ScreenDaily’s weekly round up of the local and independent releases in key markets this week.

UK:

Vertigo Films are releasing mumble-core indie Humpday in the West End and key cities from Friday (December 18), one of the few new releases competing against James Cameron’s Avatar this weekend.  Lynne Shelton’s film follow two male friends who decide to sleep together, despite both being heterosexual.

Nine begins its UK release with a West End run, before expanding to nationwide over the next two weekends. Entertainment Film Distributors are releasing the all-star musical, directed by Rob Marshall.

France:

The Last Flight (Le Dernier Vol), a Gaumont release, fell into second place behind Avatar on its opening day Wednesday with 21,515 admissions on 356 screens. The sweeping adventure romance reteams Love Me If You Dare(Jeu D’Enfants) stars Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet in the story of a female aviator searching for her lost love in the desert. Karim Dridi directed the film.

In third place and topping Spike Jonze’s Where The Wild Things Are on its first day out was Kerity La Maison Des Contes. The animated picture hails from director Dominique Monfery and stars the voices of Jeanne Moreau, Julie Gayet and Pierre Richard. Haut et Court released the film on 216 screens and took 13,776 admissions on Wednesday. The adventure follows a little boy who doesn’t know how to read but whose books come alive at night with the characters seeking his help with a grave danger they are facing.

Eleonore Faucher, whose A Commen Thread (Brodeuses) was a Michel d’Ornano prize winner a few years back, returns with Gamines, a romantic comedy starring Amira Casar, Sylvie Testud and Jean-Pierre Martins. The film was also released Wednesday and sold 6,725 tickets on 107 screens. The UGC Distribution release is about a girl who resembles her late father a bit too much for the family’s comfort. This is Faucher’s second feature.

Germany:

Martin Provost’s Séraphine, starring Yolande Moreau, Ulrich Tukur and Anne Bennent, was launched by Arsenal Film at 18 cinemas around Germany, including Hamburg’s Abaton-Kino and Cologne’s Cinenova. The winner of seven Cesars, including best film and best lead actress, the story about the naive painter Séraphine de Senlis also scored Moreau a nomination at this year’s European Film Awards.

The opening film at this year’s Zurich Film Festival, Alain Gsponer’s My Words, My Lies- My Love (Lila, Lila) is being released nationwide by Falcom, with Warner Bros. handling the booking and billing. The romantic comedy starring Daniel Brühl, Hannah Herzsprung and Henry Hübchen is being handled internationally by Beta Cinema.

Berlin’s Fsk - Kino am Oranienplatz has been booked by Arsenal-Institut for its release of maverick Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin’s silent film Brand Upon The Brain! The film was first shown as part of the Berlinale’s Forum in 2007 at the Deutsche Oper with live accompaniment from an orchestra and narration by Isabella Rossellini.

Spain:

Offbeat director Spike Jonze’s third feature Where The Wild Things Are is released this weekend going up against Avatar.  Based on Maurice Sendak’s imaginative children’s book, the film tells the story of a nine year old boy who feels neglected by his family and so creates his own fantasy world full of monsters.

Local distributor Golem picked up Cecile Telerman’s French comedy drama Blame It On Mum (Quelque Chose A Te Dire) at Cannes and will be hoping to match or better Telerman’s previous film Tout Pour Plaire, which took $1m in Spain. Blame It On Mum follows the travails of the Cellier family, controlled by the 60 year old mother played by Charlotte Rampling who spends her time criticizing her two daughters, one of whom meets a cop who transforms all their lives. The film has already taken $3.2m in France.

Renowned Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira is still going strong despite celebrating His 101st birthday last week. His latest film Eccentricities Of A Blonde-Haired Girl tells the story of a young man, played by Oliveira’s grandson Ricardo Trepa, whose life is turned upside down when he meets a mysterious blonde. Sagrera Audiovisual will release the film on a limited number of prints nationwide.