Filmoption is very pleased to announce the release in Quebec on October 2 of À pied d’oeuvre, eighth feature film by Valérie Donzelli, an adaptation of the eponymous book by Franck Courtès published in 2023 by Éditions Gallimard. The film stars Bastien Bouillon (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Night of the 12th, Aznavour) in the lead role alongside André Marcon (Lost Illusions, The Richest Woman in the World, Marguerite), Virginie Ledoyen (Best Actress Award at the 2002 Berlinale for Eight Women by François Ozon), Adrien Barazzone (The Trial of the Dog by Laetitia Dosch) and Valérie Donzelli.
“To complete a text does not mean to be published, to be published does not mean to be read, to be read does not mean to be loved, to be loved does not mean to be successful, to be successful does not bode well. » À pied d’oeuvre tells the true story of a successful photographer who abandons everything to devote himself to writing, and discovers poverty.
“All my films are political, even if they are not overtly so. Each one recounts my observation of the world. » Valérie Donzelli
Valérie Donzelli first studied architecture before turning to cinema. In 2000, she landed the leading role in the dark Martha…Martha by Sandrine Veysset, her performance earning her the Michel Simon Prize. She continued with the filming of Cuddly Souls with François Berléand. In 2003, Guillaume Nicloux hired him for This Woman, alongside Josiane Balasko. That same year, she was chosen by Agnès Varda to appear in her short film The Volatile Lion with Julie Depardieu. In 2005, Anne Fontaine’s Entre ses mains was released, where her partners were Benoît Poelvoorde and Isabelle Carré. In 2007, she played in 7 Years by Jean-Pascal Hattu, which earned her acting awards at the international film festivals in Florence and Turin. After having signed the short film It’s Beautiful in the Most Beautiful City in the World in 2007 (selected for the Directors’ Fortnight in 2008), she directed The Queen of Apples, her first feature film, which was released in 2010. War Is Declared, her second film, in which she played the main role, earned her the 2012 Lumières Prize as best actress after opening the 50th Cannes Critics’ Week in 2011. In 2015, Marguerite & Julien was released, based on the screenplay written by Jean Gruault for François Truffaut (official selection of the Cannes Film Festival in 2015). Then, in 2019, Valérie Donzelli directed Notre Dame and in 2024, she won the César for best adaptation, jointly with Audrey Diwan, for her adaptation of the drama Love and the Forests with Melvil Poupaud and Virginie Efira (in competition at Cannes in 2023), based on Éric Reinhardt. For À pied d’oeuvre, Valérie Donzelli won the Screenplay Prize at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. À pied d’oeuvre is distributed by Filmoption and will be released on October 2.