Events

Drafthouse Films is proud to announce the release of Cédric Jimenez’ THE CONNECTION, starring Academy Award® winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist, The Wolf of Wall Street), Gilles Lellouche (Point Blank, Mesrine: Killer Instinct), Céline Sallette (Rust and Bone), Mélanie Doutey (The Flower of Evil), and Benoît Magimel (The Piano Teacher). A commercial hit in France, THE CONNECTION was a Gala presentation at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and is scheduled to open in New York (at the Landmark’s Sunshine) and Los Angeles on Friday, May 15, followed by a national roll out.

Directed and co-written by Cédric Jimenez, THE CONNECTION was entirely shot on 35 mm and is the European flipside to William Friedkin’s The French Connection.  A stylish, 70's-period crime thriller inspired by true events, it tells the story of real-life Marseilles magistrate Pierre Michel (Jean Dujardin) and his relentless crusade to dismantle the most notorious drug smuggling operation in history: the French Connection. In his crosshairs is charismatic and wealthy kingpin, Gatean “Tany” Zampa (Gilles Lellouche), who runs the largest underground heroin trade into the States. Though the fearless and tenacious Michel, aided by a task force of elite cops, will stop at nothing––including boldly orchestrated drug raids, devastating arrests, and exacting interrogations––to ensure the crime ring’s demise, Zampa's "La French" always seems one step ahead. As La French mounts its retaliation, Michel will be forced to make the most difficult decision of his life: to continue waging his war, or ensure his family’s safety, before it's too late.

THE CONNECTION is director and co-writer Cédric Jimenez’ second feature film following Aux Yeux de Tous. A native of Marseilles, a city long known for its drug trafficking activities, Jimenez brings a keen knowledge of the place to his latest film.