Seraphine

About the Film

Séraphine is the true story of Seraphine Louis aka Séraphine de Senlis (Yolande Moreau), a simple and profoundly devout housekeeper who in 1905 at age 41 -- self-taught and with the instigation of her guardian angel -- began painting brilliantly colorful canvases. In 1912 Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur), a German art critic and collector, discovered her paintings while she worked for him as a maid in his lodgings in Senlis outside Paris. Director Martin Provost builds his story around the relationship between the avant-garde art dealer and the visionary cleaning lady, forging a testament to the mysteries of creativity and the resilience of one woman’s spirit.

Starring: Yolande Moreau, Ulrich Tukur, Anne Bennent

Director: Martin Provost

Official Site: http://www.seraphinemovie.com

Reactions

“Sublime… one of the most evocative films about an artist I’ve ever seen.“ - David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Awards & Festivals

Chlotrudis Awards 2010 Nominee - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 2010 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Cinematography
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Costume Design
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Film
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Music Written for a Film
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Original Screenplay
César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Director, Martin Provost
César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Sound
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Actor, Ulrich Tukur
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Director, Martin Provost
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Film
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Screenplay
Winner! Étoile d'Or 2009 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
European Film Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2009 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! Lumiere Awards 2009 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! Scottsdale Film Festival 2009 - Audience Award
Winner! Women Film Critics Circle 2009 - Best Foreign Film
Winner! Cairo International Film Festival 2008 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Ghent International Film Festival 2008 Grand Prix Award Nominee - Best Film

Cast & Crew

Cast

Séraphine: Yolande Moreau
Wilhelm Uhde: Ulrich Tukur
Anne Marie: Anne Bennent
Madame Duphot: Geneviève Mnich
Helmut: Nico Rogner
Minouche: Adélaïde Leroux
Duval: Serge Larivière
Mère Supérieure: Françoise Lebrun

Crew

Director: Martin Provost
Screenplay: Martin Provost and Marc Abdelnour
Producers: Miléna Poylo and Gilles Sacuto
Cinematography: Laurent Brunet
Editing: Ludo Troch
Casting: Brigitte Moidon
Set Design: Thierry François
Sound: Philippe Van den Driessche
Music: Michael Galasso

Technical Info

Production Year: 2008
Countries of Production: France
Languages: French
Running Time: 2h 5m
Screen Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital
Color: Color
Rating: Unrated

Seraphine - Press Page

Hi Res Photos

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Awards & Festivals

Chlotrudis Awards 2010 Nominee - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 2010 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Cinematography
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Costume Design
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Film
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Music Written for a Film
Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Original Screenplay
César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Director, Martin Provost
César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Sound
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Actor, Ulrich Tukur
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Director, Martin Provost
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Film
Winner! Newport Beach Film Festival 2009 Jury Award - Best Screenplay
Winner! Étoile d'Or 2009 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
European Film Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2009 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! Lumiere Awards 2009 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Winner! Scottsdale Film Festival 2009 - Audience Award
Winner! Women Film Critics Circle 2009 - Best Foreign Film
Winner! Cairo International Film Festival 2008 - Best Actress, Yolande Moreau
Ghent International Film Festival 2008 Grand Prix Award Nominee - Best Film

Reactions

“Sublime… one of the most evocative films about an artist I’ve ever seen.“ - David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Detailed Film Info

Séraphine is the true story of Séraphine Louis aka Séraphine de Senlis (Yolande Moreau), a simple and profoundly devout housekeeper who in 1905 at age 41 – self-taught and with the instigation of her guardian angel – began painting brilliantly colorful canvases. In 1912 Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur), a German art critic and collector – he was one of the first collectors of Picasso and champion of naïve primitive painter Le Douanier Rousseau – discovered her paintings while she worked for him as a maid in his lodgings in Senlis outside Paris. Uhde became her patron and grouped her work with other naïve painters – the so-called "Sacred Heart Painters" – with acclaimed shows in Paris, elsewhere in Europe and eventually at New York’s MoMA. Director Martin Provost builds his story around the relationship between the avant-garde art dealer and the visionary cleaning lady, forging a testament to the mysteries of creativity and the resilience of one woman’s spirit. A sleeper hit in France, Séraphine went on to a surprise win of the Best Picture and Best Actress for Yolande Moreau along with five other awards at the 2009 Césars, the French equivalent of the Academy Awards.