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Trailer
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Yolande Moreau as Séraphine
Yolande Moreau and Ulrich Tukur
Yolande Moreau as Séraphine
Yolande Moreau as Séraphine
Yolande Moreau as Séraphine
Séraphine
directed by Martin Provost
starring Yolande Moreau, Ulrich Tukur, Anne Bennent
SÉRAPHINE is the true story of Séraphine Louis aka Séraphine de Senlis (Yolande Moreau), a simple and profoundly devout housekeeper who in 1905 at age 41 — self-taught and with the instigation of her guardian angel — began painting brilliantly colorful canvases.
In 1912 Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur), a German art critic and collector — he was one of the first collectors of Picasso and champion of naïve primitive painter Le Douanier Rousseau — discovered her paintings while she worked for him as a maid in his lodgings in Senlis outside Paris. Uhde became her patron and grouped her work with other naïve painters – the so-called “Sacred Heart Painters” — with acclaimed shows in Paris, elsewhere in Europe and eventually at New York’s MOMA.
Director Martin Provost builds his story around the relationship between the avant-garde art dealer and the visionary cleaning lady, forging a testament to the mysteries of creativity and the resilience of one woman’s spirit.
A sleeper hit in France, SÉRAPHINE went on to a surprise win of the Best Picture and Best Actress for Yolande Moreau along with five other awards at the 2009 Cesars, the French equivalent of the Academy Awards.
Awards
- Seven Césars (France’s equivalent of the Academy Award)
- Audience Award at 2009 Scottsdale Film Festival
- Best Foreign Film of 2009 – Women Film Critics Circle
- Best Actress of 2009, Yolande Moreau – LA Film Critics
Press Reactions
Sublime… one of the most evocative films about an artist I’ve ever seen.
– David Edelstein, New York MagazineThe best movie made about a painter since Maurice Pialat’s exquisite Van Gogh in 1991 — and one of the only ones that truly grasps how close artistic genius dwells to the realm of madness.
– Scott Foundas, Los Angeles WeeklyExceptional…refuses to capitulate to the ordinary and the expected…the long French tradition of thoughtful, intelligent films of quality for adults is alive and well here, and that is reason to rejoice.
– Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles TimesUnusually fine and insightful
– AO Scott, The New York TimesOne of the loveliest and most sombre fables of a lonely artist’s ecstasy.
– David Denby, The New YorkerA superior film…almost biblical in its simplicity and passion.
– Stanley Kauffman, New RepublicIf you turn off all that electronic crap in your pockets and sit still for it, “Séraphine” will be one of the year’s most memorable moviegoing experiences.
– Andrew O’Hehir, Slate4 STARS! Miraculous.
– Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Technical Information
- Production Year
- 2008
- Country of Production
- France
- Language
- French with English subtitles
- Running Time
- 125
- Screen Ratio
- 1.85:1
- Sound
- Dolby Digital
- Color
- Color
- Rating
- unrated
Official Site
Press NotesDownload a pdf of the Press Notes
Ad Slick
Download a pdf of the Ad Slick
Playdates
| Opens | State | City | Theater | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| November 27 | NJ | Asbury Park | The ShowRoom | |
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| December 11 | OH | Cincinnati | Mariemont Theatre | |
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| December 22 | MT | Bozeman | Bozeman Film Festival | |
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| December 26 | NM | Albuquerque | Guild Cinema | December 26-30 |
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| January 10 | MI | Suttons Bay | The Bay Theatre | January 10-12 |
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| January 15 | MA | Newburyport | Newburyport Screening Room | |
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| January 22 | OH | Columbus | Wexner Center for the Arts | January 22 - February 4 |
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| January 24 | CA | Ojai | Ojai Film Society | January 24 only |
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| January 29 | AZ | Tempe | Valley Art Theatre | |
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| January 31 | NY | New York | Symphony Space | January 31 only |
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| February 5 | AZ | Scottsdale | Shea 14 | |
| FL | Miami | Tower Theater | ||
| TX | Houston | Angelika Film Center Houston | ||
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| February 7 | NY | New York | Symphony Space | February 7 only |
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| February 11 | CO | Boulder | Boulder International Film Festival | February 11-14 |
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| February 14 | NY | Oneonta | Foothills Performing Arts Center | February 14 & 16 |
| New York | Symphony Space | February 14 only | ||
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| February 17 | NM | Roswell | Roswell Museum and Art Center | February 17 only |
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| February 19 | FL | Tampa | Tampa Theatre | February 19 & February 21-23 |
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| February 25 | AZ | Sedona | Sedona IFF | February 25 & 28 |
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| February 27 | OH | Elyria | Lorain County Community College | |
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| March 1 | AK | Anchorage | Bear Tooth Theatre | |
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| March 4 | NY | Hudson | Time & Space Limited | March 4-6 |
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| March 5 | Rochester | Little Theatre | ||
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| March 7 | SC | Hilton Head | Coligny Theatre | March 7 only |
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| March 12 | IA | Des Moines | Fleur Cinema & Cafe | |
| NE | Lincoln | Ross Media Arts Center | ||
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| March 14 | NM | Taos | Taos Center For The Arts | March 12-14 |
More locations and dates are coming soon. Please check back for updates.
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