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Official US Trailer for Venice 2021's Golden Lion Winner 'Happening'

by Alex Billington
February 18, 2022
Source: YouTube

"I'd like a child one day, but not instead of a life." IFC has debuted the official US trailer for an acclaimed French drama titled Happening, the second feature directed by filmmaker Audrey Diwan. This initially premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival last year, where it won the Golden Lion top prize at the end of the fest. It also stopped by the 2022 Sundance Film Festival last month and picked up more rave reviews. Adapted from Annie Ernaux's semi-autobiographical book, Happening follows Anne, a bright young student who faces an unwanted pregnancy while abortion was still illegal in 1960s France. There are more and more abortion films recently because filmmakers are turning to art to express their concerns about the growing anti-abortion movement that has been taking over recently. These films are vital and necessary. Happening stars Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, Luàna Bajrami, Louise Orry-Diquéro, and also Louise Chevillotte. The trailer oversells it as a thriller, it's more of a suspenseful drama. And yes it's good.

Here's the official US trailer (+ poster) for Audrey Diwan's Happening, direct from IFC's YouTube:

France, 1963. Anne is a bright student with a promising future ahead of her. But when she falls pregnant, the opportunity to finish her studies and escape the constraints of her social background is disappearing. With her final exams fast approaching and her belly growing, Anne resolves to act now, even if she must confront shame and pain, even if she must risk prison to do so… Happening, also known as L'événement in French, is directed by French writer / filmmaker Audrey Diwan, directing her second feature film after making Losing It previously; she also wrote the screenplays for plenty other films including The Connection and The Man with the Iron Heart. This film's screenplay is written by Marcia Romano & Audrey Diwan; in collaboration with Anne Berest and Alice Girard. It's based on Annie Ernaux's semi-autobiographical novel. This initially premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival last year, where it won the Golden Lion top prize. IFC Films will debut Happening in select US theaters exclusively starting on May 6th, 2022 coming soon.

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