SYNOPSIS The Diving Bell and The Butterfly France,2007, 112 mins, 35 mm Director: Julian Schnabel Producer: Jon Kilik, Kathleen Kennedy Screenplay: Ronald Harwood Based on the book by : Jean- Dominique Bauby Cast: Mathieu Amairic, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie- Josee Croze, Anne Consigny :: Read Interview with Julian Schnabel by Paris Voice :: Winner of the Best Director’s award at Cannes 2007, Schnabel has crafted yet again (BEFORE NIGHT FALLS) a remarkable film that pays tribute to the spirit of the imagination and its ability to triumph over adversity. The moving true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), a successful and charismatic editor of French Elle, who believes he is living his life to its absolute fullest when a sudden stroke leaves him in a life-altered state. While the physical challenges of Bauby's fate leave him with little hope for the future, he begins to discover how his life's passions, his rich memories and his newfound imagination can help him achieve a life without boundaries. Based on the highly lauded book by Bauby, which was adapted for the screen by Ronald Harwood, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY also stars Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais and Max Von Sydow. Produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Kilik, cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, a visual artist in his own right, magnificently evokes Bauby’s disorientation. Julian Schnabel was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1951.  At 15, he moved with his family to Brownsville, Texas. He attended the University of Houston, receiving a BFA, and returned to New York in 1973 to participate in the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program.  In 1978, Schnabel made the first plate painting, “The Patients and the Doctors.”  His first solo painting exhibition took place in 1979 at the Mary Boone Gallery, New York City.  Since then, Mr. Schnabel’s work has been exhibited all over the world. His paintings, sculptures and works on paper have been the subject of retrospective exhibitions at places such as Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; The Whitechapel Gallery, London; The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; The Tate Gallery, London; and The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. In 2004, a retrospective of Schnabel’s paintings toured the Schrin Kunsthalle, Frankfurt; Palacio Velazquez, Madrid; and Mostra d’Oltremare, Napoli.  This summer, exhibitions of Schnabel’s paintings and sculpture will take place in Rome and Milan, Italy; Derneburg, Germany; and San Sebastian, Spain. In 1996, he wrote and directed the feature film, Basquiat, about fellow New York artist, Jean Michel Basquiat. Schnabel’s second film, Before Night Falls, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival 2000 and earned Javier Bardem an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Schnabel recently earned the award for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival 2007 for the feature film, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. Schnabel’s next film, Berlin, is premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The film, which Schnabel directed and completed the set design for, is a concert film of Lou Reed performing his album called Berlin. Schnabel lives with his wife Olatz and their family in New York City and Montauk, New York, and San Sebastian, Spain. Rive Gauche Entertainment jkramer@jonkramerdist.com