"Heli" by Amat Escalante in Competition at Cannes

• International co-production by Cologne’s unafilm competing for the Golden Palm
• Funded with support from Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
• 66th Festival de Cannes: 15 – 26 May, 2013

The NRW-funded international co-production "Heli" by the Mexican director Amat Escalante will be shown in the Competition of the 66th Festival de Cannes. This has just been announced by the festival whose jury will be presided over this year by Steven Spielberg.

©unafilm

Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW: "We congratulate Amat Escalante and Cologne’s unafilm for this recognition of their work and look forward to the world premiere on the Croisette."

The Mexican-German-Dutch co-production was produced on the German side by unafilm in Cologne (Titus Kreyenberg) and was supported by the Filmstiftung with 60,000 Euro, ZDF/arte is also involved as a broadcaster. The film by Amat Escalante, who also wrote the screenplay, describe the life of an average Mexican family whose values depend on a harsh and violent reality. A criminal career seems the easiest way to achieve a future free of worries. The main actors in this international production are Armado Espitia, Linda Gonzalez and Juan Edurardo Palacios.

The international co-production "Les Salauds" by Claire Denis will screen in the sidebar Un Certain Regard. The socio-critical thriller was co-produced by, among others, Cologne-based Pandora Filmproduktion.

The film festival in Cannes is one of the most important film events worldwide. The 66th edition is being held from 15 – 26 May, 2013. As in previous years, the Filmstiftung will be present in the German Pavilion, the joint umbrella stand of Focus Germany, the amalgamation of the seven regional film funds, and German Films in the Cannes festival’s International Village. Focus Germany can be reached there via 0033-44-92590004 (fax 0033-4-92590005) or email at .