Shooting anecdotes, notes of intent, information for film lovers: every week, discover behind the scenes of cinema releases.
rumba life by Franck Dubosc
With Franck Dubosc, Louna Espinosa, Jean-Pierre Darroussin…
What is it about ? Tony, in his fifties, a school bus driver withdrawn, lives alone after having abandoned his wife and child twenty years earlier. Shaken by a heart attack, he finds the necessary courage to face his past and enroll incognito in the dance class led by his daughter.
Did you know ? When writing, Frank Dubosc managed not to have to dance too much and knew that thanks to the framing, he could create an illusion. The challenge was therefore not so much in the physical preparation as in the staging.
Hell’s Ball by Jessica M. Thompson
With Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen…
What is it about ? After her mother’s death, Evie finds herself without a family. She decides to do a DNA test and discovers a distant cousin of whom she did not suspect the existence. After getting in touch with him, he invites her to a lavish wedding in the English countryside so that she can meet his new family.
Beast by Baltasar Kormakur
With Idris Elba, Sharlto Copley, Iyana Halley…
What is it about ? Dr. Nate Daniels returns to South Africa to spend a vacation with his two daughters in a nature reserve. But this rest will turn into a test of survival when a lion thirsting for revenge begins to devour any human on its way.
Did you know ? No scenes involving lions and humans were shot with real felines. Archival footage of real lions was used to illustrate the film. Whether it’s the lion around which the story revolves or the others, all were created digitally.
Leila and her brothers by Saeed Roustaee
With Taraneh Alidoosti, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Payman Maadi…
What is it about ? Leila has dedicated her whole life to her parents and her four brothers. Very affected by an unprecedented economic crisis, the family is crumbling under debt. In order to get them out of this situation, Leila hatches a plan: buy a shop to start a business with her brothers.
Did you know ? Leila and Her Brothers is set against the same family backdrop as the feature debut of Saeed Roustaee, Life and a Day. The filmmaker explains: “For me the family is a central theme, right from my short films. Leila and her brothers is therefore not in my eyes an update but a continuity.”
Continental Drift (to the south) by Lionel Bayer
With Isabelle Carré, Théodore Pellerin, Ursina Lardi…
What is it about ? Nathalie Adler is on mission for the European Union in Sicily. She is notably responsible for organizing the next visit of Macron and Merkel to a migrant camp. But who still wants to believe in this European family on the verge of a nervous breakdown?
Green Shutters by Jean Becker
With Gérard Depardieu, Fanny Ardant, Benoît Poelvoorde…
What is it about ? “Les Volets Verts” paints the portrait of a sacred monster, Jules Maugin, an actor at the height of his glory in the 70s. Under the famous personality, the intimacy of a man is revealed.
Did you know ? Fanny Ardant and Gérard Depardieu have played together a dozen times. For Jean Becker, they refer to those couples of very well-known actors who existed at one time, such as Simone Valère and Jean Desailly, Madeleine Renaud and Jean-Louis Barrault or Delphine Seyrig and Sami Frey. He specifies :
“In life, Depardieu feels a deep love for Fanny Ardant. So their complicity in life is also found in the film and it is not necessary to explain it. In Les Volets Verts, he behaves like a vis -à-vis her because he feels that she is going to escape him.”
wild men by Thomas Daneskov
With Rasmus Bjerg, Zaki Youssef, Bjørn Sundquist…
What is it about ? Martin, on his way to a seminar, decides in a moment of madness to leave everything behind and go live like his ancestors thousands of years ago, before supermarkets and smartphones ruined everything.
Did you know ? The inspiration for the film’s design was twofold, as the director explains Thomas Daneskov : “On the one hand, we have all known men unable to deal with and manage their emotions and on the other hand, there is a persistent human tendency to add a pitfall in our path, to make things more difficult, in order to don’t slack off.”
Three thousand years waiting for you by George Miller
With Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton, Aamito Lagum…
What is it about ? Alithea Binnie, although content with her life, takes a skeptical view of the world. One day, she meets a genie who offers to grant her three wishes in exchange for her freedom. But Alithea is far too erudite to ignore that, in fairy tales, wish stories end badly.
Did you know ? Three thousand years waiting for you is an adaptation of the short story Le Djinn dans l’œil-de-rossignol by AS Byatt, published in 1994. george miller discovered the text at the end of the 1990s and was permanently marked by it.
Tad the Explorer and the Emerald Tablet by Enrique Gato
With Philippe Bozo, Oscar Barberan, Guillaume Lebon…
What is it about ? Tad Stones’ dream is to be recognized as a great archaeologist, but all his attempts to be accepted by Ryan, the brilliant expedition leader and his colleagues turn into a fiasco. By opening a sarcophagus, he triggers a curse that will put the lives of his friends in danger.
Sing a Bit of Harmony by Yasuhiro Yoshiura
With Tao Tsuchiya, Satoshi Hino, Mikako Komatsu…
What is it about ? The beautiful and mysterious Shion transfers to Keibu High School where she quickly becomes popular thanks to her warm personality. However, it turns out to be an AI (Artificial Intelligence) in secret test phase! Her mission is to make Satomi, a hardened loner, happy.