Malgoska Szumowska directs SPONSORING with Juliette Binoche - when women choose to sell their bodies ... the press conference in Cologne

On 1 July 2010, filming began for the SPONSORING feature film. Renowned Polish director Malgoska Szumowska (‘33 Scenes from Life’) is directing the drama about ‘voluntary’ prostitution amongst female students.

Juliette Binoche (‘Chocolat’) and Polish actress Joanna Kulig, as well as ‘2010 Shooting Star’ Anaïs Demoustier star in the leading roles. 13 filming days have been scheduled for Cologne and Düsseldorf – an opportunity for a press conference – in Cologne of course.

Juliette Binoche plays the part of Anne, who is commissioned by a big Parisian magazine to write a report on prostitution amongst students. Her research leads her to Alicja and Charlotte, played by Joanna Kulig and Anaïs Demoustier.

Alicja is on the search for a better life and has left Poland for Paris; Charlotte has cut off all communication to her despised provincial family. Anne was expecting misery and desperation, yet she discovers a seductive potent mixture of drive and ambition, as well as a quiet ambition in Charlotte to escape her situation, whatever the cost.

SPONSORING is co-produced by Zentropa International Köln GmbH, Bettina Brokemper. The other international co-producers are Slot Machine, France, Marianne Slot, and Zentropa International, Poland. German TV channel ZDF has also signed up with presenter Daniel Blum. Heimatfilm GmbH & Co. KG is taking care of the service production. The NRW Film Foundation and DFF also substantially support the production.

The press conference may have been in Cologne, however the charming Juliette Binoche could not be tempted to visit the famous Dom cathedral. Indeed, a journalist’s obligatory question of whether she would be seeing the sites of Cologne was met with the response that Aachen’s church was her top priority. The journalists were disappointed; Juliette Binoche had landed a bull’s eye.

During the conversation, it was revealed that the film, which is mainly written, produced and acted out by women, does not want to take up a specific stance. No, it is not a women’s film, yes, the women agreed, it is important to document society’s state of affairs. No, there isn’t a moral message either.

Juliette was very much against ‘prostitution’ and although she is very dominant and self-confident, the business couldn’t even tempt her approval with a Gucci handbag. “Nowadays no one waitresses anymore”, she stated. She was then asked how she financed her student days to which she replied, “Oh, I worked on the tills at BHV (a huge department store in Marais)”. Short pause, a cheeky smile: “I only got 600 Francs from my mother and obviously that wasn’t enough. Then I met my first boyfriend, an Italian. And he had an apartment. I was very much in love!” Everyone laughed. Of course, we can overlook this because it is Juliette, otherwise it would be a different matter….