiering at the 61st edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
Director Steven Soderbergh presents two eagerly awaited theatrical features at Cannes, based on the life of Latino revolutionary Che Guevara, The Argentine, and Guerilla – both digitally photographed by Mr. Soderbergh. (At the festival, the films will premiere under the single title Che.) A new digital color-science pipeline was created specifically for Mr. Soderbergh’s features, which are premiering in the Competition section of the festival, including services provided by Technicolor Creative Services’ facilities in New York, Burbank, Hollywood, London, as well as the company’s Theatrical Services facility in Madrid.
“Technicolor’s global service offering combines the best industry-leading digital and film services that our clients demand,” said Lanny Raimondo, CEO, Technicolor and senior executive vice president, Thomson. “Only Technicolor can offer these integrated services and technologies across its global facilities.”
The volume of feature projects underscores Technicolor’s industry-leading global service offerings. Major directors with films at Cannes, supported by Technicolor’s best-of-class services, include director Fernando Meirelles’ festival-opening, Blindness; director Woody Allen’s new Vicky Cristina Barcelona; director Steven Spielberg’s long-awaited sequel Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; and director Clint Eastwood’s drama, Changeling. Technicolor also handled many facets of the new DreamWorks Animation feature, Kung Fu Panda.
The Cannes Classics section also includes three films restored (or re-mastered) by Technicolor Content Services, including Max Ophuls’ Lola Montes, and the new high-definition re-mastering of director David Lean’s This Happy Breed, and The Passionate Friend. David Lean’s films were re-mastered for Granada International who, along with Technicolor, is the co-sponsor of this year’s Cannes Classics catalogue.
The Lola Montes project, one of French cinema’s most cherished classics, brought together a remarkable team of organizations committed to restoring Max Ophuls’ 1955 first color feature (shot in Cinemscope) back to a pristine state, with the original artistic intent of Mr. Ophuls. The restoration of Lola Montes was funded by The Thomson Foundation for Film and TV Heritage, along with L’Oréal; agnès b; the Franco-American Cultural Fund in conjunction with the Cinemathèque Française; and Les Films du Jeudi.
Other films that Technicolor provided various services for included Antonio Campos’ Afterschool, Matteo Garrone’s Gomorra, Marina Zenovich’s Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Thomas Clay’s Soi Cowboy, James Gray’s Two Lovers, and Barry Levinson’s What Just Happened?.
