France’s Laurent Cantet premiered his latest film The Workshop (L’Atelier) in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year.
One of the most celebrated directors at work today, Cantet won the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 2008 and an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film for his now classic school-room drama The Class (Entre Les Murs).
His first feature Human Resources won the Cesar for best first feature and the European Film Award for discovery of the year in 1999, and, since then, his films have been fixtures at the world’s top film festivals. They include Time Out (2001), Heading South (2005), Foxfire: Confessions Of A Girl Gang (2012) and Return To Ithaca (2014).
The Workshop, which stars Marina Fois and newcomer Matthieu Lucci, is the story of a group of teenagers in a small coastal town in southern France who have been selected for a summer workshop with a famous Parisian novelist. Cantet co-wrote it with his frequent collaborator Robin Campillo.