The directorial debut of the renowned French actress Fanny Ardant, “Ashes and Blood” (a Romanian-French co-production), was selected at the Cannes Film Festival and will be screened Out of Competition together with 3 other titles: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” by Terry Gilliam, "The Army of Crime”, directed by Robert Guediguian and Alejandro Amenabar’s "Agora".

The film was produced by Alfama Films (France) in co-production with Libra Film (Romania) and supported by the National Cinema Center (CNC).

This selection marks an important step for Romanian cinema industry: Libra Film, run by Tudor Giurgiu, is the first Romanian production company to be present the same year in the official programs of the two most important film festivals in the world: Cannes and Berlin (where “Katalin Varga” was awarded the Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution for sound design).

Starring Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz, the film (written by Fanny Ardant based on a story by Ismail Kadare) revolves around a woman who returns to Marseille in France with her children following an 18-year absence due to the death of her husband.

The premiere in Cannes is scheduled on May 22nd.