Kinology Spotlights New Films By Catherine Corsini, Jacques Doillon and More (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy
·4 min read
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Gregoire Melin’s Kinology, the Paris-based company handling Leos Carax’s and Mia Hansen-Love’s next films, has added a string of ambitious new films from a mix of emerging and seasoned directors.

Kinology has launched sales on “A Girl’s Room,” a stylish psychological thriller directed by Finnish up-and-coming helmer Aino Suni; “The Divide,” a stars-packed film by French director Catherine Corsini (“Three Worlds”); “Third Grade” by veteran director Jacques Doillon (“Ponette”); and “Morning Calm,” a director-driven sprawling thriller by Denis Dercourt. All films are now in post and Kinology is showing first images, teasers or trailers to buyers at the UniFrance Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, which kicked off Jan. 13.

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Suni’s feature debut, “A Girl’s Room,” follows Elina, a 17-year-old aspiring Finnish rapper forced to leave her home for the south of France after her mother finds a French boyfriend. There, she is drawn to her new stepsister Sofia, a charismatic ballet dancer, who leads a double life, but their relationship soon turns toxic. The film is produced by Sebastien Aubert (Adastra Films) with “System Crasher” producer Oma Inge Film and Helsinki-based Made. “A Girl’s Room” stars fresh new talent, including Elsi Sloan, Carmen Kassovitz and Lucille Guillaume.

In a total different genre, Corsini’s “The Divide” is a contemporary ensemble film set in a hospital where several characters from different backgrounds cross paths, while protests are happening in the streets of Paris. The film is headlined by popular actors, including Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Marina Foïs and Pio Marmaï. Elisabeth Perez at Chaz Productions produced “The Divide.”

“‘The Divide” is a fable weaving drama and humor, thanks to the great cast, in particular the always colourful Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, and there is also a social dimension in a way that’s both lively and cinematic as Catherine Corsini knows how to do,” said Melin, a passionate cinephile who launched Kinology in 2008 after a long tenure at EuropaCorp.

“Third Grade” (“CE2”), meanwhile, is a film about a little girl who is being bullied at school and discovers that the boy who is giving her a hard time is suffering and needs her help. The film, which is produced by Bruno Pesery at Arena, stars Norah Hamzaoui (“Non Fiction”) and Alexis Manenti (“Les Miserables”). “‘Third Grade’ is in the same vein as ‘Ponette,’ one of Doillon’s most beautiful films, and it’s intelligent in the way that it shifts perspectives between the girl and the boy who go through things that we have all experienced,” said Melin.

“Morning Call” is a dark-edged thriller dealing with organ trafficking between Korea and China. The movie shot on location in Seoul for five weeks with Olga Kurylenko, Yeon-Seok Yoo and Jiwon Ye. Kurylenko stars in the film as a scientist who helps a cop uncover an organ trafficking ring in Seoul. Melin said the thriller was original because it’s directed by an auteur, Denis Dercourt, who did thorough research into these types of crimes. “Morning Call” is produced by Alexis Dantec at The French Connection.

Kinology is also continuing sales on Douglas Attal’s “How I Became a Superhero,” Marc Dugain’s “Eugenie Grandet,” Romain Quirot’s “Paul W.R.’s Last Journey,” Peter Dourountzis’s “Rascal” and Naël Marandin’s “Beasts.” The company is expected to have a large presence at festivals later this year with a bunch of highly anticipated films, notably Carax’s “Annette” with Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, Hansen-Love’s “Bergman Island” with Tim Roth, Mia Wasikowska and Vicky Krieps, and Nadav Lapid’s “Ahed’s Knee,” the Israeli helmer’s follow up to his Berlinale Golden Bear winning “Synonyms.”

Melin has also been busy producing a flurry of films over the years, aside from his sales activities. In fact, Melin’s been a driving force behind many movies, including “Annette” (which he’s an associate producer on), Mathias Malzieu’s fantasy romance “Mermaid in Paris,” Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” and Antonio Negret’s “Overdrive.” He was also a co-producer on David Cronenberg’s “Cosmopolis,” among other films.

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