A FILM BASED ON WILLIAM SAROYAN’S "THE LAUGHING MATTER" REPRESENTS RUSSIA IN CANNES

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.05.2007 13:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Banishment" directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev
from Russia takes part in the official selection of Cannes’s
Festival. The film is based on "The Laughing Matter", a novel by
William Saroyan, independent French journalist Jean Eckian informed
the PanARMENIAN.Net. The story is about a family, which moved from
an industrial city to countryside to the husband’s birthplace, to
stay in his father’s old house. In the center of the subject are
relations between the husband and wife. This film is about kind,
beautiful people in the tragic circumstances of hopelessness.

Maria Bonnevie (Maria) from Sweden, who learnt Russian during three
years of shootings, together with Konstantin Lavronenko (Alex) and
Alexander Baluev (Mark) play key roles in the film.

It has been four years since Andrei Zvyagintsev was honored with the
Golden Lion at the Venice Festival for his first film, The Return. His
second film, The Banishment, screening in Competition brings the
Russian director to Cannes for the first time. Some critics say
director Andrei Zvyagintsev’s chances are rather high. And on May 27,
when the film festival is over, the world will know who the winner
of the Golden Olive-Branch is.