L’exercice de l’Etat, co-produced in Belgium by Les Films du Fleuve, takes a behind-the-scenes look at a minister of transport who is confronted with his daily worries. Beautifully written by Pierre Scholler(Versailles), this ultra-realistic psychological thriller relies on a magnificent cast: Michel Blanc is the chief of staff, Zabou Breitman the head of communication. As for the minister, he is played by… Olivier Gourmet. What an ascent!
Alongside this serious and exciting film, the board of directors chose three lighter works, each tailored, in its own way, to the general public.
Scope Pictures has brought us… the fourth part of the Asterix adventures. Based on Asterix in Brittany and Asterix and the Normans, albums 8 and 9 of the series (the golden age), this huge project will be directed by Laurent Tirard (The Little Nicholas) and will enjoy a cast of madness: next to the unwavering Gérard Depardieu, the new Asterix is called Edouard Baer, Caesar will be played by Fabrice Luchini, the Queen of England by … Catherine Deneuve. Three Belgians are also on the bill: Bouli Lanners and François Damiens will be Normans who are fond of slaps and Stéphane de Groodt a Roman soldier. The icing on the cake: this will be the first major French-language live-action film in 3D!
Offered by Nexus, Les Tribulations d’une caissère operates on another register, more intimate, more down to earth, closer to our small daily concerns: love, work, meetings, annoyances, fantasies, laughter, outbursts… This adaptation of a French bestseller plays the rare card of the social feel-good movie… the English way. And this even if the French-speaking cast is led by the luminous (and Liège-based) Déborah François.
The last project selected, Ollie Hartmoed’s Drapery Palace, is one of the most singular proposals we have received. This prestigious Dutch series, co-produced in Belgium by A Private View, is composed of four fifty-minute episodes (available in 8 modules of 25′). It is a playful fable, totally unbridled, about new families, broken up, recomposed until it is almost impossible to identify its members. Very funny, lively and rhythmic, the series takes the form of a quasi-fantastic tale à la Tim Burton. It will be released at Christmas time 2012. Mainly shot in Wallonia and Brussels, Ollie Hartmoed’s The Drapery Palace has a rare universal dimension. It will be dubbed in French and other languages to allow it to delight viewers around the world.
