NICK NOLTE - Bob Montagnet

Nick Nolte is one of film's most versatile leading players. With the ability to portray a wide range of roles, Nolte has in recent years successfully added to his list of credits such films as Merchant Ivory's GOLDEN BOWL and Terence Malick's THIN RED LINE. He has been nominated for Academy Awards for Paul Schrader's AFFLICTION and THE PRINCE OF TIDES in which he starred opposite Barbara Streisand. Nolte worked with Martin Scorsese on his segment of NEW YORK STORIES and also on CAPE FEAR. He portrayed Thomas Jefferson in Merchant Ivory's JEFFERSON IN PARIS and Howard Campbell in Keith Gordon's film of the Kurt Vonnegut novel MOTHER NIGHT. He was joined by Jeff Bridges, Albert Finney and Sharon Stone in SIMPATICO and starred with Sean Penn in Oliver Stone's U-TURN.

Nolte, an Omaha, Nebraska native, was raised in Iowa and began his acting career in regional theatre after a spell living in a Mexican bordello. During the Vietnam War he was convicted of selling counterfeit government documents and sentenced to forty-five years in prison and a $75,000 fine later suspended to probation for the duration of the war. He then studied briefly with Bryan O'Byrne at Stella Adler's Academy in Los Angeles. He travelled for fourteen years performing in regional theatres until William Inge brought Nolte to Los Angeles in his play THE LAST PAD which played for six months in the building that has now become the Westwood Playhouse.

This led to Nolte landing a breakthrough role in the landmark television mini-series RICH MAN, POOR MAN which launched him to international fame. Following its success, he made his feature film lead debut in THE DEEP opposite Jacqueline Bisset.

Diversity of character became Nolte's signature in his early film career, with roles as a drug smuggling Vietnam veteran in WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN, a disillusioned football star in NORTH DALLAS FORTY which he developed with author Pete Gent, as free spirited beat era writer Neal Cassady in HEART BEAT and as a reclusive marine biologist in the film version of John Steinbeck's classic CANNERY ROW.

Nolte continued to challenge himself with such character roles as the philosophical vagrant in DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS, a tough cop 48 HRS, an American photojournalist in UNDER FIRE. His performance in Sidney Lumet's Q&A as the hulking Irish cop Mike Brennan led Marlon Brando to remark that it was "the scariest thing I ever saw. " He created another unique character in WEEDS as an ex-con turned playwright.

Other Nolte film credits include NIGHTWATCH, THREE FUGITIVES, FAREWELL TO THE KING, EVERYBODY WINS, MULHOLLAND FALLS, Robert Altman's THE PLAYER, EXTREME PREJUDICE and GRACE QUIGLEY with Katherine Hepburn. He starred opposite Julia Roberts in I LOVE TROUBLE, and as a basketball coach in BLUE CHIPS for director William Friedkin.

More recently, Nolte has chosen to work with Alan Rudolph in independent films, making AFTERGLOW opposite Julie Christie, revisiting Kurt Vonnegut's work with Bruce Willis in BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS, playing a senator in TRIXIE and producing INVESTIGATING SEX in which he starred alongside Neve Campbell.

Nolte recently returned to the stage in the world premiere of Sam Shepherd's play THE LATE HENRY MOSS in which he was reunited with THIN RED LINE colleagues Sean Penn and Woody Harrellson, playing elder brother Earl Moss. In addition to co-producing AFFLICTION and INVESTIGATING SEX, Nolte's production company Kingsgate Films will shortly begin filming the James Ellroy novel WHITE JAZZ.

TCHEKY KARYO - Roger

One of France's most popular actors, Tcheky Karyo was born in Istanbul to a Turkish father and a Greek mother but grew up in Paris. He studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, where he played numerous classical roles. He then joined the National Theatre of Strasbourg, where he starred in contemporary theatre as well as in many classical works. Nominated for a Cesar award for his starring role in LA BALANCE, Karyo received the prestigious Jean Gabin prize in 1986 in recognition of his talent.

After spending fifteen years in theatre, he has almost seventy international film credits to his name. French credits include: Luc Besson's LE BAISER DU DRAGON (aka: THE KISS OF THE DRAGON) with Bridget Fonda and Jet Li; LE ROI DANSE (aka: THE KING IS DANCING); Luc Besson's JOAN OF ARC; DOBERMANN; CRYING FREEMAN; 1492: Ridley Scott's CONQUEST OF PARADISE with Gerard Depardieu; Luc Besson's NIKITA (Grand Prix de la Jeunesse ISC); Jean-Jacques Annaud's L'OURS (aka: THE BEAR) (Prix de l'Academie Nationale du Cinema 1988); LE MOINE ET LA SORCIERE (aka: THE SORCERESS); LA MODE D'EMPLOI; L'AMOUR BRAQUE with Sophie Marceau; LES NUITS DE LA PLEINE LUNE (aka: FULL MOON IN PARIS); LA BALANCE (aka: THE NARK); LE RETOUR DE MARTIN GUERRE (aka: THE RETURN OF MARTIN GUERRE) with Gerard Depardieu and Nathalie Baye and TOUTE UNE NUIT (aka: ALL NIGHT LONG).

American film credits include: THE PATRIOT with Mel Gibson; WING COMMANDER; ADDICTED TO LOVE with Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick; BAD BOYS with Will Smith and AND THE BAND PLAYED ON with Richard Gere.

English film credits include: SAVING GRACE; Hugh Hudson's WORLD OF MOSS/MY LIFE SO FAR with Colin Firth; GOLDENEYE with Pierce Brosnan and NOSTRADAMUS. Australian credits include: TO HAVE AND TO HOLD with Rachel Griffith whilst Brazilian credits include: TERRA STRAGNIERA and EXPOSURE(aka: HIGH ART aka: THE KNIFE).

SAID TAGHMAOUI - Paulo

Born on 19th July 1973 into a large family of Moroccan immigrants in Villepinte, near Paris in France, Said was a champion boxer before he became an actor. He burst onto the scene in LA HAINE (aka: HATE), in a part tailor-made for him. Since this film brought him to international fame, he has been in demand with English language directors in such films as THREE KINGS opposite George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, HIDEOUS KINKY opposite Kate Winslet, ROOM TO RENT, LAST MINUTE KASBAH, GO FOR GOLD and the up-coming US version of the big British television hit ABSOLUTE FABULOUS.

Other films in which he has appeared include: CONFESSIONS D'UN DRAGUEUR; LE PETIT POUCET (aka: TOM THUMB); GAMER; ALI ZAOU; TORBALL; LA TAULE (aka: THE SLAMMER); I GIARDINI DELL'EDEN (aka: THE GARDEN OF EDEN); ONOREVOLLI DETENUTI (aka: MEN BEHIND BARS); LE TEMPS DE L'INNOCENCE; SAMIR; HEROINES; LA TACHE; PUTAIN DE PORTE; LA RACAILLE; LES FANTOMES DE MINUIT and L'ATTACHE.

Television includes: the award-winning NATIONALE 7 (aka: UNEASY RIDERS); LA BOUGEOTTE; ELVIS AZIZ; TROP LIBRE POUR TOI; FRERES; RACKET.

Said has made one theatre appearance in 22-34 at the Theatre de la Goutte D'or.

NUTSA KUKHIANIDZE - Anne

Although still only seventeen years old, Georgian-born Nutsa has already started making her mark on the international stage. She starred in Nana Djordjadze's feature film 27 MISSING KISSES which premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival to great acclaim and went on to win more than half a dozen awards. Nutsa herself won the Best Actress award at the Baltic Pearls Riga Film Festival, as well as the Best Newcomer award.

Born on August 8th 1983 in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, in 1993 Nutsa moved to the other Georgia - in Atlanta - with her family. In the same year she played the lead role in a short film NO PAL, directed by Gio Mgeladze, which won the Best Film award at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival, the Portuguese Short Film Festival and at the Riverum International Film Festival in 1998. In 1999 Nutsa graduated from Tbilisi High School and the following year attended acting and directing classes in the Tbilisi Theatrical Institute.

GERARD DARMON - Raoul

Born on 29th February 1948 in Paris, Gerard Darmon was a hugely successful theatre actor for many years before auspiciously making his feature film debut opposite Richard Bohringer in DIVA as one of the two memorable villains. Since then he has worked extensively in cinema, most notably with Jean-Jacques Beineix, in such films as 37. 2 LE MATIN (aka: BETTY BLUE), becoming one of France's most popular screen actors.

Other film appearances include: ASTERIX & OBELIX; MISSION IMPOSSIBLE; LES GRANDES BOUCHES; AMOUR ET CONFUSIONS; LES VICTIMES; POURVU QUE CA DURE; TETA Y LA LUNA (aka: THE TIT AND THE MOON); LA CITE DE LA PEUR; LE VOLEUR ET LA MENTEUSE (aka: THE THIEF AND THE LIAR); TOUT CA. .. POUR CA! (aka: ALL THAT. .. FOR THIS?!); PAS D'AMOUR SANS AMOUR; LE GRAND PARDON II (aka: DAY OF ATONEMENT); L'ETOILE ET LE VAGABOND; LA BELLE HISTOIRE; POUR SACHA; GASPARD ET ROBINSON; LE PASSEPORT (aka: THE PASSPORT); IL Y A DES JOURS ET DES LUNES; SANS PEUR ET SANS REPROCHE (aka: WITHOUT FEAR OR BLAME); PATHOS - SEGRETA INQUIETUDINE (aka: A TASTE FOR FEAR); PREUVE D'AMOUR; LE BEAUF; LES LOUPS ENTRE EUX (aka: AMONG WOLVES); LIBERTE, EGALITE, CHOUCROUTE, ON NE MEURT QUE DEUX FOIS (aka: HE DIED WITH HIS EYES OPEN); NOTRE HISTOIRE (aka: SEPARATE ROOMS); LES PRINCES; CAP CANAILLE; LE GRAND CARNAVAL (aka: THE BIG CARNIVAL); LA BARAKA; LE GRAND PARDON and PUTAIN D'HISTOIRE D'AMOUR.

Television includes: LOUISIANE; UN FLIC PRESQUE PARFAIT; LA FERME DU CROCODILE; L'ENFER VERT; L'HERITIERE DE CHARME; ENQUETE INTERDITE and MAIS QUI ARRETERA LA PLUIE.

Theatre includes: LE ROMAN DE LULU (Petit Theatre de Paris); ON PURGE BEBE; UN CAPRICE; ARGENT MON BEL AMOUR (Theatre Daunou); L'ILE AUX CHEVRES; A FORCE D'ATTENDRE L'AUTOBUS; LES CATCHEUSES; LORENZACCIO; LE VOYAGE SUR LA LUNE; KINGS; ROMEO ET JULIETTE (Theatre Daniel Sorano); RUY BLAS (Theatre des Tuileries); L'ODYSSEE D'UNE TASSE DE THE (Theatre de la Ville); PAR DELA LES MARRONNIERS (Espace Cardin, Festival du Marais); JE SUIS UN STEAK (Theatre Pigalls) and LES FRAISES MUSCLEES (Theatre la Bruyere).

MARC LAVOINE - Remi

Born on 6th August 1962, Marc Lavoine is a successful singer/songwriter. He has released seven albums as well as contributing to other compilations. His first single was JE NE SAIS MEME PLUS DE QUOI J'AI L'AIR, his first album ELLE A LES YEUX REVOLVER. This was followed by FABRIQUE, LES AMOURS DU DIMANCHE, PARIS, FAUX REVER, JE TE DIS VOUS (three songs for Patricia Kaas's album), UNE NUIT SUR SON EPAULE (duo with Veronique Sanson); 1985-1995, a compilation album; C'EST CA LA FRANCE (Prix du Meilleur Video-clip aux Victoires de la Musique) and his most recent album SEPTIEME CIEL, released in 1999.

Marc Lavoine's film credits include: DECEPTION; LE DOUBLE DE MA MOITIE; CANTIQUE DE LA RACAILLE (aka: MELODY FOR A HUSTLER); LES MENTEURS (aka: THE LIARS); FIESTA; L'ENFER (aka: HELL); FRANKENSTEIN 90 and PAUSE-CAFE.

Television includes: DANS LA GUEULE DU LOUP; LE JUGE EST UNE FEMME (episode: LE RACHAT); VICE VERTU ET VICE VERSA and PAUSE CAFE.

He has made one theatre appearance in Jerome Savary's CABARET.

EMIR KUSTURICA - Vladimir

Born on 24th November 1954 in Sarajevo, Emir Kusturica is one of the most admired independent film-makers in the world, a multi-award-winning director, writer, actor and musician. He most recently starred in the critically acclaimed film THE WIDOW OF SAINT PIERRE opposite Juliet Binoche and Daniel Auteuil.

His feature film credits as director and writer include: BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT in which he also starred (Silver Lion, Venice, 1998); UNDERGROUND (Palme d'Or, Cannes, 1995); ARIZONA DREAM (Silver Bear, Berlin, 1993); LE TEMPS DES GITANS (aka: THE TIME OF THE GYPSIES) (Prix de la mise en scene, Cannes, 1989); PAPA EST EN VOYAGE D'AFFAIRES (aka: WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS) (Palme d'Or, Cannes 1985); DO YOU REMEMBER DOLLY BELL? (Golden Lion, Venice 1981, Critics' Prize, Sao Paulo Festival 1982), the tele-films SEPT JOURS DANS LA VIE D'UN OISEAU (for France 2); BUFFET TITANIC (First Prize, Yugoslavian Film & Television Festival, 1980) and LES JEUNES MARIES ARRIVENT (aka: THE BRIDES ARE COMING), and the short films GUERNICA (First Prize, Student Film Festival Karlovy-Vary, 1978); AUTOMNE and UNE PARTIE DE LA VERITE

Since the late 80s Emir has played bass guitar for a Serbian rock band, Zabranjeno Pusenje.

OUASSINI EMBAREK - Said

Of Algerian descent, Ouassini Embarek was born in ? and trained at the Ecole Theatre Par le Bas at Nanterre.

Film appearances include: LE CAFE DE LA PLAGE; TOTAL WESTERN; BAOSE-MOI; FAITES COMME SI JE N'ETAIS PAS LA. .. (aka: PRETEND I'M NOT HERE); LA CIGOGNE; DROIT DANS LE MUR; MESSIEURS LES ENFANTS; LE PLUS BEAU METIER DU MONDE (aka: THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD) and BYE BYE.

Television includes: GROSSE BETISSE; LE BAHUT(series for TF1); DOSSIER: DISPARUS; JUSTICE; AUX FRONTIERES DE LA LOI; CLANDESTIN; NAVARRO V: PLEURE PAS PETIT HOMME and FRACTURES SOCIALES.

Neil Jordan - Writer/Director

Born in 1950 in Sligo, Neil Jordan's early career began as a writer. After setting up the Irish Writers' Co-operative in 1974, he went on to win the Guardian Fiction Prize for his book of short stories NIGHT IN TUNISIA (1976). Since then he has published three novels, THE PAST (1979), THE DREAM OF A BEAST (1983) and, most recently, SUNRISE WITH SEA MONSTER (1994). Jordan's published fiction has been translated into several languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish and Japanese.

In 1982 Neil Jordan wrote and directed his first feature film, ANGEL, for which he won the London Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Newcomer. THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (1984) was his next film and was honoured with Best Film and Best Director Awards by the London Critics' Circle and a Golden Scroll for Outstanding Achievement from the Academy of Science Fiction and Horror Films.

MONA LISA followed in 1986, starring Michael Caine, Cathy Tyson and Bob Hoskins, who won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The film itself was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a Los Angeles Film Critics' Award and a Best Screenplay nomination from the Writer's Guild of America. It was also nominated in the categories of Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay in the 1986 BAFTAs.

MONA LISA was followed by two comedies: HIGH SPIRITS (1988), set in Ireland and starring Daryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg and Peter O'Toole and WE'RE NO ANGELS (1989), Jordan's first all-American production, starring Robert De Niro and Sean Penn. He then returned home with a much smaller film, THE MIRACLE (1991) which starred Beverly D'Angelo.

In 1992 Jordan wrote and directed THE CRYING GAME which was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Stephen Rea), Best Supporting Actor (Jaye Davidson) and which won Jordan an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

In addition, it was voted Best Foreign Film by the Los Angeles Film Critics' Association and Best Screenplay by the New York Film Critics' Circle and the Writers' Guild of America. It also received the Best Foreign Film Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama and the Mystery of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Film. In the UK, the film won the BAFTA for Best British Film and was nominated for five other BAFTA Awards including Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Editing. Jordan was selected Best Director by the Guild of Regional Film Writers and nominated for Best Screenplay by the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. The film also received Norway's award for Best Foreign Film.

In 1994 Jordan returned to the United States to film an adaptation of Anne Rice's popular novel INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas and Christian Slater. Next came the film of the Irish revolutionary MICHAEL COLLINS (1996), starring Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn and Julia Roberts, which won a Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival. In 1996 Jordan was also awarded the Distinction of Les Arts et Lettres, as Officer in the Order, on the occasion of L'Imaginaire Irlandais in France, for his contribution to cinema.

He went on to collaborate with Irish novelist Pat McCabe, adapting his novel THE BUTCHER BOY for the screen in 1997. The film won Jordan a Silver Bear Award for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival, and newcomer Eamon Owens received a special mention for his performance in the film.

In 1999 Jordan made the psychological thriller IN DREAMS starring Annette Bening, Robert Downey Jr, Aidan Quinn and Stephen Rea. In the same year, he went on to direct his own adaptation of Graham Greene's novel THE END OF THE AFFAIR, starring Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore and Stephen Rea. The film was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards and ten BAFTA Awards. Jordan was honoured with a BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Jordan soon went on to direct a fourteen minute film based on Samuel Beckett's play NOT I, which starred Julianne Moore and had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000.

Neil Jordan lives in Dublin, Ireland.