The Class (2008) Entre les murs (original title)

Director:

Laurent Cantet

Writers:

Laurent Cantet (scenario) and
Robin Campillo (scenario) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 September 2008 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Teacher | School | High School | Inner City

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 11 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

François Bégaudeau	...	François Marin
Agame Malembo-Emene	...	Agame
Angélica Sancio	...	Angélica
Arthur Fogel	...	Arthur
Boubacar Toure	...	Boubacar
Burak Özyilmaz	...	Burak
Carl Nanor	...	Carl
Cherif Bounaïdja Rachedi	...	Cherif
Dalla Doucoure	...	Dalla
Damien Gomes	...	Damien
Esmeralda Ouertani	...	Esmeralda
Eva Paradiso	...	Eva
Henriette Kasaruhanda	...	Henriette
Juliette Demaille	...	Juliette
Justine Wu	...	Justine
Rachel Regulier	...	Khoumba
Laura Baquela	...	Laura
Louise Grinberg	...	Louise
Lucie Landrevie	...	Lucie
Nassim Amrabt	...	Nassim
Qifei Huang	...	Qifei
Rabah Nait Oufella	...	Rabah
Samantha Soupirot	...	Samantha
Franck Keïta	...	Souleymane
Wei Huang	...	Wei
Anne Wallimann-Charpentier	...	Les Profs - Anne
Cécile Lagarde	...	Les Profs - Cécile
Frédéric Faujas	...	Les Profs - Fred
Vincent Robert	...	Les Profs - Hervé
Olivier Dupeyron	...	Les Profs - Olivier
Patrick Dueruil	...	Les Profs - Patrick
Dorothée Guilbot	...	Les Profs - Rachel
Anne Langlois	...	Les Profs - Sophie
Vincent Gaire	...	Les Profs - Vincent
Yvette Mournetas	...	Les Profs - Yvette
Julie Athenol	...	La CPE
Jean-Michel Simonet	...	Le principal
Olivier Pasquier	...	L'intendant
Stéphane Longour	...	Les surveillants
Abdoul Drahamane Sissoko	...	Les surveillants
Aline Zimierski	...	La cantiniére
Silma Aktar	...	Les femmes de ménage
Marie-Annette Sorrente	...	Les femmes de ménage
Gilles Gourmelen
Frédérique Alles
Isabelle Lamrani
Marianne Auzary
Stéphane Leyvigne
Gaelle Bantegnie
Isabelle Mesplede
Valérie Benguigui
Gokmen Nalcakan
Jean-François Chauvet
Farida Ouchani
Christiane Dancie
Mario Fanfani
Fatoumata Kanteé	...	La mére de Souleymane
Cheick Baba Doumbia	...	Le frére de Souleymane
Lingfen Huang	...	La mére de Wei
Wenlong Huang	...	Le pére de Wei
Khalid Amrabt	...	Le pére de Nassim
Adeline Fogel	...	La mére d'Arthur
Sezer Özyilmaz	...	La mére de Burak

Directed by
Laurent Cantet

Writing credits
Laurent Cantet		(scenario) and
Robin Campillo		(scenario) and
François Bégaudeau		(scenario)
François Bégaudeau		(inspired by the book)

Produced by
Simon Arnal	....	producer
Caroline Benjo	....	producer
Barbara Letellier	....	producer
Carole Scotta	....	producer

Cinematography by
Pierre Milon

Film Editing by
Robin Campillo
Stephanie Leger

Costume Design by
Elisabeth Joinet		(as Bebeth Joinet)
Marie Le Garrec

Production Management
Christina Crassaris	....	post-production supervisor
Michel Dubois	....	production manager
Marc Dumontet	....	assistant production manager
Jean-Marie Laurens	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mathieu Danielo	....	assistant director

Art Department
Sabine Barthélémy	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Antoine Baudouin	....	assistant sound editor
Edouard d'Heucqueville	....	sound mix technician
Jean-Pierre Laforce	....	sound re-recording mixer
Olivier Mauvezin	....	sound
Antoine Mercier	....	sound
Agnes Ravez	....	sound editor
Paulin Sagna	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Samuel Boulitreau	....	electrician
Vincent Buron	....	camera operator
Arthur Chassaing	....	camera operator
Julie Conte	....	camera operator
Jean-Marc Dupuy	....	key grip
Aurélien Gerbault	....	electrician
Cyril Herry	....	electrician
Romain Kelfa	....	camera operator
Georgi Lazarevski	....	camera operator
Catherine Pujol	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Vicky Brougiannaki	....	extras casting assistant
Christine Campion	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Sophie Denize	....	digital intermediate producer
Florian Du Pasquier	....	conforming editor
Jacky Lefresne	....	colorist

Other crew
Vincent Caire	....	acting coach: to children
Aurelio Cardenas	....	assistant director
Isabelle Coursin	....	location manager
Mathieu Danielo	....	assistant to director
Nathalie Depose	....	location manager
Michel Dubois	....	assistant to director
Annie Girault	....	production administrator
Stéphane Longour	....	acting coach: to children
Olivier Pasquier	....	financial director
Myriam Raynaud	....	production assistant
Sambou Sissoko	....	assistant to director
Brigitte Tijou	....	assistant to director
Brigitte Tijou	....	script supervisor
Stéphanie Tournerie	....	production administrator

Thanks
Gilles Marchand	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Haut et Court (present)
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• France 2 (FR2) (participation)
• Soficinéma 3 (in association with)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Agence Nationale pour la Cohésion Sociale et l'Egalité des Chances (ACSE) (support)
• Région Ile-de-France (support)
• Cofinova 4 (in association with)
• Fonds Images de la Diversité (support)
• Procirep (support)
• Programme MEDIA de la Communauté Européenne (support)

Distributors

• Haut et Court (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• France Télévision Distribution (2009) (France) (DVD) (also Blu-ray)
• AmaFilms (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• ArtCam (2008) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Camera Film (2009) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• EDKO Film (2008) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2008-2009) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Kino Bez Granits (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Primer Plano Film Group (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (New Zealand) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Tokyo Theaters Company (2010) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye (2009) (UK) (all media)
• Barbar Film (2008) (Turkey) (all media)
• Cinema Mondo (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2008) (Germany) (all media)
• Film1 (2009) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Golem Distribución (2008) (Spain) (all media)
• Imovision (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Mikado (2008) (Italy) (all media)
• NonStop Entertainment (2008) (Sweden) (all media)
• SPInka (2008) (Poland) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (Canada) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Canada) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Twin Pics (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Éditions Gallimard  book publisher: © 2006
• Donna Daniels Public Relations  publicity: US release (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"Entre les murs" - France (original title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language

Runtime:

Argentina:128 min | France:128 min | USA:128 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Bambara | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS (US prints)

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-3 | USA:PG-13 | Sweden:Btl | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12A | Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:M | UK:15 | Mexico:B | Japan:G | South Korea:12 | Singapore:NC-16

Company:

Haut et Court

Trivia:

The French title - Entre les murs - translated into English means "Between the Walls" (as in a classroom).

Movie Connections:

References Hellraiser (1987)

Self-portrait of us all

Greetings again from the darkness. Not a film in the traditional sense and not a documentary by true definition, it mixes the two into an absorbing, addictive 128 minutes.

Over the years, I have often questioned the educational system and why both teachers and students are so frustrated. Here we get an inside look at both sides and it still leaves me wondering "why?". Why do otherwise intelligent people commit to becoming teachers? Why do we insist on teaching formats that are miserable for both teacher and student? Why do so many parents blame the school and so few take an active, supportive role? This is the story of Francois Begaudeau, who also wrote the book upon which director Laurent Cantet's film is based.

Begaudeau is a junior high teacher in a working class, multi-ethnic Paris school where the teachers have resigned themselves to the fact that most of the students just don't care to learn. We get an incredible amount of classroom time showing how the melting pot of cultures has so much to offer, yet seems impossible to tap into.

Also fascinating are the teacher meetings and discussions that occur away from the students. We see no joy in these teachers and most seem just beaten down. The film offers no solutions, it strictly acts as a peek inside the institution.

While we are left to our own accord to pick sides or dream of alternatives, I continue to ask the same "why" questions over and over.