Festivals - The american french film festival  2022 : Maria into life, relive the Q&A with Yvonnick Muller

By Mulder, Los Angeles, DGA theater, Théâtre Renoir, 12 october 2022

Consummate actor Karin Viard positively glows as Maria, a conscientious, self-effacing cleaning lady who lands a job at the prestigious Paris Beaux-Arts fine arts academy. Suddenly plunged into an enchanting new world of creative expression and freedom, Maria blossoms. She immediately strikes up a friendship with Hubert, the school’s eccentric custodian, and even becomes a life model for some of the students. Gradually moving from closeted poet to fulfilled woman, Maria must learn to unleash her passions, embrace her own inner artist, and take a major leap into the abyss of life and love.

You can discover now our video of the Q&A with Yvonnick Muller, Lauriane Escaffre (director) and Stéphanie Halfon.

On its first day of release in French cinemas, Maria rêve achieved 12,745 admissions (including 2,661 in previews) for 309 copies. This score places it fourth at the box office for new releases, behind Smile (32,859) and ahead of The Woman King (12,619

Lauriane Escaffre  studied acting at the Cours Florent and is a graduate of La Fémis film school. Yvonnick Muller  studied screenwriting at the Conservatoire Europeéen d’Écriture Audiovisuelle. Both actors who have appeared in numerous films and TV series, they launched the Happy Collectif for actors, writers and directors in 2011, and joined forces to become a writer/director team in 2012.  They have collaborated on six short films, to date: Seconde (2012), Le Bon mélange pour la colle (2013), Mustang Sally (2014), Chèvre ou vache (2016): and By a Hair (COLCOA 2019), which was honored with a César Award for Best Short Film. Maria Into Life is their first feature. It premieres at The american french film festival just two weeks after its successful release in France.

Synopsis : 
Maria is a cleaning lady. Married for 25 years, reserved, shy and clumsy, she never leaves her flowered notebook in which she writes poems in secret. When she is assigned to the School of Fine Arts, she meets Hubert, the school's whimsical janitor, and discovers a fascinating place where freedom, creativity and audacity reign... In this new world, will Maria, who has always been devoted and discreet, finally let herself be invaded by life?

Maria into life (Maria rêve) 
Written and directed by Lauriane Escaffre, Yvonnick Muller
Produced by Foucauld Barre, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky 
Starring  Karin Viard, Grégory Gadebois, Philippe Uchan, Noée Abita, Pauline Clément, Lauriane Escaffre, Yvonnick Muller, Samira Sedira
Music by René Aubry
Cinematography : Antoine Sanier
Edited by Valérie Deseine
Production companies : France 3, Quad Productions, TF1 Studio
Distributed by UGC Distribution, TF1 Studio (France), 
Release date : September 28, 2022 (France)
Running time : 93 minutes

Video : Sophie Janinet for Mulderville

(Source : press release)