ScreenDaily takes a look at the local and independent openings in key markets this week.

France:

The French Kissers (Les Beaux Gosses), a comedy from Riad Sattouf, was the highest-grossing film of the day on its Wednesday release with 42,500 admissions. Pathe put the film out on 201 screens following strong notices at Cannes where it ran in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar.

Je Vais Te Manquer, a romantic comedy starring Carole Bouquet and Pierre Arditi took third position. Amanda Sthers’ film is about the destinies of three couples at an airport. Out on 224 screens, the UGC release scored 21,147 admissions on its first day.

Make It Happen (called Dancing Girls in France) was released by SND to take the fourth spot overall with 18,633 tickets sold. The drama from Darren Grant is about a young girl’s journey in the world of dance. The cast includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Tessa Thompson and Riley Smith.

Germany:

Douglas Wolfsperger’s documentary Der Entsorgte Vater about fathers denied access to their children by their former partners was released by GM Films on 13 screens throughout Germany including digital projection at cinemas in Munich, Karlsruhe and Nuremberg. The director based the film on his own experience.

Another documentary, Sebastian Heidinger’s Drifter, about the children who lead difficult lives at Berlin’s Zoo bahnhof, was released by Salzgeber & Co Medien.  The debut won the Dialogue en Perspective award at last year’s Berlinale after premiering in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino sidebar. The film was also nominated for the First Steps Award in 2008.

The first part of Steven Soderbergh’s Che was released on June 11 by Central Film on behalf of the new distribution outfit Wild Bunch Germany run by Marc Gabizon. Wild Bunch’s upcoming releases include the second half of the Che biopic and Christopher Smith’s medieval mystery horror film Black Death which wrapped shooting in Germany June 11.

UK:

Ken Loach’s 2009 Palme D’Or nominee Looking For Eric reaches UK screens this weekend, after opening in France last week. The film stars Steve Evets as a postal worker who receives advice on love and life from footballer Eric Cantona. It goes out nationwide through Icon Film Distribution on 240 screens.

Entertainment Film Distributors are giving John Woo’s Red Cliff a saturated release in the market. The final major opening is in Russia on August 13.

Local production New Town Killers also debuts June 12 with a wide release through distributors High Fliers. Richard Jobson’s film follows two private bankers who let off steam by playing deadly games with unsuspecting victims.

Spain:

Local distributor Alta Films will release Daniela Fejerman’s comedy 7 Minutos on 200 copies in Spain. The romantic comedy was co-written by the new culture minister of Spain, Angeles Gonzales Sinde.

Karma Films will be showing Yesim Ustaoglu’s drama Pandora’s Box, which picked up the Golden Shell award at last year’s San Sebastian film festival. It follows an ageing matriarch whose onset of dementia brings her family together to care for her.

Cristina Comencini’s Oscar nominated drama Don’t Tell (La Bestia En El Corazon) will be released by On Pictures in Spain this weekend. The Italian-Spanish-French-UK film is about a woman who determines to find out the truth about her early childhood.

Manga will be showing Renny Harlin’s thriller Cleaner, starring Samuel L Jackson and Ed Harris, across Spanish cinemas this weekend. The film sees a former cop get caught up in a cover-up in his new job as a crime scene cleaner.

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