A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of sitting down with bestselling author Tatiana de Rosnay to speak about her novel Sarah’s Key being adapted into the Kristin Scott Thomas feature film that is expanding over the next few months. She went on a press tour to promote the movie, and as she mentions in my exclusive interview, she wouldn’t be doing it if she wasn’t proud of the film. Of course, there is a lot to be proud of as I thought the film was incredibly well-made and affecting. The film and the book interweave story lines of a modern day journalist investigating the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup for an article and a young Jewish girl in the 1940s that lives through the experience. Those stories intersect in a morose way that changes the journalist’s life forever. Among the topics de Rosnay and I discussed were her involvement in the film, whether she likes to read the book before seeing a film, the different boldness in the novel that sets Sarah and Julia’s stories apart, when she realized the book had become a hit, and a touching case of life imitating art. For the audio and full transcript, hit the jump.

We’ve barely dipped our toes into the first weekend of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and we’re already bringing you news in regards to film purchases.  Yesterday, The Weinstein Company preemptively bought all U.S. rights to the French film Sarah’s Key (or Elle s’appelait Sarah) starring Oscar nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient).  Helmed by co-writer/director Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Pretty Things), the film is an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name by Tatiana De Rosnay.

According to the press release, Sarah’s Key spans a period of almost seventy years and tells the story of an American journalist (Kristin Scott Thomas) who is investigating the 1942 Vel’d'Hiv’ Roundup of Jewish families in Paris.  For more details on the buy, hit the jump for the full press release and a synopsis for the film.  Sarah’s Key will screen in Toronto on three separate occasions beginning next Thursday, September 16th.