Sauvez Wendy should turn out to be a real surprise. A first film for director Patrick Glotz, produced by Alligator, this tender comedy with a crazy twist was shot last Autumn with a great cast: Jean-Luc Couchard, Sam Louwyck, Michel Schillaci, Erika Sainte, Stéphane Bissot, Lio, young actress Camille Schotte as well as Arsène Mosca and Iljir Selimovski. Featured are all sorts of scams, true loves and social struggles in a world without mercy: ours. For the filming, the production hired a team entirely composed of technicians from the Walloon and Brussels regions and the entire post-production will take place here too. Sauvez Wendy is scheduled to be released in autumn, a time when many festivals and other film events take place.
Another film which will make us laugh, but for other reasons, is Trippel Trappel, a 2D animated film. In Belgium it is produced by Luna Blue and Vivi Film (Minuscule 2, Brendan), and it tells the story of three friends who go looking for Saint Nicolas, which will certainly please kids as well as their parents. Especially if you know that the three friends are of the canine variety, being a little jealous because only humans receive gifts from the saint, you will further understand the metaphorical layer to this adventure set up as a tale about friendship and helping each other. The voices for the French and Flemish versions will be recorded at SonicPil and Sonicville, and the experts at Digital Graphics (who were part of three Oscar nominated films these past few years) will work on the colouring.
After drawing more than 10.000 viewers to Belgian cinemas, Ismael Saïdi is already preparing to shoot another comedy here. In the meantime however, he goes to Morocco to film La reine des sables, which he also wrote. No laughter in this story, as it tells the cruel fate of Rachid who sees his chosen one married off to an old village chief. Finding out that the lovers still meet in secret, the caid orders for Rachid to disappear, but he miraculously survives and starts a new life in France. His only goal is to one day find the love of his life again. Ismaël works with his regular actors Reda Chebchoubi and Audrey Devos, but also with Mourrade Zeguendi. The biggest part of the post-production process will take place in Belgium.
Co-produced between Artemis in Belgium and Samsa in Luxembourg, Demain après la Guerre takes a critical and lucid look at the aftermath of the war in the tiny country next to ours. Christopher Wagner’s second, ambitious feature film tells the story of the murder on a farmer and his family in 1945 and the return of Jules, who fled to escape the draft. At home, he discovers a country ravaged by the battle of the Ardennes and deeply divided by four years of occupation. The shoot will take place in two parts: during the summer and then during the winter of 2014. Historical reconstructions and the merciless autopsy of a troubled past are planned.
While different, Tout tout de suite promises to be just as rough. Co-produced in Belgium by Nexus, working together with La Petite reine, this ultra-realist film noir, on the limits of a documentary film, gives perspective to the tragic story of Youssouf Fofana, also known as the “gang des barbares”. The facts behind it are unfortunately famous: an (badly) organised gang kidnaps a young Jew, hoping to obtain a nice ransom. The victim’s family however havs no money and the plan turns into a killing game. Adapted from a novel by Morgan Sportès, the film will be directed by Richard Berry who also plays a secondary role, the main roles are held by little known actors. Nexus brings along Belgian technicians, nine shooting days on the territory and part of the postproduction.
The last selected project, Lee & Cindy C., is a musical project submitted by Oud België production. You may not recognize the name, but they are not beginners, as it is a joint-venture between Eyeworks (Peter Bouckaert, known for Marina and Het Vonnis) and Stany Crets’s company, an actor known in Flanders for his work in the audiovisual world. At ease as well in mass as more intimate productions, Stany will tell the story of the unusual romance which will bring together (or not) Cindy C., a popular singer whose career is taking a new turn and Lieven, also known as Lee, a young teacher who sings in a rock band. The well thought-out marketing plan for this attractive film should make Lee & Cindy T. a success in Flanders as well.
