BAIACEDEZ FILMS

in co-production with ADESIF PRODUCTIONS

presents

A Quatre Mains

A film by Eugene Izraylit

Contact : Frédéric PODETTIcinema@baiacedez.com

06 08 32 55 2401 47 56 63 92

A Quatre MainsTechnical Information

Logline: She lost her husband, her partner, her reality. He lost his brother. Can two people, united by a common loss build the kind of life they always wanted, a life that could never have been possible if that loss had not taken place?

Co-producers France Gérard Paulès (BAIACEDEZ Films) et Frédéric Podetti (ADESIF Productions)

In co-production with Cohen Sisters (Germany)

Writer/DirectorEugene Izraylit - winner of the Prix Arlequin for Best Screenplay for “A Quatre Mains”

Director of Photography Raphaël Kolacz

EditorSvetlana Vaynblat

MusiqueAlexandre Scriabin, J.S. Bach, Franz Schubert, Sergei Rachmaninoff

Cast

Nadia:Clotilde Hesme - César awards nominee for Best Female Hope 2008

Alice:Julie Gayet (confirmed) - Winner of Prix Romy Schneider 1997

A Quatre MainsSynopsis

NADIA and MARC are two young people standing in the middle of a Parisian apartment. Something is clearly off with them. Much is unsaid. Nadia asks Marc to leave.

Nadia is a promising young pianist who has just lost everything. Her husband, Jean, already a famous cellist has just died in a car accident, leaving Nadia alone and with no prospects. Ostracized by NATHALIE, Jean’s mother, and having lost all potential concert engagements with Jean’s death, Nadia decides to take matters into her own hands.

After failing to pressure Jean’s agent into giving her an opportunity of her own, Nadia looks for help in the one place where it can’t come from – Nathalie. Despite their disagreements, Nathalie agrees to help get Nadia an audition with an important festival director. Although Nadia performs well at the audition, she appears to be sick, and is forced to leave abruptly. Seeing a doctor, Nadia learns that she is pregnant.

Marc is a pianist, unhappy with his place in life. Playing in a small, though chic jazz club, Marc continuous a loveless affair with ALICE, the older owner of the club. Because of the accident that takes his brother Jean’s life, Marc is thrown back into his problems with his family. Because of his constant fights with Nathalie, Marc finds himself closer to Nadia, whom he never really knew, having been ostracized from the family himself.

As Marc and Nadia begin relating to each other, their relationship grows. As life brings them closer together, they wind up in bed, something immediately regretted by Nadia. Marc, driven by guilt, anger for his mother, and memories of his brother realizes that he has actually fallen in love with Nadia, and tries to pursue that relationship, but to no avail. He leaves Alice, the jazz club, and approaches Nathalie about a return into classical music – something, which was at the core of their problems.

Nathalie decides to help both her son and her daughter in law. She maneuvers the festival organizers into having them play a concert together – for four hands. Hoping to be closer to Nadia, Marc agrees immediately. Nadia has some doubts, but realizes that this is her one and only chance for building a future. Although Nadia treats her history with Marc as a taboo, he finally cracks and tells her that he is in love with her.

During the concert itself, having performed together, Marc leaves the stage to Nadia – giving her a chance to shine on her own for the first time. Having realized that Marc is true to her, Nadia decides that now is the time to start a new life. She gives up her plans to abort, and goes to tell Marc about her pregnancy.

A Quatre MainsNote d’intention du réalisateur

“Music is what feelings sound like”

The film that I want to make is at the same time very plain and very complicated. On the surface, it’s little more than a love story, but in reality it is much more than that.

With “A Quatre Mains” I want to make a film about people who have a difficult time communicating with each other. Yes, they speak the same language, and words and sentences come out of their mouths, but they are never really able to say what they want. There is too much emotion. There are too many doubts.

This film is about the constant tension which is ever present in people who don’t know how to speak. Marc’s, Nadia’s, Nathalie’s sentences are short and sharp, cutting through each other, not out of malice, but out of the fact that their true feelings can only properly be expressed with music. And the good thing is that music, universal as it is, is the one thing the main characters of “A Quatre Mains” know and understand all too well.   

In “A Quatre Mains” I want to take the viewer as close as possible to the souls of the musicians. Here, every concert, every touch of the key has almost a double meaning. It could mean seduction, regret, pain, emptiness. It could also mean a connection, or love.

In this film there is no line drawn between what the characters do and what the characters feel. Quite the opposite – I want to show that even though these people cannot SAY what they want, their music, as well as their actions never betray them. That is why every gesture, from Marc warming Nadia’s hands, to the way a cigarette is lit, is so much more important than any given line of dialogue.

With “A Quatre Mains” I also want to make a film about something that has touched every single person in the world – death. At the same time, it’s not a film about a person dying, but one about those who try to continue to live. It is often said that it’s so much more severe to betray the memory of a dead person than to do malice to a living one. This films deals with exactly that. Nadia and Marc fall in love, and they suffer for it, because neither one of them can carry that kind of a weight.

A Quatre MainsNote d’intention du réalisateur

I believe that there isn’t a single person who has not had to deal with the death of a close one. For most people of my age group, it’s usually grandparents or other authority figures. I, however, have twice had to deal with a passing of a close friend, and have often been a close observer of how families deal with such a tragedy. “A Quatre Mains”, in its own way, is an homage to those families and their unrelenting force and desire to be closer, stronger and more loving towards each other.

I am myself an optimistic person, and “A Quatre Mains”, though a complicated drama, is a film with which I want to inspire optimism. That is precisely why I want to make a film that has a full circle of life – one person’s death will lead to a birth.

As I mentioned before, music is the key element in this movie. All three main characters are musicians. All three are in fact pianists. All three play music to express their emotions, and also to make a living. This is another parallel that I intend to draw. Nadia, having been in a duo with her husband has always been told what to play. Thus, it is not until the end is she able to truly express HER feelings to the public.

Throughout the film, Nadia will express her feelings to Marc by playing for him before they make love. She will express her feelings for her lost husband with a furious mid–night rehearsal. She will express her feelings for her mother during the audition. In the end, she will finally express her emotions about everything that has happened to her – and she will do it on the verge of accepting her future. Every piece of music is directly connected to what the character is feeling, because, as I said before, they do not know how to communicate in any other way.

One more thing I’d like to mention is the film’s structure. Because of the nature of the film, I decided that “A Quatre Mains” should not have a chronological structure. I want, at every step of the way, to be clear on whose story is being told, but also to have the viewer a little in dark regarding the reasoning behind certain reactions. That is why we learn that Marc and Nadia actually slept together later in the film, although the actual results are almost immediate.

A Quatre MainsNote d’intention du réalisateur

Another reason for this structure, is so that with every page another level is added to the drama. We learn what actually happened little by little, and we raise the emotional ante in every single seen. Thus, even when the perspetive is shifted, the actual dramatic force grows stronger and stronger – much like the drum beat of Ravel’s Balero. What actually is important, is that the film opens with Nadia asking Marc to leave, and ends with Nadia voluntarily walking into his loge – the circle is complete.

The third important aspect of the film is it’s visual structure. I want to stay close the characters, their hands, their fingers, their cigarettes, yet the camera will never forget to show us where they are. We will alternated between Nadia’s apartment – poorly lit, messy almost claustraphobic – after all, Nadia feels boxed in by the events in her life, Alice’s bourgois emptiness and Nathalie’s matriarchal luxury. We will see how different the worlds of a small jazz café and a large concert hall are. We will go all the way from the dimmed lights of Nadia’s conscience to the bright glow of her future.

“A Qautre Mains” is a film about believing. It’s about believing that despite everything, tomorrow is worth fighting for. It’s about believing the love has no moral prejudices. It’s about believing that one person can make another person better. It’s about believing that no matter how stranded and lost you feel you are, a chance will always present itself for you to find your place. It’s about believing that everyone deserves to be happy.

Eugene Izrayit

With her husband’s death, Nadia a young French/Russian pianist finds herself completely alone and isolated from the world. Before Jean’s death, she was his wife, his musical partner, his life partner, and that identified her as a person. After his death, she realizes that she doesn’t have anything to cling to – her career almost entirely depended on him. She has no family, no one to turn to, and Jean’s own family, much like France itself treats her as an outsider, as she is half–Russian.

Faced with the fact that her career was fully dependent on Jean, and that it is now over, Nadia tries to make it on her own. The reality, however, is that she can’t get into that very closed off world that is classical music without the help of Jean’s family – the same family has never warmed to her.

For Nadia, the situation is very complicated. In her husband she looses not only her companion, but also her music partner. Always having been in Jean’s shadow, Nadia is unknown and her talent is unrealized. She is now forced to make all of her own decisions, create her own career. She now has the chance to truly live. Jean’s death, therefore, no matter how tragic, becomes the one true opportunity for Nadia to discover life.

- Les Amants réguliers (2005), dir. Philippe Garrel - Les Chansons d'amour (2007), dir. Christophe Honoré *Nominated for Best Female Hope – César Awards - Le Fils de l'épicier (2007), dir. Éric Guirado - Les Liens du sang (2008), dir. Jacques Maillot - La Belle Personne (2008), dir. Christophe Honoré - De la guerre (2008), dir. Bertrand Bonello - Les Derniers Jours du monde (2009), dir. Arnaud et Jean-Marie Larrieu - Mystères de Lisbonne (2010), dir. Raoul Ruiz - Angèle et Tony (2011), dir. Alix Delaporte

A Quatre MainsNadia – Clothilde Hesme

Selected Filmography

A Quatre MainsEugene Izraylit – Writer/Director

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In 2001/02 Eugene spent one year in Italy, where he began seriously studying cinema under the tutelage of an Italian actor and photographer Antonello Villani.

Upon his graduation from University, Eugene began working as a research assistant in a law firm, simultaneously attending an evening program of film directing at the New York Film Academy.

During that time, Eugene wrote and directed three short films and also worked on a number of others. After a two-year working period, Eugene finally decided to dedicate himself fully to cinema, and moved to Paris to pursue a Masters degree as a film director, joining the Master class of Nenad Dizdarevic at the International Film School of Paris.

In Paris, Eugene wrote and directed four short films. He also produced eight other films directed by his classmates.

Eugene’s end of year film, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s story titled Anyuta, premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Market in 2007. Eugene also directed a short film Joue Pour Moi, which premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Market and was later presented at the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2008, and Оn love, premiered at the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2009.

Several other projects produced by Eugene, including Joue Pour Moi, Déplacés, a film by Klaus Pas, and Prokalo, by Adrian Westbrook have been recognized at various international festivals.

Eugene Izraylit was born on October 31st, 1981 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia.

In his formative years he spent most of his free time reading and playing chess, becoming a youth champion of St. Petersburg at the mere age of 11.

In 1993 Eugene and his family moved to New York.

In 1999, at the age of 17 he went to the University of Albany, where he studies politics, theater and film history. Eugene’s interest in theater let to him performing in over a dozen plays in three years.

A Quatre MainsEugene Izraylit – Writer/Director

Writer/Director/Producer

- Practice Test (2003), dir. Eugene Izraylit - 2’, 16mm- Dust in the Wind (2003), dir. Eugene Izraylit - 4’, 16mm- Rendez-Vous (2004), dir. Eugene Izraylit - 6’, 16mm - Final Memory (2005), dir. Eugene Izraylit - 5’, HD- Anyuta (2006), dir. Eugene Izraylit - 11’, 16mm- Joue Pour Moi (2007), dir. Eugene Izraylit - 14’, S16mm- On love (2009), dir. Eugene Izraylit - 5’, HDV

In development

- Tears of Baikal (for Pasmania Entertainment) – Feature Film- 6.22 – Feature Film- A Quatre Mains (with Frederic Podetti – Adesif Productions) –

Feature Film- Table for Two – Feature Film

Producer

- Tango, Lipstick and Chaos (2006), dir. Ed Garza - 5ʼ, S16mm- Deplaces (2006), dir. Klaus Pas - 30ʼ, S16mm- Thank God (2006), dir. Dyana Winkler - 12ʼ, S16mm- Prokalo (2007), dir. Adrian Westbrook - 15ʼ, 35mm- Shadows (2007), dir. Hila Grumberg - 15ʼ, HD- Last Supper for Malthus (2009), dir. Klaus Pas - Documentary 52ʼ

A Quatre MainsRaphaël Kolacz – Director of Photography

After his return to Belgium in 2002, he started his career as cinematographer, working on several feature films, short films, advertisings and video-clips.

In 2005, Raphaël co-directed and lit La Lettre au Nègre, experimental documentary that travelled to many festivals, among others, ArtFifa in Montreal and Sopot in Poland.

Thanks to his capabilities, Raphaël was chosen to assist Christoper Doyle (In the mood for love, Lady in the water, Paranoïd Park) in lighting a performance for the Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten.

In 2008 he co-directed and lit another experimental film, Jardin Noir, shown in various museums and art galleries like the Angel Orensanz Foundation - Center for the Arts of New York and the Fine Arts Museum of Ghent (MSK), Belgium.

Raphaël just finished his work as cinematographer on Cannibal, a feature film directed by Benjamin Viré that is currently in post-production.

Raphaël Kolacz was born on April 8th , 1976 in Charleroi, Belgium.

After finishing science studies in the secondary school, he started a University degree in Chemical engineering. At the same time he attended an evening program of photography. During this period he discovered his vocation: the motion in the still photography.

In 1998 he discontinued his engineering studies to fully dedicate to cinematography and decided to join the  "lʼInstitut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle” (INSAS) of Brussels in cinematography section. Raphaël attended master classes from illustrious teachers like Robby Müller (Dancer in the dark, Dead Man, Paris Texas).

While studying in the INSAS, Raphaël participated in several feature film productions as part of the camera and electrical staff. Raphaël concluded the cinematography degree by lighting La colère, directed by Cédric Murrath and selected at 3° Festival Court 18 in Paris.

He left for Canada to work as gaffer in the feature film Au fil de l'eau, directed by Jeannine Gagné.

A Quatre MainsRaphaël Kolacz – Director of Photography

Director of Photography- Sic !-com (2000), dir. Vincent Coen, DVcam, short film- La colère (2001), dir. Cédric Murrath, 16mm, short film

Festivals: 3°festival court 18, Paris- Retour Amont (2001), dir. Frédéric Aron, 16mm, documentary- Palestine mon amour (2002), dir. Sjøn Beckaard, DVcam, documentary- V2 (2002), dir. Mathias Storme, 16mm, short film- Oiseau, oiseau (2002), dir. Benoît Pelé, 35mm, short film

Festivals: Premier plan dʼAngers, Défi-Jeunes, Angers- Taxi 95ʼ (2002), dir. Gijs Polspoel, 16mm, short film- Directing Othello (2003), dir. Fabien Dehasselaer, DVcam, feature film- Explode (2004), dir. Jesse De Greef, Beta Digital, short film- Soms (2004), dir. Suzanne Tanghe, DVcam, short film- Duvel (2004), dir. Marc Roels, 16mm, commercial- La Lettre au nègre (2005), dir. Les Frères Zarakoff, 16mm- Joue pour moi (2007), dir. Eugène Izraylit, Super16mm- Si gentil (2008), dir. Christian Mahieux, Video HD, short film- Cannibal (2009), dir. Benjamin Viré, Video HD, feature film

Cameraman

- Tu dors (2001), dir. Delphine Noëls, 16mm, short filmFestivals: Media 10/10 festival, Namur; Courtisane, Ghent.

- 1/1 (2002), dir. Sebastiaan Lagrou, 16mm, short film- Je ne veux pas dormir seul (2003), dir. Frédéric Guillaume, DVcam, short film- Jeugdfilmfestival van vlaanderen (2003), dir. Neel Cockx, 35mm, commercial- La lettre au nègre (2005), dir. Les frères Zarakoff, 16mm, documentary- Jardin Noir (2008), dir. Les frères Zarakoff, 16 mm, experimental- In;pulse (2008), dir. Olivier Magis, Video REDCam, short film

Svetlana Vayblat was born in Russia and started her professional carrier as a classical pianist in New York. After moving to Paris, however, she began working in the film industry, first as an assistant sound editor (Roman Polanskiʼs The Pianist), then assisting one of the most renowned French film editors Herve Schneid (Jean-Pierre Jeunetʼs Amelie, Bille Augustʼs Goodbye Bafana).

Editor

- Voie d'eau (2006) dir. Matthieu–David Cournot- Elle s'appelle Sabine (2007) dir. Sandrine Bonnaire - La tangente (2008) dir. Vincent Vesco- Virtual Seduction (2009) dir. Alice Mitterand- Plus loin encore (2009) dir. Stephane Derderian- The Persian Love Cake (2009) dir. Nadia Szold- Les enfants de Camerone (2010) dir. Richard Caniparoli, Olivier Oursel

Editorial Department

- Poids léger (2004) dir. Jean-Pierre Améris (assistant editor)- Brice de Nice (2005) dir. James Huth (first assistant editor) - Goodbye Bafana (2007) dir. Bille August (first assistant editor)- L'ennemi public n°1 (2008) dir. Jean–François Richet (additional editor)- Igor (2008) dir. Anthony Leondis (assistant editor)

Sound Department

- The Pianist (2002) dir. Roman Polanski (assistant sound editor)- Biguine (2004) dir. Guy Deslauriers (assistant sound editor)

In the same year Svetlana was credited as an additional editor in Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 directed by Jean-François Richet, with Vincent Cassel. The film got 10 Cesar nominations, including Best Editing. Svetlana has just finished editing a new feature (Mumu by Joel Seria, with Sylvie Testud and Jean-François Balmer) to be released in March 2010.

Svetlanaʼs debut as a chief film editor is a feature documentary by an acclaimed actress and a newly born director Sandrine Bonnaire. A heartbreaking story about her sister suffering from a mental handicap was premiered at the Directorsʼ Fortnight and received the international criticsʼ award at the Cannes 2007 festival. In 2008 the film was nominated for Cesar in the category Best Documentary.

A Quatre MainsSvetlana Vayblat – Editor

A Quatre MainsBaiacedez cinéma – Gérard Paulès, Delegated Producer

Short Films

- Les liqueurs d’Alice (2009), 15’, Katia Scarton-Kim- Krowland’s Republik (2007), 3’, Alban Guillemois- Carte blanche à Pierre Meunier, Soirée télévisée : 2h sur la matière et l’air pour France 2 (diffusion juillet 2007)- Duplication (2007), 12’, Patrick Perlman- Les joues rouges (2005), 8’, Joëlle Miquel- Asphalte (2005), 15’, Pierre Meunier- Psycocose (2005), 6’40, Nadia Jandeau et Pierre Bénézit- Flux (2003), 6’, Florent Geslin - Côté jardin (2003), 6’, Karine Benhaïm

Festivals: Trouville, Biarritz 2003 , les Cinglés du cinéma 2004, Film Lille Court- En chemin (2002), 12’, Mikhaïl Kobakhidzé

Festivals: Nantes, Hambourg, Saint-Petersbourg, Florence, Cork, Rennes/Versions Originales, Pantin, Sélectionné Prix Jean Vigo et Prix Radi 2003, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Cinéssone, Montpellier, Evreux, Du grain à démoudre à Gonfreville. Prix de qualité 2003/CNC

- Même pas mal (2002), 8’, Ivan Radkine Festivals: Les Saisons du Court, Festival HEC, Saint-Benoît-La Réunion, Pontault-Combault, Metz, Biarritz, Trouville, Belo Horizonte Brésil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Selectionné FIFAM, Les Cinglés du cinéma, Tirana.

- Hardi ! (2001), 17’ , Pierre Meunier Festivals : Cannes off, Lama, Loches : Mention Spéciale du Jury, Biarritz. Prix de Qualité 2002/CNC

- Plus rien (2000), 15’, Fabrice Nordmann Festivals : Halifax, Pégase, Lille, Stockholm, Motovun, Cannes off, Boston, Brighton, Barcelone, Palm Beach Festival,

Festival de Paris «Carte à Court».- Vomi d’amour (2000), 12’, Karine Benhaïm

Festivals : Prime Film, Les Saisons du Court, Nevers, Open du Court, Grasse.- Sur le fil (1996), 11’, Antoine Reyes

A Quatre MainsBaiacedez cinéma – Gérard Paulès, Producteur délégué

DOCUMENTRIES

- Lieux Communs (en développement) (2008), série de films de 2’30, Gérard Paulès- Out of the window (2007), 52’, Xavier Duyck- Et ça continue! (2007), 1h 40, Pierre Meunier- Making of d’Asphalte (2005), Simon Paulès- Le potager d’aventures (2004), 52’, Emma Le Bail- Gurs, un camp de campagne (2004), 52’, Gérard Paulès- Cécile DeWitt-Morette (2004), 26’, Gérard Paulès- Albert de l’Espée, le Titan d’Ilbarritz (2004), 52’, Gérard Paulès- Le dopage (2003), 13’, Pierre Saint-Blanquat - Mikhaïl Kobakhidzé tourne En chemin (2002), 26’, Charles Alvarez- Lexique dansé (2002), 52’, Jeannette Dumeix

Festivals : Bratislava, Vidéodanse Centre Pompidou Prix SACD- Passage des Pyrénées (2001), 59’, Jean-Paul Roig

Festivals : Cinérail Lill, Résistances de Foix, Namur, Gand, Festival Cinéma Hispano Américain « Fecha » L’Isle Jourdain, Escales Documentaires de La Rochelle. Prix Cinérail d’Argent-Lille 2001

- Cas d’école ou le lycée autogéré de Paris (2000), 52’, Pascale Anziani- Bruegel (1999), 26’, Gérard Paulès - La voix au féminin (1997), 26’, Gérard Paulès

Prix du meilleur Film du Festival International du Film Médical et de Santé de Liège 1998- Le cinéma publicitaire des années cinquante (1996), 26’ - Films d’Archives, Gérard Paulès- Lasers ultimes (1995), 26’, Gérard Paulès

FEATURE FILMS (in development)

- La bête à chagrin, dir. Patrick Perlman- A quatre mains, dir. Eugène Izraylit - Roland, dir. Marc Lepoivre/Frédéric Podetti

A Quatre MainsFrédéric PODETTI - Producer

Frédéric Podetti has worked as a documentary director for many years. In 2001 he created his own production company, ADÉSIF PRODUCTIONS, with Francesca Van Der Staay. They have been producing feature and documentary films since 2003. They begin to work as simple associate producers on an American movie, Pee stains and other disasters, by Jon Carnoy.

As of today ADESIF produced three feature films: Far From Sunset Boulevard by Igor Minaev (premiered at Russian Film Festival Honfleur), acclaimed by audiences and the press, Shelter Me (Riparo) by Marco Simon Puccioni (premiered at Berlin Film Festival 2007 Panorama), Double Crossover by Jean-Charles Atzeni, as well as Ballerina, a creative documentary by Bertrand Normand, co-produced with the Mariyinsky Theatre. Released in many countries, currently Ballerina is having a successful theatrical release in the United States.

Speaking fluent Russian, Frédéric Podetti continues to develop several projects suitable for co-productions with Russia such as: a documentary on contemporary Russian cinema together with Bertrand Normand, The Red Road by Lionel and Eric Michaud, The Bronze Horsemen by Bruno Gantillon.

Contact : Frédéric PODETTIcinema@baiacedez.com

06 08 32 55 2401 47 56 63 92